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June Car In The Room
Kevin and Maryann Scott’s 1990 Ford Capri 1.6 Turbo Ghia
The Ford Capri SA, SC and SE range were assembled in Australia from 1989 to 1994. Designed by Ghia of Italy which gave the car it’s European styling, the convertible was based on the front wheel drive Ford Laser/Mazda 323 floorpan. It was destined for big things as it was built in both Left Hand and Right Hand Drive. The left hand drive cars being sent to North America and sold as Mercury Capris. A total of 66,640 of these cars were built and 55,932 were LHD, the balance of 10,347 being RHD. Of the RHD version 9,787 were sold in Australia, 440 sold in New Zealand and the remaining 120 were exported to Singapore. The Capri was built to compete with the newly developed Mazda MX5. It differed from the traditional sports car design firstly by being a front wheel drive and secondly it was not a true two seater being a 2+2. Ford offered this model with several different engine options those being a 1.3ltr, a SOHC 1.6ltr EFI and a DOHC 1.6ltr Turbo EFI. A automatic transmission was also available on all models except those with the Turbocharged engine which had a 5 speed manual transmission.
It was unfortunate for Ford that when the cars went on the market the convertible top leaked badly in wet weather. Although Ford promptly addressed the problem the motoring press gave the car a bad wrap from which the car never truly recovered. After selling our 1936 Ford V8 we looked around for a more modern replacement. Capris were in the mix particularly a Mk2 or 3. However we were travelling through Te Aroha and I had heard about this car so we decided to contact the owner and have a look. After some discussion and taking the car for a drive and then some further discussion and negotiation a deal was done and we owned the car. Our car is unmolested and in original condition although it has been repainted in the original colour and has been reupholstered in
