This is the coolest Ford ever in my opinion. I recall seeing them as a child - and I thought they were literally out of this world. Beautiful classic coupe.
@@datathunderstorm yes I actually saw one (Capri 1500) in the metal just two weeks ago at Wokingham classic car show. Those rear body lines are just to die for 🙏👍🇬🇧
Must admit to never having seen one of these beauties, despite my 74 years on the planet! I’ve always loved Lotus Cortinas, & used to really enjoy seeing them race (back when TV regularly covered saloon car racing) but sadly could never afford to buy one. This Lotus Capri is absolutely gorgeous, the body lines superb! ❤
One day in 1962 my neighbour turned up in a brand new Capri in white. I was seven years old and completely mesmerised by everything about the car. It was the most beautiful car I had ever seen. It still irritates me when I hear Ford refer to the the stub tailed 1970’s Capri as the ‘Mark 1’. This is the Mark 1 Capri! No one ever called it a Consul Capri. It was ‘the Capri!’ If they still made them I’d buy one.
Fabulous looking motor. As a child I had the Corgi model in Ermine White with the salmon pink roof. I have a 1968 Ford Escort but tbf if I had the resources I'd have a Capri like this one, not so much with a twink but maybe a 711M6015BA engine. This model in the video is Drop Dead Gorgeous 😍
Love this car. There was a Ford Classic near me when I was small. I thought they looked so modern even compared to the Cortina. Why did Ford continue with the heavy Corssair?
When it comes to cars this was my first love. Saw my first one when I was just four years old back in the late 60's and it was love at first sight. I have always wanted to own one for show purposes, but have not got the room to store it anywhere. If I ever had the money I would rent a lockup and put as many of our great British classics as I could in it for people to reminsce over.
What a fantastic car the Capri was I served my apprentiship at a main ford dealers in Birmingham and thought the Capri was the the best looking car on the planet and still is well done you
A mini masterpiece. I do Capris - the later models - for a living but my heart resides in mk1 Cortinas. This little gem seems more Cortina than later Capri. Lovely.
@@datbs Hello. I restore them and supply used spares. At the moment there’s a 71 1600GT, which is ready for paint, a 71 3.0 replica, an 82 2.8i, which has just come back from paint and a lovely Mk3 Cortina 2.0GXL which is almost finished. Been doing classic cars as a hobby, all my adult life, and as a job/hobby, full time, since retiring from teaching 14 years ago. Never owned an original Capri from early 60’s. Cheers.
Do you think there were some very early Mk1 Cortinas (the REALLY stripped-back lightweight 'deluxe' models, prior to 'Aeroflow') that for some reason performed to an exceptional degree, like sportscars? An elderly A-grade mechanic who carried-out the 500 mile valve grinds on one of these we had from new, said our car was "a ten out of ten" - an exceptional combination of chance that turned-out a vehicle equivalent in precision of alignments to a handbuilt Gordon Keeble or Aston? This 3 bearing 1200 was STUNNING in performance. From a standing start to 50mph it was neck-in-neck with a manual transmission 95bhp 2.6 litre PB Vauxhall Velox. It was a pure joy to 'power-slide' in 2nd gear on the throttle on it's 5.20 section crossply tyres!! The diff ratio was 4.125:1 - whereas the S-L-O-W-E-R Mk1 1498's diff ratio was a taller 3.9:1 and didn't have the 'sparkle'..!
@@DavidMorris-tp9vm lotus Cortina Mk1 with those taillights, the wings in the rear quarters and that engine tone, pure genius! I did know a guy who built a 1995 Mk2 Lotus Cortina full ground/chassis up so it was the only 1995 registered Mk2 Lotus everything 100% original and refurbished where necessary using original Ford Mk2 parts
My dad had a 1963 1500 GT Coupe 438 FXU - bright orange red, Had spare tyre in a cover on the rear boot lid - engine bored out to 1650 and ported with a twin choke weber, which there wasn't enough room under the bonnet for the frying pan air cleaner, so it was left off and there were sooty flame marks under it, as it flamed out on overrun. I was only a kid at the time and remember the smell of four star and hearing it spray into the carburettor when the choke was out on a cold start - it was probably nearly as quick as this one!
Here in NZ in 1963 we had both the Ford Consul Classic 315 and the Ford Consul Capri 335, both with the 1340cc engine. I recall one of the richest boys at my school (who always had a complete chicken drumstick every day in his lunchbox) had his young blonde blue-eyed mother pick him up and drop him off each day in a brand new 'oyster green' Capri 335, and I specifically remember thinking to myself, aged 11, 'Wow, Ashley Bellamy's got a pretty mother, AND, she's got a PRETTY car!' Later that year my own mother got a Ford Consul Cortina with the 1198cc engine, BJ3341, in 'french blue' and light beige interior, and this was the car I later learnt to drive in during 1966. It was a lightish car and the 3 bearing engine was a like a sportscar engine it seemed to me. It accelerated through the gears at the same rate as a 2.6 litre Velox, from the traffic lights. When the Mk11 Cortina came out with the 1498cc engine we thought that would be a beauty, with an extra 300cc..!! However we were extremely disappointed when taking a test drive to find out that it was quantumly SLOWER than the Mk1 1198..! It seemed to be a much heavier car, and the extra friction of the 5 bearing engine just took all the 'sparkle' out of it, it seemed. So, we kept BJ3341 on until 1967. A white with red interior Mk1 Triumph 2000 was it's worthy replacement.
Driving home through town the other day, I noticed a beautifully restored Capri of similar age to this one. It was light blue with a cream stripe and I couldn't take my eyes off it, catching a glimpse in the rear view mirror whenever possible as it followed me two cars back. I always loved this design. It's beautiful. In 1970 I started work selling cars for an Arthur Daley type of rogue here in Macclesfield. Occasionally one of these Capris would turn up, but even then they weren't very common. Simply love it.
@@datbs cheers, creamy white as l remember, standard engine belonged to my late uncle. My late father was looking after it for him while he was abroad. It was in the late 60’s to be honest as l am in my mid sixties myself ! My car owning experience did include a MK 2 Lotus Cortina, MAM 500F in the mid eighties, unfortunately it got nicked in London one evening, never saw it again !
