What was the Ford Capri called in America?
In America, the Ford Capri was not sold under the Ford name; it was marketed as the Mercury Capri.
To understand why, it helps to know that Ford’s European Capri and the American market were managed under different branding strategies. The Capri concept did not arrive in the U.S. as a Ford product; instead, Mercury offered a closely related two-door coupe that carried the Capri badge on American soil for nearly two decades.
Background: The European Capri versus its American counterpart
The Ford Capri debuted in Europe in 1968 as a compact, sporty coupe designed to compete with European GTs. In the United States, there was no official Ford Capri on dealership lots; the American version arrived as the Mercury Capri, a model developed by Ford’s Mercury division to fit American tastes while echoing the European styling.
Timeline: Mercury Capri in the United States
The following overview summarizes the two main generations of Mercury Capri that were marketed in the United States.
- Gen I (1970–1978): The first U.S. Capri, a two-door coupe marketed by Mercury and built on a Ford platform, aligned with the Mustang II era in terms of underpinnings.
- Gen II (1979–1986): The second generation, with updated styling and a Fox-platform chassis, continued Mercury’s Capri line through the mid-1980s.
Together, Gen I and Gen II defined the Capri’s U.S. arc, with each generation reflecting the styling and engineering trends of its era.
Why there was no Ford Capri in the U.S.
Ford chose to market the European Capri to American buyers exclusively through the Mercury division. At the time, Mercury specialized in sportier, more upscale variants of Ford’s mainstream models, and branding Capri under Mercury aligned with the division’s image. The U.S. market ultimately did not receive a standalone Ford Capri, though enthusiasts often refer to the car as the "Mercury Capri," which is the accurate American designation.
Legacy and collector interest
Today, the Mercury Capri holds a niche place in American automotive history. While it never achieved the enduring fame of the Mustang, the Capri is sought by collectors who value its European-inspired styling and its role within the Mercury lineup. Restored examples appear at classic car shows and in private collections, with values varying by condition, year, and provenance.
Summary
In short, the Capri that Americans could buy was a Mercury Capri, not a Ford Capri. Ford did not offer a Ford-branded Capri in the U.S.; Mercury produced two generations of Capri from 1970 to 1986, providing American buyers with a European-inspired, badge-differentiated coupe. The Capri’s place in automotive history endures among enthusiasts as a distinctive bridge between European styling and American engineering.
