May 6, 2008

Autoexpress has unveiled the new look Ford Capri. The 80s icon is back and it looks like it’s coming back with style. Anyone with an interest in motors in the 70s and 80s will surely have a soft spot for the classic coupe and curiosity about it's return

As Ford have yet to officially confirm the plans for the new model, it’s going to be a little while until we see any on the roads, but reports indicate that it’s likely to be based on the underpinnings of the Focus, which can only be a good thing.

Ford have made several attempts to find a replacement for the iconic Coupe; but with little success. 1993 saw the launch of the Probe, which was actually sold as 'A Capri for the 90's’. Despite this the public never really took to the car. They were not helped by the cramped interior and unreliable engines – it was dropped after just four years. The following year (1998), the Ford Puma was introduced, but while it fitted the shape of the Capri, it was based on the Fiesta and was never big enough to fill the Capri’s shoes. Next up Ford launched the Cougar, which was based on the Mondeo Chassis and shared two of it’s engines. The resulting car had all the features that Ford believed would make a successor to the Capri, however the buying public were not convinced enough to put their hands in their pockets and the Cougar only enjoyed a four year run.

The body looks to have been developed from the 2003 concept ‘Visos’. At it’s unveiling the Visos had the motoring world whispering about a return for the Capri and those suspicions look to have been right. The new model combines a number of Ford's current designs with the Mondeo style headlights a clear signal of intent. The body looks sleek and has the low seated road position that was a trademark of the original models.

Fans of the old 2.8 injection will be glad to hear that there is likely to be a similar model on offer, in the range topping 2.5 turbo model. And there’s even talk of an RS version featuring a 3.2-litre six-cylinder powerhouse and offering four-wheel drive. It should give the raw power of the old model but with much more refined road manners.

Having enjoyed such a long run of success with the Focus and Mondeo models Ford look keen to leverage part of both to resurrect the Capri. While it doesn’t look like coming anytime soon it looks like we’ll be in for a treat. They say good things come to those who wait and it looks worth it.

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