I had a friend in Bradford. Mikola Stupka, who in around 1972 took a Ford Anglia and did much the same. Because of cost he used a ford 1500GT engine with lotus brakes and suspension. It was painted in standard Lotus colours but the anglia rear wings looked better with the green stripe flashed up wards rather than downwards as was seen in the mk I and mk II Cortina’s. shortly after completing it he emingrated to Australia but I never forgot that beautiful car. Well done Mik wherever you are now. Jon
robertngreen....... Not long before we emigrated from Yeovil,Somerset to Oz my dad bought the 1st Classic in the county. Dark blue with grey vynil trim. He bought it from a dealer in Dorset who had it in the showroom for 2 days. That's the only detail I can remember. He got a job offer in Oz about 3 months later & lost a shedload on the car when he sold it. One of the first things he did when arriving in Melbourne was to buy a Zephyr because he had never owned a "6". I ended up with that car years later after having an $80 aud Austin Somerset for 2 years when schoolfriends had a Capri GT each & the other a Standard 10 with a Spitfire motor & suspect brakes. Cor,those were the days !
Back in 1972 I owned an ex rally car, a Mk1 Lotus Cortina. Not sure about the bhp but it was around 135. God I loved that car and drove it hard. It never complained or let me down.Miss it more and more.
Had a Mk 1 Cortina 3 door 1500GT and purchased a consul capri with no engine as a project (both in the 70’s) due to some job changes I let the Capri go (for nothing)! Another of my cars I wish I still had, the Consul Capri is just gorgeous 😊
Epic ❤ loved the shape of these when they came out , fantastic With the Lotus conversion, curious to see the actual Lotus version and what was done to "add lightness ". Personally I see this car as beautiful and complimentary to the other cars in Ford's range at the time rather than in opposition . Great show looking forward to many more ❤
Well that brought back memories. Back in 1969 I went on holiday touring Scotland with my mate in his Consul Capri GT (blue). On one section of the A1 when I was driving there was a long straight slightly downhill section. He told me to floor it and see what it would do and it indicated 95mph. He was a bit disappointed it would not reach 100 but it was the fastest I had ever driven by a long way. I cannot remember when I last saw one of these, standard or GT.
My mate had a Consul Capri that his grand father left to him. It was a nice looking car but was heavy & under powered. It handled horribly with roll steer & understeer. His next car was a Mk 1 Lotus Cortina, which was very quick and handled excellently. The twin 40 DCOE weber carbs had to be tuned every week to maintain the good performance, which was a pain. That car was lightened by the factory with Al Alloy roof, wings and bonnet. This would make a difference to your Capri. Anyway, you've made a fine job of it and transformed it's handling and performance. It looks excellent and you should be very proud of it.
I’ve seen cars like this in queues of traffic along with Astons, Lambos & Bentleys. It’s the Capri which would make me smile…every time. The one featured here is the finest of its marque which I’ve seen.👍
Definitely cool. I had a classic in blue. My very first car. I loved that car.1500 cc went like the wind and ran on the roughest 2 star petrol. But unfortunately out one day in a country lane. 90 degree right hand bend and room for only one car. I was hit by a Hillman Super Minx coming the other way. Totaled my car ,saddest day of my life. I'm 72 yrs old now and l still miss that car. Beautiful lines well ahead of its time when built.
I would sell a limb to get that Lotus Capri, I have had 15 or so of the next generation of the Capri. But to the original is the prettiest car Ford produced.
I had a consul classic 1500 in the early 80's. It went well & had a sort of dimmer switch to adjust the windscreen wipers speed. It was totally rotten even back then & already had fibreglass front wings. When I sold it for £250, the bloke who bought it managed to pull the gearlever out of the gearbox as he tried to put it in 1st gear. I loved the look of the Capri 's coupe roofline.
I don't know if they were the same but that happened on my 1968 Escort. There was a plastic part with a fine thread that held the lever in place and it would often have a stripped thread.
I'd have one of these if I could afford it. Stylish, elegant, top speed a shade under 90mph, might help me not getting pulled for being a bad man. The Cortinas rear lights cluster was always ahead of its time and very visually appealing.
Love the body lines of the Capri and the Lotus conversion is outstanding. Too bad the factory didn't offer this one back in the day. Capri please....but a nice LC would be an acceptable consolation prize....or us that a Consulation prize?
A very cool miniature version of US 1950’s styling, you can see where the Anglia, Cortina and latterly, the lovely elliptical shape of the rear passenger windows of the 69 Capri Mk1 came from….
I had two friends who owned these back in the day. One rolled it over and wrote it off and the other was converted to run a Ford V6. I was also introduced to someone who was doing the same conversion with a V6 and a change of back axle.
Absolutely love the Consul Capri. I've been obsessed by them for many years. I even tried (and failed) to get one many years ago. Lovely cars with lovely lines. And yet so few people even know that they were made. I don't know how intentional it was, but the shape of the rear quarter window is nicely echoed in the later 1969 Capri.
Lotus would never have built it, the base car was far too heavy for their philosophy. The Cortina was a lot lighter even before Lotus lightened it even further.
I had one back in the 70’s. I did modify the engine with a high lift cam and Weber carb. No idea of the power but it could hit about 95mph. Used it for a bit of club rallying. Certainly stood out from the crowd.
THE MkI Cortina was the best looking, and coolest, car Fords ever made. My MkI Cortina GT, #3 off the production line, was a rare 4 door version, in Monaco Red. My MkI Lotus Cortina was, simply, the very best car I have ever had with a Ford badge. It didn't match up to my Renault 5 Turbo 2, which was the same Monaco Red as my GT, and was the very best, most satisfying, car I have ever had, period. Closely followed by my Renault 5 Gordini Turbo. And the 2001 SEAT Arosa, 1.4 Turbo, was a very cool car, looked a bit like a miniature BMW. I preferred the shape of the Consul Classic, with the cut-back Anglia slanted rear window. Now that would look great in the Lotus colours. Nice to see you pronouncing coupé correctly, and not calling it a "coop", which is a place for chickens. But those "over there" always get things wrong! My coolest self-build was changing a Prefect 100E into a 107E, from an 1172 side valve, to a 1498 OHC Anglia engine, from a 3-speed box to a 4-speed with o/d on two top gears, from vacuum operated wipers to electric twin speed, and, finally, a low-ratio rear axle, lowered by just 7 cms, Discs all round, overtook a Mustang, on the A40, going past Northolt Aerodrome. A real Q car.
