Design Changes If You Could

[MS Injection]

Any changes you would make if you could.....

As posted in my car thread, when I was fitting new door earlier I thought the mk3 would have been better if it was frameless and pillarless. If I could have one design change, it would be that. As the door was yet to be finished off with the frame etc, and it sat there open, it looked just like a Trans-Am or Mustang. If the pillar was taken away, and wind down windows were installed front and back I think it would have been far sportier. Maybe independent rear suspension on the 2.8 as well....

[capri dave]

ooh just off the top of my head... some upgrades/modernisation that i feel should of taken place on the 4 cyl 1.6/2.0 models

electronic ignition should of been introduced like on the pinto sierras (its only 3 wires)

twin down pipe cast exhaust manifold like on the pinto sierras. again an easy upgrade.

sierra 2 litre pinto injection engines could of been introduced quite easily.

power steering on the 4 cylinder models is an easy ford parts bin raid combining a 2.8 rack with a sierra 2 litre pump.

as has already been suggested, independent rear suspension.

[Noel]

Electric windows.

For big jessies maybe, but in the 80s if you were trying to sell a sporty coupe for attention-seekers (which is what the Capri was, in some ways, aimed at - deal with it), then things like that mattered big time.
It's that sort of thing, and the lack of air-con and power steering that made the Capri look a bit under-specced when compared with the hot-hatches that took away the traditional sports car market share.

Remember Ford did produce a coupe with indepedent suspension, injection, power steering, electric windows, the lot. Even four wheel drive. It was call the XR4.

Then again, all of this convenience stuff adds weight, and one thing the Capri is, by modern standards for its size, is light. Which means it's still relatively fast.

[-JC-]

2nd vote on frameless doors. I thought the same thing when I was changing mine over. Oh, and while they're at it, maybe a Targa Top too?

[Andrew 2.8i]

Remember Ford did produce a coupe with indepedent suspension, injection, power steering, electric windows, the lot. Even four wheel drive. It was call the XR4.

Hi,
As I'm a pedant with too much time on my hands, I will point out that the XR4x4 was only available as a five door hatch. The XR4i was a three door hatch, but was not four wheel drive.

If this reply was on Alex Lester's show, I would have the "klaxon of pedantry" sound effect playing now!

Back to the original point, I think the Capri would have been successfully updated at the time of introduction by the aerodynamic nosecone that was featured on the prototype. The one that looked a bit like the Vauxhall droop-snoot. That would have been fine at the time, but now the Capri has aged more gracefully with the frontal treatment as it is!
I also like Mike's idea of the frameless front doors and wind-down rear windows.

All the best,
Andrew.

[Noel]

Yeah yeah, was expecting that.

It's debatable whether the XR4i is a coupe anyway, isn't it really a three-door, five seat hatchback?
Roofline on the Sierra isn't particularly coupe like is it?


BTW I think a nice option on the Capri in the 80s, would have been the three-speed+overdrive type auto boxes that went into the granadas of that period.
Would have created a really nice easy-driving cruising machine that would have been spot-on for long distance motorwaying. I know

[Major_Tom]

On the MK2 and 3 models (actually a MK2 facelift of course ) I'd like to have retained the proper coupe boot off the MK1. A lot less practical, but stronger and cooler.

And less of a nose at the front.. just a couple of inches off the front end.. whilst retaining the same basic shape.

Retained the massive amount of options from the MK1 range.

LSD as optional extra.

[fordperv]

Remember Ford did produce a coupe with indepedent suspension, injection, power steering, electric windows, the lot. Even four wheel drive. It was call the XR4.

Hi,
As I'm a pedant with too much time on my hands, I will point out that the XR4x4 was only available as a five door hatch. The XR4i was a three door hatch, but was not four wheel drive.
.

As I'm a pedant I really must point out that ford did produce 3 door sierra XR4x4s it's just we didn't get them, the European market got them as did countries with a snowier climate

[Jayman]

I wish they never had a bloody sunroof.

[MS Injection]

I wish I had some software to generate an image of the hybrid Capri under discussion

[blitzy]

TOP of my list would be to have it so the Capris body work would never rust.
Yes it may mean carbon fiber or stainless steel for for me it will always be one of the four biggest let downs of the Capri.
followed by Power steering being available on all models
A braking systems that works and my definition would be to take the fasted model get its 0-100 time and the car MUST down 100-0 in half that time and that same system would on all models.
And a faultless engine.

We all know the truth the Capri is what is it because of what it is, if It wasn't what it is then
we wouldn't have half the fun we do trying to make them better.

[Tamworthbay]

IRS rear end, but would that spoil the feel?