The Australian Ford Capri (SA30) is a revival version of the Ford Capri built from 1968 to 1986 by Ford of Europe. The European Ford Capri was a midsized fastback coupe that used the mechanical components from the MK2 Ford Cortina. The car was pretty popular, and it sold close to two million units.
The Australian Capri, on the other hand, was a two-door four-seat sports convertible built by Ford Australia from 1989 to 1994. The roadster had a front-engine front-wheel-drive (FF) layout and Mazda 323-based engines and mechanicals.
History
Ford's initial intention was to manufacture the Capri in Australia then eventually export them to the United States. The US Capri came under the badge of Mercury Capri with exports commencing in 1991. However, the Capri suffered from reliability issues. Its roof was prone to leaking mainly due to the poor-quality materials used to manufacture it. Ford would eventually correct these issues, but the unfavourable reputation stuck. It wasn't just about the leaking, though. There was also an air of scepticism surrounding Ford's decision to use the FF layout.
Ford offered the Capri in two models:
- Base model - powered by a 1,597 cc 1.6L SOHC B6-2E inline-four petrol engine which reached a peak power of 61 kW and peak torque of 122 Nm (paired with either a 3-speed auto or 5-speed manual transmission)
- Turbocharged model - powered by a 1,597 cc 1.6L SOHC B6T DOHC inline-four petrol engine which produced 100 kW and peak torque of 184 Nm (paired with a 5-speed manual gearbox)
Trims
Both models featured air-conditioning, alloy wheels, radio cassette, power windows, and power steering.
1990 -1991
In 1990, Ford Australia went ahead and introduced a new engine to the range, a 1.6L naturally-aspirated B6D DOHC engine which reached a peak power of 77 kW and maximum torque of 130 Nm. Transmission options included either a 4-speed automatic or 5-speed manual transmission.
In 1991, this engine was the only engine offered. The Australian Capri underwent some changes after the introduction of the B6D DOHC engine in 1991.
1992 – 1993
In 1992, Ford updated the Capri (codename SC) and reintroduced the turbocharged engine. So for this period, two engines variants were available, namely:
- Naturally-aspirated 1.6L – 77 kW, 130 Nm; came in Barchetta base model and XR2 trim; offered in either 4-speed automatic or 5-speed manual transmission
- Turbocharged 1.6L - 100 kW, 184 Nm; came in Clubsprint base model and the XR2 Turbo trim; available only in 5-speed manual transmission
The Barchetta model came with radio cassette, power mirrors, and power windows. The XR2 had alloy wheels and power steering on top of the base offer.
For the turbocharged models, the Clubsprint came with the same trims as the Barchetta, while the XR2 Turbo had an air-conditioning system on top of the XR2 features.
Codename SE was introduced for the 1993 updated Capri version. A range-topping Clubsprint Turbo initially included alloy wheels, power steering, and leather trim. Later, it also offered cruise control, central locking, leather steering wheel, and a rear spoiler.
In 1994, Ford Australia ended the production of the Capri with over 66,000 units built.
Eric Anyega