The Mercury Capri debuted back in 1968 as what the automaker liked to believe was its Ford Mustang for Europe – an affordable fastback coupe with strong performance. That wound up resonating with consumers in that region, who quickly scooped up Capris by the hundreds of thousands, and it went on to enjoy some success in the U.S. as an alternative to Ford’s pony car, as well as a small roadster, more recently. Now, this extremely clean 1979 Mercury Capri is up for auction as a rather nice target for anyone in the market for such a machine.
This 1979 Mercury Capri is up for grabs at Bring a Trailer after receiving a bit of work including the installation of new tires, a replacement steering shaft bushing, valve cover gasket, front brake rotors, and brake pads. Now, the yellow Capri is good to go with nice paint, an aftermarket sunroof, black pinstripes and bodyside moldings, and 14-inch wheels wrapped with 185/70 Hankook Kinergy ST tires. Underneath, one will find power steering, front and rear sway bars, and brakes consisting of front discs and rear drums.
Inside the cabin, this Capri is equipped with recovered black cloth front bucket seats, a rear vinyl bench seat, woodgrain trim, a heater and defroster, and a Pioneer cassette stereo. The odometer shows 20 miles, though it’s unclear how far this Mercury Capri has traveled in its lifetime. Regardless, it’s powered by the naturally-aspirated Ford 2.3L I-4 engine, which was originally rated to produce 88 horsepower and 118 pound-feet of torque and is mated to a four-speed manual transmission.
We’ve seen a few other Mercury Capri models hit the auction block in recent times, but not too many – especially compared to the sheer number of Mustangs we come across on a daily basis. That list does include a custom 1974 model build for the SEMA Show, a 1980 Cosworth Capri prototype, and a 1986 ASC McLaren, at least.
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