A Lifelong Love Affair with the Mk I Ford Capri
Some cars make an impression the moment they enter your life—and for me, that car was the Mk I Ford Capri. It’s been 50 years since it first arrived in the U.S., but my love for it hasn’t faded one bit. My first car? A 1973 Capri, handed down from my dad.
He had originally been a muscle car guy, driving a ’66 Dodge Charger. But when the oil crisis hit, sensibility trumped speed, and he made the switch to a 2.0-liter four-cylinder Capri with a four-speed manual. My brother Skip caught the bug too, spending countless weekends in the late ’70s and early ’80s tearing up autocross courses in his own Capri.
Fast forward a few decades—I came across a ’74 Capri in La Habra, California. It wasn’t in great shape, but at $500, it was impossible to pass up. I bought it and offered it to Skip, who had it shipped to his home in Overland Park, Kansas. He drove it for a few years, but eventually, like many project cars, it developed some mechanical issues and ended up parked in his garage. There it sat—untouched and collecting dust—for 18 years.
The upside? That long slumber saved it from the brutal Midwest weather and the rust that often comes with it. I’d regularly pester Skip about his plans for the car, and finally, in 2013, he passed it back to me with one condition: I had to bring it back to life.
Challenge accepted.
While the original Capris came with either a modest 100-hp four-cylinder or a 120-hp V-6, I always thought they deserved more muscle. Inspired by Basil Green’s legendary V8-powered Capri Perana from South Africa, I decided to build something wild: a V-8 Capri built for both street and track.
The project became a true labor of love over the course of nearly three years. I sculpted custom wheel flares to accommodate fat 15-inch tires and deleted all the brightwork. The final look? A menacing, custom shade I call Vicious Orange. Under the hood is a snarling 347 stroker V-8 with 10:1 compression, running on pump gas and putting down 364 horsepower and 429 lb-ft of torque at the wheels. It’s mated to a race-prepped T5 transmission, a carbon-fiber driveshaft, and a beefed-up Explorer rear end. The car is slammed 4 inches with a fully custom suspension setup. Inside, it features a full cage and vintage Recaro seats—period-correct but race-ready.
In 2017, right in the thick of the build, a neighbor dropped by to borrow a tool. He took one look at the Capri and asked if I was planning to take it to SEMA in Las Vegas. I told him that was an invite-only event, but he snapped a few pictures anyway. A few days later, he came back with incredible news: NRG Innovations wanted to sponsor the car and feature it at the show.
When I arrived at SEMA, I learned the Capri wasn’t just in the show—it was in the lobby of the convention center. Center stage. To have my work recognized like that, in front of an audience of builders and enthusiasts from around the world, was one of the proudest moments of my life.
These days, every time I take the Capri out, it turns heads. Most people have never seen one—or if they have, they’ve long forgotten. That usually leads to some good old car talk, which I never mind.
The Capri isn’t just a car to me. It’s a family legacy, a passion project, and a rolling tribute to the kind of craftsmanship and creativity that keeps car culture alive.
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