The sporty Ford Capri was the defining vehicle of the 1970's and 1980's

Sporty, stylish, elegant — even a tad brash — the Ford Capri was the defining vehicle of the 1970’s and 1980’s.

It was launched in 1969 and intended as the European equivalent of the Ford Mustang. Nearly two million Capris had been sold when production ended in 1986, and it proved a particular success among male drivers.

When the Mark II was launched in 1974, at the height of a global recession and oil crisis, Ford Ireland Managing Director Paddy Hayes admitted some people might think the company was “crazy to launch a new car at such a time”, but added with a dash of trademark flamboyance: “We believe that Irish men and women will still want the sort of cars that they can be proud of.