History of the Capri in New Zealand
A unique lineup of all models of Capri recognised by the club - Stop, get ready, go and stop!!
General History
The history of the variety of cars bearing the Ford Capri badge is well documented in many excellent international websites. It is not the intention here to copy that information but rather to give a kiwi perspective on the cars and the impact they had “down under”.
For those wishing general history, production figures and dates these sites are well recommended:
Consul Capri 1961-64
The first Capri’s to arrive in New Zealand were in 1961, being the Ford Consul Capri 335, the 2 door pillerless coupe version of the Ford Consul 315 (or Classic as it was known in the UK).
Very heavily influenced on American styling of the late 1950’s, the 315 and 335 models were designed as Ford Europe's first personal car. Powered (or underpowered) by the 1340cc hollow crankshaft engine, these cars featured quad headlamps, front disk brakes and a trim level which included variable speed wipers, instrument dimmer and heaters as standard.
Unlike the Consul 315s produced at Ford’s Seaview plant in Wellington, the Capris were imported pre-assembled from plants in the UK. At the time New Zealand had very strict foreign exchange policies allowing only citizens with overseas accounts and funds to buy a new imported car. Others had to place an order and wait (sometimes months or years) for a locally made or company imported car to become available. Those who were able to fund an imported car had no say in items such as colour and trim. It was not uncommon for a car to arrive at the dealers and be completely repainted in a colour of the customers choice prior to sale!!
In late 1962 the first of the new 1500cc 5-bearing engined Capris arrived, giving a much needed power boost and reliability, as the hollow crankshaft version had a nasty habit of breaking at high revs. It is difficult to know who the sales of Capris were aimed at, with little room in the back seats for all but the smallest children, but a boot with enough storage to feed a family for a month!
In early 1963 the GT version appeared, which had the same 1500cc block, but with better cam, slight porting, twin webber and extractors it became the fastest Consul Capri of them all. Complete with brake booster, floor change, extra GT gauges and wood grain dash, it stayed in production until late 1964 when the cheaper, lighter and more mainstream styling of the new Cortina range spelt the end of the Consul Capri’s and 315’s.
The total number of Consul Capri’s imported into New Zealand is unknown, however by 2000 the number registered numbered around 60, with 6 of these being GT’s.
The Consul Capri was never an official import into Australia, however a number were imported by emigrating ex-pats and in 1963 some 25 GT’s were sent by Ford UK for off loading in the colonies, much like the RS3100 a decade later.
Mark 1 – Preface lift 1969-1972
In 1969 the first of the cars most readily identified as Capri were assembled in the UK and Germany. Ford Australia also assembled Capri at their plant in Sydney. Because the same foreign exchange limits were still in force, most of the private Capris purchased were from UK funds and exported from there. Ford New Zealand began importing them from both the UK and Australia as an elite sports car to be sold along side the new locally made Escorts, Cortinas and Falcons.
All Capri models and engine capacities were imported in some numbers. However as buyers needed foreign exchange accounts, usually having higher paid jobs or high-flying contacts in the UK, models imported were generally in the higher specification range. Very few 1300’s ever made it to our shores and the top of the range GTXLR and E trim versions were not uncommon. The 1600 and 2000 were popular and many were bought by single and or younger buyers in rural areas of New Zealand.
I have no figures on how many Mark 1 prefacelift Capris made it to New Zealand, but they were reasonably plentiful on the roads until the late 1990’s.
Mark 1 Facelift 1973–74
The facelift Mark 1 Capri was released in 1973 and here in New Zealand we were experiencing the Norman Kirk Labour led government who had implemented huge change across the economy, including wiping the foreign currency policy and relaxing duty on imports. The government saw that local industry could not keep pace with consumer demand for many goods and the Capri for one benefited. Ford New Zealand could now price the car competitively and with rural prices at an all time high they sold in record numbers, making this model the most numerous on New Zealand’s roads. All models were imported, now only from the UK as Ford Australia ended production and sales in 1972. Again, 1600’s and 2000 were popular, but many 3000 GT’s and GXL’s were snapped up with all options available.
