Ford Capri Mk1, pre facelift, 1971.

For Sale

A once in a life time opportunity to acquire a very low millage best original condition 1971 Ford Capri Mk 1 1300 L.

28. 00 miles

An exemplary example 

 This Capri was imported from Malta at the beginning of the year. It has spent a large portion of its life on display in the Maltese Classic Car museum. It was recently released and I have all the documentation papers to support this. If you google the Maltese Classic Car museum you will see that this car is still featured on their website.

 Not surprisingly coming from Malta and being of Museum caliber the car is completely rust free retaining all of its originally fitted panels & glass. It has matching numbers. It is totally standard apart from you will notice the wheels and gear nob.  

Absolutely exceptional in every way and presented in show winning condition.

Following the runaway success of the Mustang in the early 60's Ford desperately needed to produce a European equivalent to appeal to the younger customer in the emerging coupe market.

By 1964 Ford styling and design studios in America and Europe were drawing up the first ideas for "Project Colt". By the beginning of 1966 the new car was being shown as full size mockups to "clinics" in London. nbsp;Cologne. nbsp;Milan and other European cities. The Colt. owing to copyright issues with by the Japanese Car manufacture. became the Capri and was launched in the U. K to great acclaim in 1969.

‘Ford Capri: the car you always promised yourself'

An instant the Mk1 Capri hit. it soon became the ‘must have' car of the early seventies.

In the autumn of 1972. to keep The Capri ahead of its up and coming rivals from other manufacturers a face lift version was introduced with many upgrades.  The pre face lift Capris are becoming extremely rare and desirable. This one still has its original Kent engine which was later replaced by the Pinto in the face lifted models.

The following year. 1973. saw the highest sales total the Capri ever attained. at 233. 00 vehicles. and by August The millionth Capri was sold. I believe only 7 of the pre face lift model with this engine variant remain in the UK.

Capri's remain extremely popular and desirable today with the Mk1's the most sought after. It is almost forty years since the last one left the Halewood production line.

Time has taken its toll and very few original unrestored Mk1's now remain.

Completely unmolested examples are very rare. One in standard specification. as it was when it left the factory. very rare indeed.  

BODYWORK

Finished in Diamond white. the colour really suits this Capri so well and contrasts great with the black interior.

The bodywork is all totally standard. there are no signs at all of replacement panels or wings and no sign at all of any filler. It is completely rust free and the underside is as good as the bodywork.

Overall the body and paint work is superb for a car that is over four decades old and retains a good lustre. There is the odd little blemish but nothing you would spot without looking hard for it.

Door boot and bonnet shuts are in fantastic condition.

No welding has ever been carried out and none is required.

The chrome work is in good original condition. the front bumper has a very very slight scuff on a small area on one of the corners.

All rubbers are excellent.

All the factory fitted Ford stamped glass remains.

 INTERIOR

Finished in black the interior contrasts extremely well with the exterior and can only be described as exemplary as what you would expect to see from such a low milage car.

A factory option. thankfully not taken.  was cloth inserts to the seat facings. The standard full vinyl facings to the seats hold their shape and wear much better than cloth; they also give the car a far more classic look and feel.

The seats. carpets. door cards. headlining. dash. rear trim. rear parcel shelf are all unmarked.

Period 8 track with rear shelf speakers - the wire feeds through standard grommet holes.

The floors under the carpets are in absolutely superb condition

IN THE BOOT

The spare wheel well and boot floor is in excellent unwelded condition.

Correct boot mat.

Jack still in its original sacking bag.

UNDER THE BONNET

On the whole very clean and presents as only a low mileage vehicle can.

Original stickers in place.

New battery

Slight surface rust to bulk head around the brake master cylinder. really not a problem and in the early stages.

ON THE ROAD

Starts on the button with manual choke.

No untoward noises or smoke.

Everything is tight and this is as close you will ever get to what it would have been like to drive a Mk1 Capri back in the early seventies when they were new.

Under went slight recommissioning work. full service. all fluids changed. hand brake adjusted etc

Just such a joy to drive you can tell straight away that this is an exceptionally low mileage well maintained car.

The gears change up and down as they should everything tested works.

SUMMARY

It is a safe bet that you will very rarely again get an opportunity to own such an original. extraordinary low mileage.  Mk1 Capri.

This car will be of interest to enthusiasts. collectors and most certainly investors.

It is perfectly usable on a daily basis. should you so desire.

It has huge show winning potential and is a once in a life time investment opportunity.

It is very original and unmolested.   

Would benefit from a set of period rostyles

VALUE

In today's market it is hard to imagine just where you could put a relatively small amount that would possibly give a better return than investing in this car.  

I saw a similar MK1 Capri (facelift) sell for over £12. 00 a few months ago.

I am looking for about the above figure but am open to sensible offers.

The reserve is set a few thousand lower than this.

VIEWING

If you are unsure of being able to acquire the relevant funds equal to the expected final price you should question. for both our sakes. whether you should come to view.

I have barely driven this car in order to keep it clean and to retain the low mileage so test drives will only be offered to very serious buyers and i would request the relevant insurance to be shown. Otherwise Iam happy to take you for a drive with you as the passenger.

Please only view / bid if you have the funds available to purchase. If you have to go away and 'check with the wife' please seek permission before viewing and bidding.

Iam very approachable and welcome any questions about the vehicle.

Iam Located near Slough with easy access from both the M4 and M40

Sorry no paypal. cash on collection or bank transfer prior to collection

Final Thought

It is becoming extremely difficult to obtain an unrestored 40 year old car. By and large they were just not built to last in the 70's and 80's. However. if you do find an original example that's survived the chances are that. if looked after. it should last for many more years. after all it will only have lasted this long because it will have had little use and been extraordinarily well cared for previously. The same. unfortunately. is far less likely to be able to be said for a car that has under gone renovation.

You simply cannot beat a straight original example of any item. There is a school of thought that believes that if you take something apart and then put it back together you are just recreating that item in a false attempt to make it as it was in its former glory. and that no matter how well a vehicle has been restored it can only be original once.

Whereas I know that many restorations are done to the highest standards I believe that there are far more that are not.  Who really knows what skulduggery may lie beneath a car that has possibly covered hundreds of thousands of miles then been restored at least one time or maybe even more than once! In our view if a car has required restoration then by default it must have become worn out. tired and have most probably been neglected.

On 29-Aug-13 at 16:36:00 BST. seller added the following information:

The V5 is in my name. I purchased this car as an investment and as an interest. I was planning on keeping it for a long time. Unfortunately unforeseen circumstances have meant that my Capri is now for sale.  

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