Hi Demun, welcome to the channel thanks for a brilliant insight to the cars you have owned love the Mk1 cortina , we have an episode coming up soon on the Lotus Cortina with a fascinating story
Remember seeing these around when I was a lad and my uncle had a Consul Classic. I’d never noticed before though how similar the rear side window profile is to the Capri of the 70’s and 80’s.
I have to agree. This is an absolute beautiful car. Dad in late 60s early 70s had a blue Consul Capri. Stunning car they are so beautiful. Must add though, the Mk 3 2.0 GXL Cortina is also stunning.
@@datbs No, I've never personally had a Ford. But as a 6yo in the mid-'60s I was admiring the Classic and the rarer Capri, while my parents had a Mk II Ford Zodiac. My first car was a Datsun 280ZX, which is a "classic" in itself these days - though not in the condition mine was in! 🙄
I had two later Capri's (both in the eighties) and have always really loved this original since a kid and this one is something special, so yes please.
@@datbs No, now I am retired I am without a car completely. They are making London undrivable and I wouldn't have a nice place to keep a nice one safe here. But I still when I can, let loose on a nice little karting track, when I am near the south coast.
Looks beautiful and your dad was spot on about the colour. To me they have aged very well and to see one in such good order is a pleasure. It's always needled me a little that they're not referred to as the Mk 1 Capri.. I know the Consul bit and that they're a totally different car to the "Mk 2" of 69 but it still irks me.
I had friends with these cars & from memory the 1500gt had a weber 28/36 dcd carb. It made 75 BHP. I loved to drive in it. Probably the best looking car that Ford ever produced. Like say a GT40. Many mods were to fit a 1600 cross flow with a 4 branch & twin 40's. A A3 cam & some head work made these things fly.
😢My first ever car was a 1962 Panama Yellow/Ermine White Consul Capri reg. PEN 639. I bought it in 1969, aged 18. Years later in 1990, I bought a 1963 GT in Goodwood Green reg. HFX 93. I owned this one for 16 years. Unfortunately both cars are now gone, but I still have lasting memories of both!
I agree and I remember when I was a young pup,seeing a Black Cheery example at a car dealer across the road from where I worked They were nice then and still have great looks✅
I had one of these for nearly 30 years, highly modified ( big block ford v8) sold it when I got divorced 😢, fortunately the owner is now a great friend and she's in good hands ❤ and I agree with Bobby it's one of the best cars ever 😊
I'm currently saving for a Ford Capri I'm literally only £4000 so far so s long way to go and I'm only after a mk 3 1.6 or 2 litre. It will be my daily driver and a sort of rolling restoration and kept original. The only changes will be a stainless steel exhaust eventually and a k and n air filter and perhaps electronic ignition. I'll appreciate anybody that spots one that is in my price bracket ...in the meantime I'll be stuck with a mountain bike whilst I save ...yes i kick myself for not keeping one of the Capri's I had bCk in the day my first cost £180 and i never paid anything more than 500 quid up to 20 years ago but time ticks on I'm 51 and my next one is for keeps... 👍 I'll keep you posted on what happens I think I'll have one next year fingers crossed 🤞
In the 60's I knew someone who had a GT with a stage 3 tune 51/2J steels, suspension tweaks, twin fuel tanks and unheard of in those days a rear window wiper. It was really planted on the road and went like hell.
1970 I had just passed my driving test, my first car was the Ford Consul Capri with a column change. I paid £65. I used to regularly travel to the Midlands from a south coast airfield, a 6 hour journey, pre motorway days.
I built my own version of this back in 1975! I owned a Consul Classic 315 2 door at the time, a 1340cc model that the crank was (as usual) hanging out of. But I was fortunate enough to acquire a MKII Cortina Lotus as salvage, it had been comprehensively rolled and I paid £75 gladly. So it was only time and effort to do the transplant. A year or so later the 315 got rear ended and written off and I managed to obtain a Consul Capri and again transplanted the Lotus running gear into it. Though, to be fair, I never developed it to the level of this car and left it in it's original yellow with white roof, it was certainly a very quick car back then and made a wonderful "street sleeper" I moved it on around 1979, as it would no longer contain my growing family but i've always regretted the parting. Research a couple of years ago suggests it no longer exists, which is a pity!
The consul was our family car in the 70s, up and down the m6 to Blackpool. Loved it so different in the day. Dad got rid off it because of the seat belt rules coming in, always regretted it. Consul capri over cortina any day.
First as someone who is now a senior citizen I dont believ there ever was a factory made new car Lotus version of the consul Capri. My late father tested the capri and said the handling was dreadful. That big back end wanted to go round the bends before the front. It got a bad repuatation . I am sure it can be improved but out of the showroom in the 60s it was bad news.My father bought a Morris Oxford instead.
I always wanted one, such a pretty car, but even back in the late 70's, these were a rare car, the only one I found for sale was a total rustbucket! I ended up with a Mk1 2 door Cortina, engine & box were from a 1600 Capri Mk1, as were the front seats, A really cool car that I wish I still had......
Definitely a favorite & regret not going to look at one advertised when I was young, given they were never sold new here & I was looking at mk1 'Tina's. Later drew up plans for a Cortina Capri for a hacked up body (with pieces of mk3 'tina roof), inspired by the Saxon. Plenty of comments regarding extra weight compared to 'Tina but it should also be remembered GT 'Tina used heavier 'export spec' body than the first Cortinas.
Of all Ford's, yes I agree that the Consul Capri was cool. When a boy, my father had a Cortina estate, and my mate David's father had a Consul Classic (the 4 door version of the Capri). That was cool, but the Capri trumps them all. And well done for creating a 'Lotus' Capri - so cool, it's in the freezer box!