Mark 2 1974-77
The Mark 2 Capri arrived in large numbers in 1974 and 1975, again in many trim and engine models, 1600 and 2000 GT’s being the most common. The practical uses of a hatchback were not lost on the kiwi consumer, making the Capri a very versatile but still sporty vehicle.
However with the Middle East fuel crisis in full swing and the rural economy in shock due to the UK’s decision to enter the EEC, the Labour party was defeated at the general election and the new National Govt started to reform the policies of the past three years reintroducing tariffs and import duty, forcing Ford New Zealand to discontinue Capri imports. A number of large Ford Dealers around the country had a very loyal Capri following and so they continued to import Capris from the UK and then from Germany when production in the UK stopped. The number of 1976 and 77 models were very low in comparison to earlier imports, but again those imported were often S or Ghia models, rather than L and GL models.
Mark 3 1978–1986
The facelifted Mark 3 arrived here in mid 1978 and Ford New Zealand imported a number to try and boost sales. Given that from 1976 till 1982 the Cortina was the largest selling car in New Zealand of any manufacturer, the idea that the Capri may do well was not lost on the company. Unfortunately duty and tarrif restrictions meant that a 2.0S Capri cost half as much again as the locally assembled Cortina and Escorts and so a new Capri was costing as much as a"premium brand" BMW or Mercedes. "2.8i"s were more than double the cost of a Cortina!!
Some large Ford dealerships continued to import Capris and a number of ex pats or Kiwis doing their OE have continued to bring them home in their luggage. New Capris were imported right until the end of production with at least 6 Brooklands Capris’ making their way here.
Mercury Capri 1979–1986
A number of these “Fox Mustangs” were imported into New Zealand at the time. All being left hand drive, they were never as popular as their Mustang badged cousins and at a time where the Mustang had clearly gotten away from its original roots. Some are still seen for sale today. This model is not included in Capri’s eligible for membership of the club.
Ford Capri – “Japri” 1991-94
The Mazda based Ford Capri made by Ford Australia was imported in reasonable numbers in to New Zealand. By this time the tariffs and duty had been lifted and many local assembly plants had been closed down. The Mazda 323 and Ford Laser were popular sellers here and it was hoped that the Capri could add sales to this line-up. Unfortunately no-one at Mazda told their Ford bosses they were also developing a 323 based sports car, the MX5 which had much nicer styling and handling and was released a year earlier than the Capri.
Early build problems did not help the cause and they failed to make any impact on the U.S. market. Most of those that arrived in New Zealand were the early models, the later much better built and styled XR2 and Tickford Clubsprint models only made it in small numbers.
This model is not included in Capri’s eligible for membership of the club.
Today
New Zealand has been fortunate to have seen examples of every Capri model ever made on our roads, from the early 1960’s till the mid 1990’s. No other country has had that spread of officially imported and sold models.
The climate here has been reasonably kind to well maintained cars, however the tin worm has taken its toll over the years. The poor rust proofing on the Consul Capris and rarity of parts would see no more than a dozen actually on the roads at present. Very few come up for sale with owners either restoring them or keeping them in storage.
The Mark 1 falls into two distinct camps, prefacelift’s are now rare on the roads and often those seen are very well maintained or very rough. Facelift Capris are the most numerous and would make up the bulk of club membership and those for sale.
The Mark 2 Capris are generally early models and are still reasonably plentiful. A number were converted to look like Mark 3’s in the 1980’s or used as a cheap base for a track car. Later Mark 2’s were often privately imported and like many Mark 3’s the amount of time they spent in the UK before importation can strongly influence their condition. Many later imports have rust in places and severeness that are not evident on New Zealand new Consul Capris!
With so many cheap used Japanese vehicles imported into New Zealand over the past 15 years, older cars have become a throw away item. I am sure many salvageable Capris have gone to that "great crusher in the sky" over the past decade, however those remaining are often well looked after, and the prices being paid across the range seems to be rising markedly.