1985 Ford Capri 2.8i

What we have here is one of the last few variations of the Capri made available to the British public. It’s the Ford Capri 2.8 Injection, a very cool car with a great name — hard to miss that with model designation stickers plastered on both sides and at the back. Ford swapped the already successful ‘Essex’ V6 engine with the slightly smaller but fuel injected ‘Cologne’ V6. The changes weren’t limited to the engine alone, though, as Ford updated other vital bits as well (including wheels, brakes, suspension, etc.) to make the Capri 2.8i more complete.

This resulted in a Capri which handled better than the 3.0, had a fair bit more push, and true to its image, punched way above its weight. A proper Capri, then? Of course, yes. Despite the market’s inclination towards hot hatchbacks, the Capri 2.8i proved that there still was a fair bit of life in the project. It’s such a misery that the market took a while to register its importance. And if you haven’t yet, this example can help you understand what makes the Ford Capri so special.

This car, first registered in 1985 is a late-model Capri 2.8 Injection (complete with lovely Recaro seats and a five-speed manual gearbox) with not too many former keepers. The second owner got the car in 1988 and kept it for nearly three decades. During that time, it also had a fair bit of work done to it including a respray and wheel refurbishment. You can read more about the car’s history in detail below.

When Ford moved to the MkIII in the late 70s, not much was changed on the car except for the crucial bits which made a world of difference to the way the Capri looked. Among other such changes was the inclusion of wraparound bumpers that certainly helped the Capri look more modern. On the late-model 2.8i like this one here, things like the colour-coded radiator grille and seven-spoke RS alloys further add to that.

This 1985 example has been thoroughly worked upon to retain its freshness over the last thirty years. It has been repainted and has had its wheels refurbed; and it’s evident that it must have cost the owner quite a fair bit to achieve this. The old invoices were lost earlier but the vendor mentions that the car’s second owner spent nearly £13,000 on it.

That’s quite a lot of money, but one look at the car and you’ll realise that it’s been put to good use. Some exterior imperfections include paint irregularity right under the headlamps, scratches on the rear windscreen and bumper. On the surface, there appears to be no rust.

The Ford Capri 2.8 Injection was offered with Recaro seats, properly cushioned headrests, and other bits that wouldn’t look out of place on a flagship variant. The later and special models also got half-leather seats, which certainly look and age better.

The Capri 2.8 Injection here has an exceptionally clean interior for a car of its age. The seats do have minimal marks of wear, whereas the carpet and door cards give an impression that extensive work has been carried out on this example. The hard-plastic dashboard might look out of place in a modern coupe, but on the Capri, it’s rather well-appointed. Like the seats and the overall exterior, it’s in great shape, too.

And it doesn’t lose out on practicality, either. It’s a proper four-seat car, the Capri, but if you want to increase its boot space, the second row can be folded nearly flat. It also has a sunroof, which is functional, although the headlining is far from pristine. The in-car entertainment is handled by a Ford cassette player and radio, which sits flush in the dashboard. Not everyone in the 20th century is expected to have retained their personal cassette collection, but thankfully there are a few cassettes supplied with the car. It’s also got a full-size spare wheel neatly tucked under the boot panel.

The vendor says there are just two small issues with the car. First, the top of the dashboard vinyl is cracked, and secondly, the boot lamp drains the battery. The latter has been disconnected for now. The reason behind its failure is that the lamp actuator doesn’t disconnect when the boot is closed.

It wasn’t just the swapping of the Essex engine for a newer Cologne unit that made the Capri 2.8 Injection different from the previous 3.0 car. In addition to that, the 2.8i was also lowered, the brakes were updated with ventilated discs and high-performance pads, it had Bilstein suspension fitted, and thicker anti-roll bars were appointed, too. All that helped in making sure the 2.8 Injection wasn’t just faster in a straight line (the 160 bhp engine helps it achieve 0-60 mph in under 8 seconds) but also became more suited to spirited driving than the 3.0. To make things even better, the rear-wheel-drive car has a 5-speed manual gearbox.

The vendor mentions that this 70,000-mile Capri is a nice example and drives well. Apart from the exterior and interior, the engine bay also deserves a look, because it reaffirms that the car has been looked after well in the past. In terms of rust, there’s nothing to worry about; there’s just some surface rust underneath. While the latest MoT is cleared without any advisories, the previous failure was due to corrosion on the offside rear structure.

This, a late model 1985 Ford Capri 2.8 Injection, was first registered in November 1985. It was then purchased by its 2nd owner in 1988. He kept the car with himself for the next 28 years. He spent nearly £13,000 to ensure the car was in top condition, which, as you can see in the photos below, shows.

On his demise, the car was sold to its third owner, but sadly the original paperwork including service history and other invoices were lost. In the last few years, the car hasn’t run much, as can be verified by the MoT history/DVLA records. Since 2005, this Capri hasn’t seen any more than 6,000 miles of use. The mileage (70,000 miles) seems to be genuine but due to the lack of documents, it can't be verified.

Towards the end of its run, it was clear that the Capri had begun to lose momentum. It failed to attract buyers as it once would. And it wasn’t the product’s fault but rather the lack of demand for a car like the Capri. With the 2.8 Injection, Ford tried to further the car’s appeal by making it more driver-focussed. And a sub-8-second time to 60 mph means it won’t seem too slow for use in 2021, either.

This 1985 Capri is in great shape, although the lack of service records and invoices might be off-putting for some. The MkIII car looks more modern than any other version before it, and owning one in 2021 is an opportunity that mustn’t be missed. Especially if you’re looking for a modern classic that’s not short of power or character, and one that’s had a sizeable presence in the British market when new. This example with lowish mileage and just four former keepers (including the vendor) is estimated to be £16,000 - 19,000. That’s not a bad price for ‘the car you always promised yourself’ now, is it?

Viewing is always encouraged, and as stated this car is located at our Abingdon headquarters; we are open Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm and to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing to make an appointment. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.