Very similar to me, Dad had a Cortina estate fitted out with police equipment as he worked in Telecommunications department of the Home Office. Our next door neighbour had a blue and cream Consul capri and I kept telling him that he should get one too but to no avail 😂
There were also a limited numberber of Capris modified by the coach builder Hooper. One regularly parked outside our house in Leytonstone and I put in an offer to buy it but to no avail.
In the mid sixties I started working as an apprentice at Gates of Woodford and Mrs Gates had a white Ford Capri GT with a red interior absolutely stunning car
THAT IS THE COOLEST. Its been my dreamcar since it came out. I had a Corgi 1/43 model, light blue if I remember it correct. I was 5 or 6 years old then.
As a school boy I would see these and think wow! In fact the family across the road form where I lived had one. I told my father how much I liked it and he disagreed, he had a Ford anglia estate at the time, his first company car. I still like th shape and think its pretty cool.
Hi Mig, welcome to the channel , they didn’t, this car was created by Steve , the owner in the video , and more the car he would have liked to see Ford and Lotus produce
My Dad had a Consul Classic, which had the same front as this but was a 2-door 4-seater with an Anglia-style rear window design. It too had an enormous boot like the Capri, drum brakes all round, 1,500 cc engine, a column-mounted gear shift and skinny tyres. There was nothing cool about it!
This is the coolest Ford ever in my opinion. I recall seeing them as a child - and I thought they were literally out of this world. Beautiful classic coupe.
@@datathunderstorm yes I actually saw one (Capri 1500) in the metal just two weeks ago at Wokingham classic car show. Those rear body lines are just to die for 🙏👍🇬🇧
@@philtucker1224 If I was GOD, you would DEFINATELY get into heaven, with your opinions!
@@nygelmiller5293 fair play “ daddy” 😇
@@philtucker1224 thanks for commenting
@@datbs Love the look of the car, my favourite colour (had an Ermine White 71 Mexico) and for me the best looking wheels on any fast Ford.
Must admit to never having seen one of these beauties, despite my 74 years on the planet! I’ve always loved Lotus Cortinas, & used to really enjoy seeing them race (back when TV regularly covered saloon car racing) but sadly could never afford to buy one. This Lotus Capri is absolutely gorgeous, the body lines superb! ❤
Hi Tatty, welcome to the channel yes great cars to look at
One day in 1962 my neighbour turned up in a brand new Capri in white. I was seven years old and completely mesmerised by everything about the car. It was the most beautiful car I had ever seen. It still irritates me when I hear Ford refer to the the stub tailed 1970’s Capri as the ‘Mark 1’. This is the Mark 1 Capri! No one ever called it a Consul Capri. It was ‘the Capri!’ If they still made them I’d buy one.
Hi Raelscage, thank you for sharing your memories
This is the only Capri i would buy. Takes me back to my youth, i loved them then and love them today if only i had the money. Supercool.
Thank you for commenting Steven
@stevenlloyd5705 the later shape in its first version was also a nice car
Fabulous looking motor.
As a child I had the Corgi model in Ermine White with the salmon pink roof.
I have a 1968 Ford Escort but tbf if I had the resources I'd have a Capri like this one, not so much with a twink but maybe a 711M6015BA engine.
This model in the video is Drop Dead Gorgeous 😍
Stevenlloyd5705, are you from Stockport ?
Love this car. There was a Ford Classic near me when I was small. I thought they looked so modern even compared to the Cortina. Why did Ford continue with the heavy Corssair?
The Capri is the coolest car ford made in the UK absolutely stunning lines
Thank you for your comments Christopher
My brother and I had a 1964 Consul Capri. To this day still one of our favourite cars!❤
Thanks for sharing
When it comes to cars this was my first love. Saw my first one when I was just four years old back in the late 60's and it was love at first sight. I have always wanted to own one for show purposes, but have not got the room to store it anywhere. If I ever had the money I would rent a lockup and put as many of our great British classics as I could in it for people to reminsce over.
Now that would be cool
What a fantastic car the Capri was I served my apprentiship at a main ford dealers in Birmingham and thought the Capri was the the best looking car on the planet and still is well done you
Thank you
One of the prettiest cars ever designed! My parents friends had one in a beautiful colour combination.
Very cool!
A mini masterpiece. I do Capris - the later models - for a living but my heart resides in mk1 Cortinas. This little gem seems more Cortina than later Capri. Lovely.
What sort of things do you do on the Capri’s and what year models Colin
@@datbs Hello. I restore them and supply used spares. At the moment there’s a 71 1600GT, which is ready for paint, a 71 3.0 replica, an 82 2.8i, which has just come back from paint and a lovely Mk3 Cortina 2.0GXL which is almost finished. Been doing classic cars as a hobby, all my adult life, and as a job/hobby, full time, since retiring from teaching 14 years ago. Never owned an original Capri from early 60’s. Cheers.
@@colinwhite5355interesting where are you based ? And would you be interested in doing a video?
Do you think there were some very early Mk1 Cortinas (the REALLY stripped-back lightweight 'deluxe' models, prior to 'Aeroflow') that for some reason performed to an exceptional degree, like sportscars?
An elderly A-grade mechanic who carried-out the 500 mile valve grinds on one of these we had from new, said our car was "a ten out of ten" - an exceptional combination of chance that turned-out a vehicle equivalent in precision of alignments to a handbuilt Gordon Keeble or Aston?
This 3 bearing 1200 was STUNNING in performance. From a standing start to 50mph it was neck-in-neck with a manual transmission 95bhp 2.6 litre PB Vauxhall Velox.
It was a pure joy to 'power-slide' in 2nd gear on the throttle on it's 5.20 section crossply tyres!!
The diff ratio was 4.125:1 - whereas the S-L-O-W-E-R Mk1 1498's diff ratio was a taller 3.9:1 and didn't have the 'sparkle'..!
@@skippmclovan1135 thanks for sharing this information very interesting
I loved the Consul Capri and I loved the Lotus Cortina Mk 1.
The combination of the two is an absolute dream.
