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I thought it might be of interest to compare the two Capri’s together, how they drive, image etc.
Two points of interest here:
Mark 1 Capri, 1973 3.0 GXL
There are two things that strike you as you get behind the wheel of the Mk1:
It’s a bit like sitting in an old armchair (comfy at first, pain in the rear later) surrounded by lots of 70’s spangletastic vinyl and plastic. All in chic black of course.
Turn the key and you are treated to a surprisingly quiet engine. The clutch is heavy, with long pedal travel. The biting point is near the top, which can lead to leg ache in traffic queues.
The gearbox is a proper ‘rifle bolt’ change, very satisfying and direct. It adds to an early air of sporting expectation.
For a car of its age, the dash and controls are surprisingly modern; Six dial dash, including Ammeter, Oil pressure, Fuel and Water temperature. On the down side, the switches for lights and windscreen wipers are mounted on the bottom edge of the dash fascia, leading to some fumbling around in the dark. There’s also no intermittent setting on the wipers, which can be a pain.
All round visibility is surprisingly good for a car with such a low slung roof.
Moving away, getting the throttle/clutch balance right can be difficult. The throttle seems to be a little vague at first, but picks up nicely once on the move.
The V6 is a nice engine to have. The torque makes for easy driving, lazy driving in fact, especially round town. However, get the car onto a nice stretch of open (pref. straight!!) road and push the throttle down and the car picks itself up and tries to abuse the horizon with a soundtrack only bettered by American muscle cars.
Corners, bends and other twisty bits are a slightly different story. The car loves to rock ‘n’ roll. Oddly, there’s a hint of understeer first, but be a bit enthusiastic with the loud pedal and the back will readily step out of line, as advertised!
The real down side is the brakes. These were actually criticised when the car was launched in 1969, so in 2002 they really are poor!! Good cure for constipation though.
The Mk 1 Capri is definitely a good-looking car, in any guise. There are definite hints of old skool yank muscle car in there, but in an understated British GT form. People like this car, it draws compliments.
Overall rating: This is Hendrix. Probably Foxy Lady or Hey Joe.
Mark 3 Capri, 1985 2.0 Laser
There are two things that strike you as you get behind the wheel of the Mk3:
Oddly enough, the layout of the interior hasn’t changed much from the Mk 1, and yet it feels a lot more ‘closed in’ The seats are bigger, the door cards etc. fill out a lot more, which all adds to the cosseted effect.
The familiar 6-dial dash is still there, but this time the wiper and lights controls have moved to column mounted stalks, which is easier to use. There’s also the added luxury of an intermittent wiper setting and a tailgate wiper!
Because of the height of the Recaro seats, the all round vision isn’t as good as the Mk1. This heightens the closed in feel.
Turn the key and the Pinto starts willingly, although the fast road cam and big carb mean a lumpy idle, especially when cold.
The clutch is a lot lighter, with less pedal travel, so pulling away is a much easier affair, especially with the Pinto being so eager to please. The exhaust note on the move is surprising – the big bore system making the engine sound a lot bigger and more potent than it really is. The sound reverberates off buildings, walls etc. which can make the cabin a noisy place to be. But boy, does it sound good!!
The Pinto is eager, especially toward the top end of the rev range and will give a good account of itself when pushed hard, which is what it seems to ask you to do!! It’s also surprisingly torquey and will pull from 1000rpm in any gear (albeit slowly in the upper ones!)
The handling is completely different. Gone is the wallowy GT feel of the Mk 1 and in its place is a more competent, taut feel. It can be a bit hard and crashy at times though.
Pushing on round bends gives you more confidence, although the car is still nowhere near contemporary standards. Rear end breakaway can be sudden and violent and there is a distinct tendency for the car to follow all the ridges, bumps, white lines and potholes!
The brakes are now quite good, although there is more braking potential available than grip from the tyres when pushed hard.
As described by a friend once, this car is a ‘Fairground ride’
Personally, I think the Mk3 is a great looking car. The quad-light front end makes it look lean and aggressive and any car can be made to look great simply by lowering an inch or three. Those that like it, like it and those that don’t, don’t.
Overall rating: The Prodigy, probably the album mix of Everybody in the Place.