Rare Ford Capri found among 100s of cars in car graveyard leaves gearheads stunned
- This car graveyard is home to hundreds of vehicles
- A Ford Capri Mk 1 was discovered amid the hundreds of rotting cars
- Sadly, the Capri appears to be too far gone to be restored
Published on Jul 25, 2024 at 7:04 AM (UTC+4)
by Claire Reid
Last updated on Jul 26, 2024 at 3:06 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
A rare Ford Capri Mk 1 was found rotting away among hundreds of other vehicles in a ‘car graveyard’.
The flashy-looking fastback coupe was launched in 1969 at the Brussels Motor Show and went on to become a hugely successful car for Ford.
The Capri Mk 1 was produced with two different line-ups, depending on whether you had the British-made version – fitted with a Ford Kent straight-four engine in either 1.3-liter or 1.6L – or the German-manufactured one – that came with a Ford Taunus – not to be confused with the Taurus – V4 engine in 1.3-liter, 1.5L or 1.6L.
In 1971 the Mk 1 was given a face-lift, with larger headlamps fitted, improved suspension, and the Kent engines replaced with Ford Pinto engines.
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The Capri Mk 1 was a popular car during its heyday
The updates were a hit and in 1973, the Capri had the highest sales of its entire run, with 233,000 units sold.
Despite so many of the cars being sold, there aren’t too many Mk1s knocking about still today, which makes this discovery at a car graveyard in Scotland all the more impressive.
The team from the Yorkshire Car Restoration YouTube channel visited a farm that was absolutely packed full of abandoned vehicles, including several hidden gems, including the Mk 1.
The owner of the vehicle explained that he initially bought the car to take out and reuse its back springs – but went on to say that he had planned to sell the rest off. Who knows? Maybe it could have ended up being used for something like this wild 27-liter V12?
However, that plan never came to fruition and the poor vehicle was simply left to rot at the farm.
The owner explained that the Mk 1, which is fitted with a Pinto engine, had panels that were ‘fiberglass on top of fiberglass’.
The expert had a bad news about the car
Sadly, the car isn’t about to take to the road any time soon.
After assessing the vehicle, the expert gave a quick – and damning evaluation – pointing out that it was ‘well beyond restoring’.
Ouch.
“Apparently the car will start but we are not going to try that today,” he said.
Although the team left with a ‘rusty Mazda’, many YouTube commenters urged them to go back and rescue the Capri, too.
“That Capri is completely restorable, there’s lots worse than that being done right now with YouTube videos to prove it,” said one.
“I’m a fan of the Ford Capri, my dad had one before I was born,” said someone else.
“It’s my dream car and it hurts so bad to see one rusting away.”
A third begged: “Rescue the Capri! As others have said it is sad they have been left out to rust and fall apart.”
Claire Reid is a journalist who hails from the UK but is now living in New Zealand. She began her career after graduating with a degree in Journalism from Liverpool John Moore’s University and has more than a decade of experience, writing for both local newspapers and national news sites. Across her career she's covered a wide variety of topics, including celebrity, cryptocurrency, politics, true crime and just about everything in between.