@DavidMorris-tp9vm I was lucky enough to work at a restoration company & do full mechanical restorations on 2 Lotus Cortinas in NZ.
@@DavidMorris-tp9vm lotus Cortina Mk1 with those taillights, the wings in the rear quarters and that engine tone, pure genius!
I did know a guy who built a 1995 Mk2 Lotus Cortina full ground/chassis up so it was the only 1995 registered Mk2 Lotus everything 100% original and refurbished where necessary using original Ford Mk2 parts
My dad had a 1963 1500 GT Coupe 438 FXU - bright orange red, Had spare tyre in a cover on the rear boot lid - engine bored out to 1650 and ported with a twin choke weber, which there wasn't enough room under the bonnet for the frying pan air cleaner, so it was left off and there were sooty flame marks under it, as it flamed out on overrun. I was only a kid at the time and remember the smell of four star and hearing it spray into the carburettor when the choke was out on a cold start - it was probably nearly as quick as this one!
Thanks Dudley interesting story
Here in NZ in 1963 we had both the Ford Consul Classic 315 and the Ford Consul Capri 335, both with the 1340cc engine. I recall one of the richest boys at my school (who always had a complete chicken drumstick every day in his lunchbox) had his young blonde blue-eyed mother pick him up and drop him off each day in a brand new 'oyster green' Capri 335, and I specifically remember thinking to myself, aged 11, 'Wow, Ashley Bellamy's got a pretty mother, AND, she's got a PRETTY car!'
Later that year my own mother got a Ford Consul Cortina with the 1198cc engine, BJ3341, in 'french blue' and light beige interior, and this was the car I later learnt to drive in during 1966. It was a lightish car and the 3 bearing engine was a like a sportscar engine it seemed to me. It accelerated through the gears at the same rate as a 2.6 litre Velox, from the traffic lights.
When the Mk11 Cortina came out with the 1498cc engine we thought that would be a beauty, with an extra 300cc..!!
However we were extremely disappointed when taking a test drive to find out that it was quantumly SLOWER than the Mk1 1198..! It seemed to be a much heavier car, and the extra friction of the 5 bearing engine just took all the 'sparkle' out of it, it seemed.
So, we kept BJ3341 on until 1967.
A white with red interior Mk1 Triumph 2000 was it's worthy replacement.
Hi Skip, welcome to the channel and thank you for taking the time to share your memories very interesting thoughts on the cars
I had a Console Capri in the late 70s. I loved it and wish I still had it. Definately the coolest Ford ever made.
Hello Wright , welcome to the channel thank you for commenting
My opinion only...
Tastefully modified.
Correct colour scheme.
Excellent engine.
It's an absolute beauty.
👍
I agree with you
Driving home through town the other day, I noticed a beautifully restored Capri of similar age to this one. It was light blue with a cream stripe and I couldn't take my eyes off it, catching a glimpse in the rear view mirror whenever possible as it followed me two cars back. I always loved this design. It's beautiful. In 1970 I started work selling cars for an Arthur Daley type of rogue here in Macclesfield. Occasionally one of these Capris would turn up, but even then they weren't very common. Simply love it.
Hello Macclesfield, welcome to the channel and thanks for sharing
One of the first cars that I ever drove, although I was 12 at the time on a private road !
Hi Peter, welcome to the channel what colour was it?
@@datbs cheers, creamy white as l remember, standard engine belonged to my late uncle.
My late father was looking after it for him while he was abroad.
It was in the late 60’s to be honest as l am in my mid sixties myself !
My car owning experience did include a MK 2 Lotus Cortina, MAM 500F in the mid eighties, unfortunately it got nicked in London one evening, never saw it again !
@@peter8084oh what shame it got stolen 😢
I had a friend in Bradford. Mikola Stupka, who in around 1972 took a Ford Anglia and did much the same. Because of cost he used a ford 1500GT engine with lotus brakes and suspension. It was painted in standard Lotus colours but the anglia rear wings looked better with the green stripe flashed up wards rather than downwards as was seen in the mk I and mk II Cortina’s. shortly after completing it he emingrated to Australia but I never forgot that beautiful car. Well done Mik wherever you are now. Jon
Hi Jon, thank you for sharing
What a lovely car! I love the 4 door Consul Classic, too!
robertngreen....... Not long before we emigrated from Yeovil,Somerset to Oz my dad bought the 1st Classic in the county. Dark blue with grey vynil trim. He bought it from a dealer in Dorset who had it in the showroom for 2 days. That's the only detail I can remember. He got a job offer in Oz about 3 months later & lost a shedload on the car when he sold it. One of the first things he did when arriving in Melbourne was to buy a Zephyr because he had never owned a "6". I ended up with that car years later after having an $80 aud Austin Somerset for 2 years when schoolfriends had a Capri GT each & the other a Standard 10 with a Spitfire motor & suspect brakes. Cor,those were the days !
@user-pb8vc8vp8w What a brilliant story! Great to remember such details!
A tastefully done restoration, it’s great to see these cars being put back on the road, well done.
Mk 1 Escort BDA, iconic.
Agree David
Back in 1972 I owned an ex rally car, a Mk1 Lotus Cortina. Not sure about the bhp but it was around 135. God I loved that car and drove it hard. It never complained or let me down.Miss it more and more.
Hi Lester, thank you for sharing your memories
Had a Mk 1 Cortina 3 door 1500GT and purchased a consul capri with no engine as a project (both in the 70’s) due to some job changes I let the Capri go (for nothing)! Another of my cars I wish I still had, the Consul Capri is just gorgeous 😊
Terry - wonder where it is now !
Epic ❤ loved the shape of these when they came out , fantastic With the Lotus conversion, curious to see the actual Lotus version and what was done to "add lightness ". Personally I see this car as beautiful and complimentary to the other cars in Ford's range at the time rather than in opposition . Great show looking forward to many more ❤
Well that brought back memories. Back in 1969 I went on holiday touring Scotland with my mate in his Consul Capri GT (blue). On one section of the A1 when I was driving there was a long straight slightly downhill section. He told me to floor it and see what it would do and it indicated 95mph. He was a bit disappointed it would not reach 100 but it was the fastest I had ever driven by a long way. I cannot remember when I last saw one of these, standard or GT.
