Ford Capri resurrected

Is the Ford Capri about to be revived as a fun-to-drive, affordable electric sports car?

There’s a growing body of evidence that a cadre of classic reborn fast Fords are under consideration, and this latest render from a talented digital artist shows how it could take shape.

The original Ford Capri started life in 1968 as a sportier relation to the Cortina and spawned three generations until its demise in 1986.

However, the Ford Capri name was briefly revived – and built in Australia at the same plant as the Ford Falcon – between 1989 and 1994 in the form of the Capri convertible.

This modernised Ford Capri RSe ‘designed’ by Lars O Saeltzer was inspired by the Mk1 V6-powered Ford Capri RS 2600 of the early 1970s, but has been envisaged with an electric powertrain.

Like most global car-makers, Ford is investing billions into its EV product assault and such a vehicle is not as far-fetched as it sounds.

Indeed, Ford has been axing combustion-engine passenger cars with lumberjack-like efficiency in the last few years as it seeks to electrify its range, with a next-generation Mustang EV set to debut as early as mid-decade.

Last month Ford filed trademarks for five historic nameplates, including the Cortina, Escort and, yep you guessed it, Capri – adding fuel to the speculative fire.

Furthermore, Ford has enjoyed immense success in recent times reviving classic nameplates, with the likes of the Ford Bronco off-roader and Ford Maverick ute achieving sell-out success in the USA.

It’s entirely possible that Ford is seeking to duplicate this recipe in global markets – and particularly Europe – with reborn EVs bearing the Cortina and Capri names.

It’s not clear what powertrains would slot under a born-again Capri’s sleek skin, but if Ford leveraged the Mustang Mach-E’s most basic rear-drive powertrain, combining a single electric motor (198kW/430Nm) hooked up to a 68kWh battery, it would deliver respectable sports car performance.

More likely, however, is that Ford’s tie-up with Volkswagen will spawn most of its Euro-centric EVs.

While Volkswagen’s second-generation Amarok will be based on the same new Australian-developed T6.2 platform as the new Ford Ranger, the Blue Oval brand will gain access to the VW Group’s dedicated electric vehicle platform (MEB), which it could also use to revive any of its historic nameplates including the Capri, which would likely offer more modest performance – think 100kW to 150kW.

Ford will soon confirm the name of its first MEB-based EV – understood to be an SUV – which will be manufactured later this year at its Cologne factory in Germany, following a significant $A1.3 billion retool and upgrade.