1980 Mercury Capri

The name 'Capri' was used by Ford in all three of its divisions, including the 1952 Lincoln Capri which was the first use of the nameplate. It was used during the early 1960s by Ford of Britain on the Ford Consul Capri two-door hardtop. From 1966 and 1967, the Capri was first used by Mercury, denoting the standard trim of the Mercury Comet.

The second generation of the Mercury Capri, produced from 1979 through 1986, served as a counterpart to the Ford Mustang. It shared the Fox platform and was the first Mercury 'pony car' since the 1970 Mercury Cougar. They were visually similar to the Mustang and offered exclusively as a three-door hatchback. To help distinguish the Mustang and Capri, the Mercury was given slightly-flared wheel openings and widened front and rear fenders. It had its own fascia in the front, dark-tinted taillamps, horizontally-ribbed lenses, and a vertically-mounted grille.

Since the Capri had been introduced for 1979, the 1980 Capri received very few changes. The main differences were mechanical, including a new 225 cubic-inch V8 replacing the optional 302 CID unit. An inline 200 CID six became available late in the model year, replacing the prior V-6. A five-speed manual transmission became optional and new standard equipment included steel-belted radials and halogen headlamps. Later in the year, an AM radio also became standard.

The fastback Capri had a base price of $5,250 and a total of 72,009 examples were built for 1980. An additional 7,975 examples of the Ghia Capri were built, having a base price of $5,550. The Ghia Capri added larger tires, 14-inch wheels, sport wheel covers, Ghia badges, European-style headrests, four-spoke steering wheel, low-back bucket seats, and dual black remote mirrors.

Buyers who purchased the Capri RS received a non-functional hood scoop, black grille, black right-hand remote mirror, a rear spoiler, RS identification on the front fender, sport wheel covers, and upper bodyside dual accent paint striping. Other standard items on the RS included blackout headlamp frames, window frame moldings, engine-turned instrument panel, radial sport suspension, and sport wheel covers.

The Capri Turbo RS came with a turbocharged 140 CID four-cylinder engine fitted with a 2-barrel Holley carburetor and producing 150 horsepower. The had 'Turbo RS' identification on the front fender, 'Turbo' plaque on the hood scoop, three-spoke 15.3 inch forged aluminum wheels, low-profile tires, turbo function indicator lights on the dash, rally suspension, 8000 RPM tachometer, low-back bucket seats, European-style headrests, and a sport-tuned exhaust.

by Daniel Vaughan | Apr 2019