Great memories
My mate had a Consul Capri that his grand father left to him. It was a nice looking car but was heavy & under powered. It handled horribly with roll steer & understeer. His next car was a Mk 1 Lotus Cortina, which was very quick and handled excellently. The twin 40 DCOE weber carbs had to be tuned every week to maintain the good performance, which was a pain. That car was lightened by the factory with Al Alloy roof, wings and bonnet. This would make a difference to your Capri. Anyway, you've made a fine job of it and transformed it's handling and performance. It looks excellent and you should be very proud of it.
Thank you for commenting Mark
I’ve seen cars like this in queues of traffic along with Astons, Lambos & Bentleys. It’s the Capri which would make me smile…every time. The one featured here is the finest of its marque which I’ve seen.👍
Hello Ian, I think Steve would be very pleased to hear that
Definitely cool. I had a classic in blue. My very first car. I loved that car.1500 cc went like the wind and ran on the roughest 2 star petrol.
But unfortunately out one day in a country lane. 90 degree right hand bend and room for only one car. I was hit by a Hillman Super Minx coming the other way. Totaled my car ,saddest day of my life.
I'm 72 yrs old now and l still miss that car. Beautiful lines well ahead of its time when built.
Hello welcome to the channel thank you for sharing your story
I would sell a limb to get that Lotus Capri, I have had 15 or so of the next generation of the Capri. But to the original is the prettiest car Ford produced.
Hi Soulboy , please don’t sell your limbs , wow you’ve owed 15 Capris what do you have now ?
I had a consul classic 1500 in the early 80's. It went well & had a sort of dimmer switch to adjust the windscreen wipers speed.
It was totally rotten even back then & already had fibreglass front wings. When I sold it for £250, the bloke who bought it managed to pull the gearlever out of the gearbox as he tried to put it in 1st gear.
I loved the look of the Capri 's coupe roofline.
Thank you for sharing
I don't know if they were the same but that happened on my 1968 Escort. There was a plastic part with a fine thread that held the lever in place and it would often have a stripped thread.
I had the classic and had the very same problem with my gearstick. Great car though. Well ahead of it's time.
My sweety owned a 1962 ford consul Capri registration was 868 pny .the ford Capri had a set of 4 lotus steel's...fitted ...........😊
Love it. My dad had two Consul 315 Classics back in the mists of time. Absolutely loved them.
Thanks for commenting David
I'd have one of these if I could afford it. Stylish, elegant, top speed a shade under 90mph, might help me not getting pulled for being a bad man. The Cortinas rear lights cluster was always ahead of its time and very visually appealing.
Thanks David for your comments
Love the body lines of the Capri and the Lotus conversion is outstanding. Too bad the factory didn't offer this one back in the day. Capri please....but a nice LC would be an acceptable consolation prize....or us that a Consulation prize?
Yes such a shame Bisonmsc
That's absolutely gorgeous..... The car was always a real eye catcher back in the day but in todays world there's simply nothing like it
Hi Peter, welcome to the channel it’s certainly a fab car
What a cool Restomod 👍👏 (I am a British Ford fanatic from the seventies) utterly perfect and gorgeous! Well done buddy! 🇬🇧
Glad you enjoyed it
There is one of these ( not a lotus) near me here in France, they were rare in the UK, so to see one over here still going strong is a resl pleasure.
Hello gsx - thank you for getting involved
What a wonderful car he built and uses. Sounds superb never seen one before. Way better than the cortina. Very talented man from the state it was in.
Hi Keith, welcome to the channel yes it’s a lovely car thanks for sharing your thoughts
My friend's dad had one. Some years later, my dad had the Ford Consul Classic. Great days and great cars.
Welcome to the channel Sunny thanks for sharing
One of the best looking Fords ever sad not many left
That is bloody gorgeous tbh...
Always absolutely loved the Consul Capri and can remember as a child pestering my dad to get one to no avail.
Hi Road Hog welcome to the channel thank you for sharing your memories
A very cool miniature version of US 1950’s styling, you can see where the Anglia, Cortina and latterly, the lovely elliptical shape of the rear passenger windows of the 69 Capri Mk1 came from….
Welcome to the channel Mark , thank you for commenting 👍
I had two friends who owned these back in the day. One rolled it over and wrote it off and the other was converted to run a Ford V6. I was also introduced to someone who was doing the same conversion with a V6 and a change of back axle.
Hi RedSax, welcome to the channel thank you for your input
My dad had the consul in two tone , he said these were to flashy lol , beautiful looking car 100%
Hi Daren , welcome to the channel thanks for sharing
My dad had a ford classic which was the 4 door version same design a great car, still love the styling and it too drove really well.
Hi Paul , thank you for sharing
Absolutely love the Consul Capri. I've been obsessed by them for many years. I even tried (and failed) to get one many years ago. Lovely cars with lovely lines. And yet so few people even know that they were made.
I don't know how intentional it was, but the shape of the rear quarter window is nicely echoed in the later 1969 Capri.
Hi Ejay, welcome to the channel yes that’s a definite follow through on the quarter window and even in their latest boring SUV offering
Lotus Capri , this one looks the business. Pity they didnt build it at the time, top respect to the builders of this one .
Hi Mike, welcome to the channel thanks you for getting involved
Lotus would never have built it, the base car was far too heavy for their philosophy. The Cortina was a lot lighter even before Lotus lightened it even further.
A very smart conversion.....looks fantastic. This car will become very desirable and valuable. Great job, hats off.
We agree!
Yep, Saw it at the NEC in Brum. Bloomin gorgeous.
Thanks for commenting
I had one back in the 70’s. I did modify the engine with a high lift cam and Weber carb. No idea of the power but it could hit about 95mph. Used it for a bit of club rallying. Certainly stood out from the crowd.
Welcome to the channel Barnstormer sounds like an interesting car
Love it, I always liked the Consul Capri.
Welcome to the channel Chris thanks for taking part
Always wanted a Consul Capri, never seen the likes of this one before. Awesome!
