Ford ‘to relaunch the classic Capri’ and give the iconic 1970s car an electric makeover

The classic Ford Capri is set to be relaunched with an eco-friendly makeover for the first time in 40 years.

The iconic 1970s car – commonly referred to as the ‘working man’s Porsche’ due to its affordability – is expected to cost roughly £40,000.

It will be re-marketed as an electric sports crossover capable of reaching 0 to 62mph in about 6.4 seconds, a Ford staff member has revealed to the Sun.

The new 300 horsepower version will boast rear-wheel drive and the classic four headlights like the original version. 

Unlike the gas-guzzling 1970s Capri, this will be fitted with a digital touch screen, wireless phone charging point and massaging seats.

A Ford spokesman revealed that while they don’t want to speculate on future cars, Ford is ‘on a mission to make electric iconic’.

The new model is expected to be an electric crossover and have a digital touch screen, wireless phone charging point and massaging seats

The leak came as Ford took the wraps off its next electric vehicle, the Explorer SUV.

In an event hosted in Central London – timed to take place at the same time as a reveal at Ford’s electric car factory in Cologne – the US brand unveiled the battery powered family car that’s due to arrive in showrooms next year with a price tag also in the region of £40,000. 

The Explorer uses the same platform that underpins Volkswagen’s ID.4 electric SUV, with the two car giants signing an agreement to share developments in the EV market.

It is expected to be available with two powertrains – a single motor rear-wheel drive ‘extended range’ 80kWh version offering up to 355 miles of range between charges, and all-wheel drive (55kWh) with a motor on each axle with a range of around 218 miles. 

‘A trailblazer for a new breed of exciting electric vehicles’: This is the Ford Explorer electric SUV. It will go on sale from 2024 and offer a range of more than 300 miles from a single charge

How does the old Ford Capri stack up to the new?

Ford Capri 1300 (1969-1973) 

Cost: £890

Horsepower: 57hp

0-60mph: Over 11 secs

Headlights: Four 

Drive: Rear wheel drive 

The new electric sports crossover Ford Capri

Cost: £40,000 (approx)

Horsepower: 300hp (approx)

0-62mph: 6.4 secs (approx)

Headlights: Four 

Drive: Rear wheel drive  

When the Ford Capri was first shown to the public in January 1969 at the Brussels motor show, it was marketed as a cheap, fast and fun coupe.

Production for the car actually started two months earlier at the Halewood plant in Liverpool to ensure every UK dealer would have at least one Capri on its forecourt by the time sales started.  

Prices for the Capri started from £890 in 1969, which equates to around £14,000 today. 

Overall, it was a hugely successful model for Ford selling a staggering 400,000 units in its first two years.

It also remained in production well into the eighties and across its 17-year production run Ford sold almost 1.9million units in total.  

Designed by a team led by American automotive designer Philip T. Clark, the Ford Capri was originally intended to be named the Ford ‘Colt’ – a reference to the famous Ford Mustang. 

Ford hoped that the Capri would mirror the American success of the Mustang and largely, it did.

The Capri gained popularity across Europe as one of the most affordable and popular sports cars.

Jamie Oliver’s MK1 Ford Capri which was sold very recently by a classic car specialist 

Jamie Oliver’s Mk1 Capri featured in TV shows with him and Jimmy Doherty

The Capri also made an appearance on Minder

Goes in more than One Direction – and fast: Harry Styles is among the fans of the iconic Capri

Capri craze: This 1978 Capri 3.0 S that featured in cult TV show The Professionals sold at the auction for a world-record fee of £55,000 on Wednesday

Lewis Collins (pictured) drove the car in the second series of The Professionals. The previous owner said money raised by the auction would be donated to Cancer Research in memory of the actor who lost his battle with the disease in 2013

This 1977 Ford Capri that featured in the hit series Minder was also up for sale at the auction

The life and times of the classic Ford Capri

Ford’s famous advertising slogan for the Capri – ‘The Car You Always Promised Yourself’ – perfectly encapsulated its appeal for those who couldn’t afford the likes of a Porsche or Alfa Romeo.

In 1970 nearly 250,000 Capris were sold, which meant one in every four Fords sold in Europe was a Capri, and it soon made its appearance on the silver screen. 

The Capri appeared in the cult 1970s TV series The Professionals, which recently sold at auction for £48,000.

In the 1975 Brannigan John Wayne famously jumped a Ford Capri across Tower Bridge in a spectacular car chase. 

The car’s appeal did then slowly start to evaporate over time, appearing as the wheels of choice for Derek Trotter in Only Fools and Horses in the 1980s.