Heavily, but tastefully modified with a 302 V8 and the neatest digital dash you’ve ever seen, today’s Nice Price or No Dice Capri could be the coolest cat at Cars and Coffee. That is, if the price tag doesn’t cool our interest first.
Right now, Cadillac has 11 distinct models on offer, not counting the various and sundry badging variations. Of all those, exactly none is a removable hardtop two-seater convertible with Pininfarina styling. However, those exact specifications are available in the 1993 Cadillac Allante we looked at yesterday. Seemingly well-preserved albeit with little info to go on in the ad regarding its mechanical condition, that Allante also had the auspices of once being Cadillac’s halo car. Not so angelic was the current owner’s $11,000 asking price. That found little favor in either the comments or our voting, resulting in a 73 percent No Dice loss.
There’s a tenuous connection between yesterday’s Allante and the 1973 Mercury Capri we’re looking at today. While not quite the wonder twins, both offer V8 power and each has a bit of Italian heritage, with the Allante having been built at a factory on the outskirts of Turin and the Mercury being named for an isle in the Campanian Archipelago in the Bay of Naples. See? It’s like they’re brothers.
Mini Mustang
Over the years, the Ford Motor Company has used the Capri name on multiple cars, starting with a Lincoln in the 1950s, then under the Mercury marque from the end of the ’60s through the ’90s. The first two generations of those were imported from Europe, where Ford had attempted to capture the same pony car magic as it had achieved with the Mustang in the U.S., but in a size more appropriate for the Continent’s roads, fuel prices, and drivers’ tastes.
The Ford Capri proved a hit both in its home markets and here in the States. The company continued to sell it in England and Europe for years after the nameplate had transitioned to the fox body here in the U.S., with the American version literally becoming the Mustang. In its last iteration in the 1990s, the Capri returned to being a smaller import, only this time as a Mazda-based two-seater convertible built by Ford’s Australian division.
House of Windsor
As the Capri was originally intended to be smaller than the Mustang, so, too, were its engine choices. The Mercury version was offered with a choice of four-cylinder and V6 engines, however, as a Ford dealer in South Africa proved with the factory-sanctioned Capri Panera, the 302 Windsor V8 could easily be wedged under the little pony’s hood.
That was the same choice made by the builder of this Capri. It presently sports a 302 out of an 1989 Mustang, which has had its fuel injection and factory exhaust removed in preference for a four-barrel carburetor and a set of bespoke-bent tubular headers.
According to the seller, that conversion was undertaken several years ago, but only 800 miles back, and included the Mustang’s T5 five-speed, gaining all-new clutch mechanicals and hydraulics in the process.
Other mechanical updates include all-new brakes, driveshaft, and a rebuilt steering rack. Now the car is said to be mechanically excellent and as “Reliable as a Timex.”
Duck tails
Aesthetically, the car appears to be in equally good shape. It has been repainted in what the seller describes as near-enough to factory root beer metallic brown with gloss black accents, and wears a wild ducktail boot lid with both Ford and CapriV8 badging. Handsome Rota 15-inch wheels underpin and wear decent-looking tires. A subtle but appreciated change is the removal of the front bumper shocks, which tucks the bumper closer to the body, and vastly improves the looks.
According to the seller, this was originally a California car (it now resides in Iowa) and, hence, it is completely rust-free. It even still wears its So-Cal license plate surrounds, proudly promoting the South Bay’s Don Kott. Since making the move Midwest, this Capri has been kept out of the rain and snow, waiting out the inclement weather in its garage, snugly sleeping under a multi-layer car cover. We should all be so lucky.
Wizards
The interior wasn’t left out of the equation in this Capri’s customization, either. The seller says it was professionally re-trimmed by a wizard/artist, and it features an amazing reimagining of the instrument panel in the form of a single ’70s LED watch-style digital display. That naturally negates the need to mate the Capri’s original gauges with the new drivetrain. Everything else in the cabin looks beautiful, and is said to all work without issue, even the sunroof.
It should be noted that all that stuff—sunroof, seats, windows and locks, etc.—are all manual. The steering and the shifter are too, and there’s no AirCon or even heat, so don’t plan on this Capri being a 365-day beast. Those minor inconveniences shouldn’t matter when the weather is nice, and that’s most likely when the car will get its exercise. One cool bit of Capri kit that the builder kept is the map light, which is mounted on the passenger-side A-pillar. In an era of modern cars with maps on screens, that’s a bit of old-school kitsch that’s fun to find.
Parts is parts
The purchase of this Capri doesn’t just get the new owner a car. It also imbues their garage with a slew of Capri parts, which the seller is throwing in with the deal. That may seem like a sly way to get someone to cart off a lot of junk—while paying for the honor—but that’s not exactly fair.
The seller notes that some parts, like the old front brake calipers, are almost impossible to find anymore. And, if the car’s massive rear spoiler/boot lid proves to be too audacious for its new owner, well then they can replace it with the original, which also comes in the parts pile. Personal opinion: the spoiler stays.
It should be noted, though, that the treasure trove of parts will require a pickup or trailer to cart away, as there are a number of pretty big pieces, including a fuel tank and the original subframe.
Are we there yet?
Look, I know we tend not to like custom cars, frequently shunning anything that has even the slightest whiff of “other people’s project” about it. That being put on the table, this Capri appears to be just too awesome to ignore. It’s amazing enough and seemingly well-done enough that it could be a turn-key cars and coffee crowd collector with little more than a flash of the wallet.
This is also a clean title car, and is old enough that it can scoff at emissions testing, making title transfer and annual registration a breeze, pretty much anywhere. The big question, then, is could it be worth the $19,500 the seller asks for it?
According to the ad, the sale is under protest from the present owner and builder’s heart, but as they just haven’t used the car enough since its rebirth, they feel it should go to someone who will.
What do you think? Should that special someone pay the $19,500 asked for this custom Capri? Or does the specter of “other people’s projects” haunt both the car and that price?
You decide!
Nice Price or No Dice:
Facebook Marketplace out of Missouri Valley, Iowa, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to Glemon for the hookup!
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