Hi John , welcome to the channel thank you for commenting
THE MkI Cortina was the best looking, and coolest, car Fords ever made. My MkI Cortina GT, #3 off the production line, was a rare 4 door version, in Monaco Red. My MkI Lotus Cortina was, simply, the very best car I have ever had with a Ford badge.
It didn't match up to my Renault 5 Turbo 2, which was the same Monaco Red as my GT, and was the very best, most satisfying, car I have ever had, period. Closely followed by my Renault 5 Gordini Turbo. And the 2001 SEAT Arosa, 1.4 Turbo, was a very cool car, looked a bit like a miniature BMW.
I preferred the shape of the Consul Classic, with the cut-back Anglia slanted rear window. Now that would look great in the Lotus colours. Nice to see you pronouncing coupé correctly, and not calling it a "coop", which is a place for chickens. But those "over there" always get things wrong!
My coolest self-build was changing a Prefect 100E into a 107E, from an 1172 side valve, to a 1498 OHC Anglia engine, from a 3-speed box to a 4-speed with o/d on two top gears, from vacuum operated wipers to electric twin speed, and, finally, a low-ratio rear axle, lowered by just 7 cms, Discs all round, overtook a Mustang, on the A40, going past Northolt Aerodrome. A real Q car.
Hi Demun, welcome to the channel thanks for a brilliant insight to the cars you have owned love the Mk1 cortina , we have an episode coming up soon on the Lotus Cortina with a fascinating story
The best looking Capri ever, I never had the chance to drive one, I drove a Ford Classic though lovely car
Hello , welcome to the channel this one is certainly fun to drive
My father had a consul Capri GT 923 fry was the plate , wish I had today loved it .
Welcome to the channel Robin thank you for sharing
Remember seeing these around when I was a lad and my uncle had a Consul Classic. I’d never noticed before though how similar the rear side window profile is to the Capri of the 70’s and 80’s.
Hi PhD63 welcome to the channel, yes there's definitely a connection
I love it, I wanted one when I passed my test. But I was over ruled by my dad. But now I'm 70 years old it's a bit to late.
Never too late 😊
Nice Car! My first car was a 1960 Ford Starliner. I have always thought that this model of the Capri was a "mini Starliner".
I have to agree. This is an absolute beautiful car. Dad in late 60s early 70s had a blue Consul Capri. Stunning car they are so beautiful. Must add though, the Mk 3 2.0 GXL Cortina is also stunning.
Yes great car
As a child I loved the Consul Classic and Capri. They were great-looking cars.
Do you have a classic now?
@@datbs No, I've never personally had a Ford. But as a 6yo in the mid-'60s I was admiring the Classic and the rarer Capri, while my parents had a Mk II Ford Zodiac. My first car was a Datsun 280ZX, which is a "classic" in itself these days - though not in the condition mine was in! 🙄
@@AHoundOnAHonda yes classic now
Always loved this Capri BUT WOW a lotus Capri , thats just 100% mega cool , I want one !
You and me both!
I had two later Capri's (both in the eighties) and have always really loved this original since a kid and this one is something special, so yes please.
Hello, welcome to the channel thanks for sharing
@@datbs Hiya, My first car was an Anglia Estate, so still not million miles away from the early Capri
@@postsurrealfish nice 👍 Do you still have a classic
@@datbs No, now I am retired I am without a car completely. They are making London undrivable and I wouldn't have a nice place to keep a nice one safe here. But I still when I can, let loose on a nice little karting track, when I am near the south coast.
That Classic Capri is the Coolest Ford made in UK for Me ❤
Hello Peter welcome to the channel thanks for commenting 😊
Looks beautiful and your dad was spot on about the colour. To me they have aged very well and to see one in such good order is a pleasure. It's always needled me a little that they're not referred to as the Mk 1 Capri.. I know the Consul bit and that they're a totally different car to the "Mk 2" of 69 but it still irks me.
Welcome to the channel Trevor , yes I agree with you Mk1 Capri
I had friends with these cars & from memory the 1500gt had a weber 28/36 dcd carb. It made 75 BHP. I loved to drive in it. Probably the best looking car that Ford ever produced. Like say a GT40. Many mods were to fit a 1600 cross flow with a 4 branch & twin 40's. A A3 cam & some head work made these things fly.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts Stevie
😢My first ever car was a 1962 Panama Yellow/Ermine White Consul Capri reg. PEN 639. I bought it in 1969, aged 18. Years later in 1990, I bought a 1963 GT in Goodwood Green reg. HFX 93. I owned this one for 16 years. Unfortunately both cars are now gone, but I still have lasting memories of both!
Hi Nick , good memories shame they are no longer around 😢
I agree and I remember when I was a young pup,seeing a Black Cheery example at a car dealer across the road from where I worked
They were nice then and still have great looks✅
Glad you like it
I had one of these for nearly 30 years, highly modified ( big block ford v8) sold it when I got divorced 😢, fortunately the owner is now a great friend and she's in good hands ❤ and I agree with Bobby it's one of the best cars ever 😊
Great please send us a picture of it
I'm currently saving for a Ford Capri I'm literally only £4000 so far so s long way to go and I'm only after a mk 3 1.6 or 2 litre. It will be my daily driver and a sort of rolling restoration and kept original. The only changes will be a stainless steel exhaust eventually and a k and n air filter and perhaps electronic ignition. I'll appreciate anybody that spots one that is in my price bracket ...in the meantime I'll be stuck with a mountain bike whilst I save ...yes i kick myself for not keeping one of the Capri's I had bCk in the day my first cost £180 and i never paid anything more than 500 quid up to 20 years ago but time ticks on I'm 51 and my next one is for keeps... 👍 I'll keep you posted on what happens I think I'll have one next year fingers crossed 🤞
Good luck with finding your Capri hopefully one of our Barns Buddy’s can help
100% the coolest UK Ford ever.
That is one cool looking car. As a teen, I always wanted a Consul Classic, but now I think the consul capri is even better
In the 60's I knew someone who had a GT with a stage 3 tune 51/2J steels, suspension tweaks, twin fuel tanks and unheard of in those days a rear window wiper. It was really planted on the road and went like hell.
