A brief history of my 1972 Capri XL

 

I have owned the Capri for twelve years after buying it for $2300 from a young guy living in the Bayside suburb of Ormiston. I wasn’t particularly after a Capri but after I saw this one and it was all there, still registered and had a sports steering wheel that I really liked, I took the big plunge. I don’t know a lot about the history of this car other than the previous owner had it for a relatively short time after purchasing it from another Bayside resident who had owned it for sometime. There is a suggestion that it may have been a prize won in the Miss Australia Quest when these were in vogue in the 70s. I have tried several times to find out more about its past but I haven't been able to get past the previous owner, despite a Transport department search. What I do know is that who ever did own it had several young children as the back seat and parcel tray had numerous holes resulting from child restraint buckles and clips. It is also one of only 171 XL Auto models built in 1972 and cost about $3390.

My Capri has the 1600 GT engine and auto transmission (not my preferred option) and apart from a sports air cleaner is stock standard. In fact, the engine is the only area of the car which hasn’t required any major attention, but I am saving! Over the time I have had the car, I have reconditioned or refurbished many items eg. front suspension, auto transmission, diff, brakes, Weber carbie, radiator, alternator, interior carpets, parcel trays and had some of the seats redone. My biggest expense was the rust removal and repaint job (Ford Winter White) done in 2003. I knew that restoring cars was a wallet lightening experience, but I didn’t realise quite how much until I recently totalled the receipts with the final tally a bit of a shock and remains known only to me!

Having done most of the hard work, I quite enjoy driving the Capri and my adult kids often want to take it for a spin. It was used for several years as a daily driver over a short distance and I am quite at ease driving it in city traffic. It has been reliable and is economical to run, even using premium unleaded fuel. It is relatively easy to work on and most parts can be obtained with a bit of a chase, I have enjoyed the restoration process, have measured up the garage and I think another manual Capri might just fit – but there is a significant family member to convince. Dream on, I am told! (I wrote this little article a few years ago & now I have the second one in the garage!)