Ford Capri set to return… as an EV crossover

by Antony Ingram

22 March 2023 2 min read

As 2003’s Visos concept showed, Ford’s designers are only ever a daydream away from reviving one of its most iconic models, the Capri. And as Ford itself has shown with nameplates like Kuga, Puma, and Mustang Mach-E, it’s not afraid of putting the name of something sleek and sporty onto a crossover.

You know where this is going: As The Sun reports, Ford is due to revive the Capri name next year, and you’ll find it on the boot of a sporty electric crossover as the Ford range slowly sheds cars for cars-on-stilts. We can hear some of you grinding your teeth already, but even if the overall shape isn’t to taste, it may well pack some details from the original.

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Along with rumours of a £40,000 price tag, more than 300 miles of range, and a 0-60mph time in the sixes, The Sun reports the model will also be rear-wheel drive, just as Capris always were – but we wouldn’t be surprised to see four-wheel drive too – and feature a four-headlight face, like some Mk2s and the moody-looking Mk3 Capri models of the 1980s.

What it’s unlikely to have is a two-door body or a low-slung feel, but the Mustang Mach-E has shown Ford knows how to incorporate familiar design cues onto a less-than-sporty body profile, and with other crossovers like the Ecosport, Puma, Kuga, Mach-E, and now a new Explorer already littering the range, there may be some scope for Ford’s designers to try something a little more daring than the blobby crossover norm.

The original Capri launched in 1968, serving as Ford Europe’s equivalent of the then-fairly-new Mustang in the US market – and hoped to cash in on similar success. With sales of nearly 1.9 million units, it did pretty well, but bowed out in 1986 and hasn’t been replaced since.

The closest Ford got was with the Probe and Cougar coupes of the 1990s, each of which was front-wheel drive, while that Visos concept was probably the closest Ford has got at reviving “the car you always promised yourself” in a form true to the original.

Despite this long dry patch, the model remains a fan favourite, having starred in innumerable TV shows in period, and always retained a blue-collar image even as prices of classic examples has risen. Today, ironically, the current Mustang is about as close as you’ll get to that appeal in Ford’s UK range – though hot hatches like the Fiesta and Focus ST both pack some of the Capri’s attitude too.

Ford has not confirmed the model just yet, telling the press “We don’t speculate on future product but Ford is on a mission to make electric iconic.” If you can’t wait – or maybe just don’t fancy an electric crossover – then just shy of £5k is about as cheap as you’ll find a usable, running example of the original for today, with a 1.6 or 2.0-litre four-pot petrol. Our buying guide should help you scope out a good one.

Maybe the new one will also come with a Laser special edition…