Hi Paul , welcome to the channel thanks for sharing
1970 I had just passed my driving test, my first car was the Ford Consul Capri with a column change. I paid £65. I used to regularly travel to the Midlands from a south coast airfield, a 6 hour journey, pre motorway days.
That's a great memory from back in the day!
The body shape of the mk1 Cortina Lotus is imprinted on my brain, I nearly bought one, so delightful as this Capri is..............
Hi Janice , it may have been a good purchase
Beautiful car, my favourite Ford ever
I built my own version of this back in 1975! I owned a Consul Classic 315 2 door at the time, a 1340cc model that the crank was (as usual) hanging out of. But I was fortunate enough to acquire a MKII Cortina Lotus as salvage, it had been comprehensively rolled and I paid £75 gladly. So it was only time and effort to do the transplant. A year or so later the 315 got rear ended and written off and I managed to obtain a Consul Capri and again transplanted the Lotus running gear into it.
Though, to be fair, I never developed it to the level of this car and left it in it's original yellow with white roof, it was certainly a very quick car back then and made a wonderful "street sleeper" I moved it on around 1979, as it would no longer contain my growing family but i've always regretted the parting. Research a couple of years ago suggests it no longer exists, which is a pity!
That's a real shame
The consul was our family car in the 70s, up and down the m6 to Blackpool. Loved it so different in the day. Dad got rid off it because of the seat belt rules coming in, always regretted it. Consul capri over cortina any day.
Hi Carbidartist, welcome to the channel great memories great shame it went
First as someone who is now a senior citizen I dont believ there ever was a factory made new car Lotus version of the consul Capri. My late father tested the capri and said the handling was dreadful. That big back end wanted to go round the bends before the front. It got a bad repuatation . I am sure it can be improved but out of the showroom in the 60s it was bad news.My father bought a Morris Oxford instead.
Hello bjs welcome to the channel thank you for your input 😊
I always wanted one, such a pretty car, but even back in the late 70's, these were a rare car, the only one I found for sale was a total rustbucket!
I ended up with a Mk1 2 door Cortina, engine & box were from a 1600 Capri Mk1, as were the front seats, A really cool car that I wish I still had......
Hi Mark, thanks for commenting and sharing your story
Only had a 1340cc Classic. Blew the engine chasing a Lotus Cortina on a long downhill stretch in S,Wales
Hi David, welcome to the channel shame about the engine !
I remember these cars very well. One of my teachers had one and we all loved it. Back then where I lived not many people could afford a new car. 👍
Thank you for commenting
Definitely a favorite & regret not going to look at one advertised when I was young, given they were never sold new here & I was looking at mk1 'Tina's. Later drew up plans for a Cortina Capri for a hacked up body (with pieces of mk3 'tina roof), inspired by the Saxon.
Plenty of comments regarding extra weight compared to 'Tina but it should also be remembered GT 'Tina used heavier 'export spec' body than the first Cortinas.
Hi Anton, welcome to the channel thank you for sharing
Just WOW, absolutely gorgeous car and tastefully updated
Hi Chris, welcome to the channel thanks for getting involved
Of all Ford's, yes I agree that the Consul Capri was cool. When a boy, my father had a Cortina estate, and my mate David's father had a Consul Classic (the 4 door version of the Capri). That was cool, but the Capri trumps them all. And well done for creating a 'Lotus' Capri - so cool, it's in the freezer box!
Thanks for commenting
Very similar to me, Dad had a Cortina estate fitted out with police equipment as he worked in Telecommunications department of the Home Office.
Our next door neighbour had a blue and cream Consul capri and I kept telling him that he should get one too but to no avail 😂
That is a beautiful little car. I love the style. I wish cars looked like this today.
Yes they just all look the same !
There were also a limited numberber of Capris modified by the coach builder Hooper. One regularly parked outside our house in Leytonstone and I put in an offer to buy it but to no avail.
I had the Corgi model of the Chevrolet Impala (Fire Chief) car in 1965. I also really loved the rear wings 🙏❤️
In the mid sixties I started working as an apprentice at Gates of Woodford and Mrs Gates had a white Ford Capri GT with a red interior absolutely stunning car
They look great in red
THAT IS THE COOLEST. Its been my dreamcar since it came out. I had a Corgi 1/43 model, light blue if I remember it correct. I was 5 or 6 years old then.
Thanks for sharing
Mk 1 GT cortina my first car after passing my test . loved it especially the gear stick position .
Bet you wish you still had it ?
My Dad had A Mk1 Cortina, but After seeing this beauty i believe that yhe Consul Capri was probably tha most beautiful of it´s era.
I'm lucky enough to have had a MK1 and MK2 Lotus Cortina. But this is stunning. Great work and thanks for posting this.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Capri is just the coolest Ford ever. I fell in love when. I saw my first CLssicthen the Capricame along. So cool!!
So cool!
As a school boy I would see these and think wow! In fact the family across the road form where I lived had one. I told my father how much I liked it and he disagreed, he had a Ford anglia estate at the time, his first company car. I still like th shape and think its pretty cool.
Wonderful. machine. You know i didn't realise ford produced a lotus version of this capri, it's truly supurb to me. Im a 70 y old.
Hi Mig, welcome to the channel , they didn’t, this car was created by Steve , the owner in the video , and more the car he would have liked to see Ford and Lotus produce
It is a pocket sized Starliner...
Wery cool consul. Capri 👍🏻. Greatings from Sweden
Hello Mrford from Sweden, welcome to the channel
I love the Capri Classic, always have done! This is deffo the coolest I've ever seen! 😁🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰
It really is! Wordreet
Love the Consul Capri, it was the nearest thing we ever had to the 69 Impala
Yes great car Golden Apple
My Dad had a Consul Classic, which had the same front as this but was a 2-door 4-seater with an Anglia-style rear window design. It too had an enormous boot like the Capri, drum brakes all round, 1,500 cc engine, a column-mounted gear shift and skinny tyres. There was nothing cool about it!
Yes agree don’t think the Classic was quite as interesting