If you’ve never heard of the Ford Capri, you’d be forgiven, especially if you’re American. This isn’t the all-electric Capri SUV currently on sale in Europe – and thus it’s also unlikely to be known to many in the US. Introduced in Europe in 1969 and sold until 1986, this fast little coupe bears little resemblance to its contemporary namesake.
Ford originally planned to name the Capri the Colt, and it was Ford’s European take on the American Mustang. Mitsubishi beat the American automaker in the name of Colt, so Ford voted for the Capri and the rest, as they say, is history. The Capri was sold in various iterations for about 20 years, but in 1986 Ford discontinued the model.
To celebrate the Capri’s long history and generate hype for the model’s final year, Ford created a special edition. It made only 1,038 of the Ford Capri 280 Brooklands, which sold for 11,999 pounds in the late 1980s, or about $50,000 in today’s market. One man bought a lightly used Capri 280 in 1988 and drove it until the mid-1990s, when he parked it in his garage. He didn’t intend to leave it for long, but 30 years passed in the blink of an eye, and his Capri only recently saw the light of day.
The owner, a man named Chris, is partnered with Jonny Smith, a TV presenter and creator of a YouTube channel called The Late Brake Show. Together, they manage to get Capri out of her unintended time capsule, but it doesn’t crash.
Will it run again?
When Chris installed his Capri 280, he didn’t just want to keep it outside the car. He even extended the garage to fit a Ford coupe and then moved on with his life. He did his best to take care of the Capri while it was still in storage, but he couldn’t get it out because getting it back into the garage, which had a weird frame after it was extended, was too difficult. Now that Capri is free, Chris and Smith have a better understanding of where things stand.
The Capri 280 only has 49,349 miles on it. There are a few dents and dings, and a rusted hole in the driver’s door from an attempted robbery years ago. The men updated the spark plugs and added new oil. They were able to get the engine started, but it stalled due to cylinder failure and will need some serious work before Chris can get it back on the road.
If you have a classic car that you plan to keep, experts recommend that you use a professional car storage facility. If that’s not possible, keep your car in a garage where there is fire and theft detection. A temperature and humidity controlled environment is best. Change the oil and fill the fuel tank before you park and disconnect or remove the battery, so that the car does not die while in storage. You may want to cover your car for extra protection and be sure to check in every once in a while, to make sure it’s still safe and secure.