The Mercury Capri at a Glance...

The Capri that was first associated with Mercury was a model line of the 1966 and 1967 Mercury Comets. The Capri name has been resurrected three more times by Lincoln Mercury.

The first was an import from Germany, marketed simply as the "Capri".  These popular little sport coupes and hatchbacks were sold in North America from 1970 thru 1974.  The 1975 year was skipped over, and the car was restyled as a hatchback and marketed as the Capri II from 1976 to 1978.  In 1979 a domestically produced Capri became part of the Mercury lineup, based on the Ford Mustang platform. This Mercury Capri was produced from 1979 through 1986.  Several limited production Capri's were offered during this time by Mercury, including the "Black Magic", "White Magic", the "Crimson Cat" and the "Charcoal Turbo RS". This version of the Mercury Capri ended in 1987.

Once again the Capri name badge was resurrected in 1991 as an import from Ford of Australia. It was marketed thru Lincoln Mercury dealers as the Capri XR2.  This snappy looking little convertible was Ford's answer to the Mazda Miata convertible. It wasn't exactly a "sports car", but the Capri XR2 was cheaper than the Miata, and actually was one of the least expensive convertibles on the US market. There was turbo charged version available that came standard with a 5 speed transmission.  This little Capri XR2 roadster appeared to be headed for a successful production run. Things went awry quickly though, as the US implemented front air bag requirements, and production of the XR2 was delayed due to redesign requirements. By the time the Capri XR2 was finally made available in the US, the initial excitement over the car had disappeared, and the last of the Mercury Capri's, did as well in 1994.  Rumors persist with each new model year that the Capri name shall appear once more....stay tuned.

Capri History Timeline:

• 1950 "Capri" name first used by Lincoln (Cosmopolitan)
• 1966 "Capri" name first used by Mercury (Comet)
• 1994 Was the last domestically sold "Capri"

Mercury Capri Quick Facts:

• The Capri name was first used by Lincoln 1950-1958
• The Capri name originated from an Italian Island
• At its peak, the Capri II outsold all imports except the VW Beetle

Capri Advertising Slogans:

• "Sporty but Practical"
• "The First Sexy European under $2400"
• "German Craftsmanship, Italian Flair"
• The Sexy new Capri, A Miracle under $4700"

Popular Capri Body Styles:

• Capri II sport coupe, hatchback
• Mercury Capri Hatchback Coupe
• Capri XR2 Convertible, Roadster

Capri Model Names:

• Capri II
• Capri RS, Capri RS Turbo, Black Lightning, White Lightning, Crimson Cat, Charcoal Turbo, 5.0
• Capri XR2

More Capri:  Capri Images, Capri Video, Capri Car Ebay Auctions, Capri Parts Ebay Auctions