Throughout the years, FoMoCo has built a lot of different cars for the Ford, Mercury, and Lincoln brands using the same platforms, with a few cosmetic changes here and there. Take the Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable for example. You will rarely hear someone say, “Hey, doesn’t that Taurus look like a Sable?” It’s usually they other way around, with Mercury living in the shadow of it’s bigger brother. With the introduction of the Fox-body Mustang, Ford dusted off the “Capri” nameplate (previously seen on a 1970-77 European import) and applied it to Mercury’s version of the car from 1979-1986. Follow along as we cover the similarities and differences between these two cars.

Mercury Capri

The second generation Mercury Capri saw production from 1979 – 1986, and it went through those years with very few cosmetic changes. Besides the horizontally slotted grille that helped distinguish it from it’s Ford stablemate, in 1983 the Capri gained what many would call its most recognizable feature, a bulged rear greenhouse, often referred to as the “bubble back,” along with a revised rear bumper and tail lights. In 1984, the Capri RS was freshened up with a new front air dam, which continued through the end of Fox Capri production in 1986.

The 1979 Mercury Capri was a dead-ringer for its twin the Mustang when shown in profile. Photo by:AllFordMustangs.com

The Capri had a very wide range of engines available, ranging from the base carbureted 2.3L OHC,inline 4, through no fewer than three different six-cylinder options (2.8L V6, 3.3L inline, and 3.8L V6) and turbo 2.3’s in carbureted and EFI versions, to 4.2L and 5.0L V8’s, again in carbed and injected variations.

Photo By: Foureyedpride.com

Ford Mustang

1979 – ’82

With the unloved “Mustang II” out of the picture, the Fox Mustang debuted in 1979 and ran through 1993, with a major facelift from “four-eyed” to “aero” noses in 1987, at the same time the Capri was discontinued. It was a near-death experience for the Mustang, as Ford had originally planned to replace the V8, rear-drive Fox platform with a new badge-engineered Mustang based off the front wheel drive Mazda MX-6. In response to enthusiast outrage, Ford continued Fox production with the freshened fascia, and the MX-6 mutant became the Ford Probe instead.

Body styles included both a coupe and a hatchback, but their were only two different trim levels in the early years, the Ghia and Cobra. Ford had high hopes for its 2.3 L turbo four cylinder that would make similar power to the smog-shackled V8 and return better mileage. They would pair that engine up with the newly developed TRX handling suspension (and the universally hated “metric” TRX tires and rims) and the Mustang was chosen to be the pace car for the 1979 Indianapolis 500. Ford produced just shy of 10,500 Indy 500 pace car editions, which were available with the turbo four cylinder or the 302 V8. Before getting remodeled, the ’79-’82 Mustang would end with four different package options, and the 302 as the main engine.

The major victim of the 1981 Mustang Cobra’s venom was good taste in graphics. Photo from: mustangview.com

1983- ’86

The changes to the Mustang were mostly to the exterior, with a few upgrades to the different engine packages. Ford changed the front nose piece and rear taillights to accommodate the more popular “aero” look. When Chrysler came out with convertibles in 1982, Ford responded in ’83 with a convertible option. The convertible came with either the V6 GLX package or the V8 GT package. In 1984 the new Mustang SVO was introduced. The SVO was equipped with a far more powerful 2.3 L turbocharged inline four that produced 175 horsepower, rising to 205 in 1985. With less curb weight than the GT, the SVO had great handling and braking abilities thanks to four wheel disc brakes, 16 inch model-specific wheels, and an SVO-specific bi-plane rear spoiler. Unfortunately, it never sold as well as the GT and would leave production in 1986.

The convertible Mustang returned with the 1983 model year.

1987-’93

In the last years of the third generation Mustang, the ponycar would receive a significant redesign on both the interior and exterior. With the end of the SVO, the new packages were the LX and redesigned GT, but some of the SVO looks got transferred over. In 1989, the Mustang’s speed density engine control system was replaced with a mass air system. This change slightly reduced factory horsepower, but it made Mustangs much easier to modify. With the mass air system, changes made to the intake, engine, and exhaust system would be recognized and compensated for by the ECU, resulting in a correct air/fuel ratio and optimum power. After 1993, the Fox Mustang would end and Ford would come out with a completely restyled Mustang, still underpinned with the same basic chassis inherited from the 1978 Ford Fairmont/Mercury Zephyr.

When people say “Fox Body Mustang,” it’s the aero-nose cars like this 1990 ‘vert that usually come to mind.

Similarities

The third generation Mustang and second generation Capri were all built on the Fox platform, and Ford certainly got their money’s worth from that particular unibody rear wheel drive design – 26 model-years elapsed between its introduction in 1978 and the end of SN-95 production in 2004. The two similar cars also had most of the same engine and drivetrain options. The 2.3L inline four cylinder with and without a turbo, the 3.3 inline 6, 4.2L V8, and 5.0 engines were available in both cars. The exterior and interior looks of these Fox cars were also quite similar with very few changes.

Differences

Besides the obvious grille and badges, not much was different between these two cars. While they did have similar engine and drivetrain options, some options were specific to the brand. The 2.8 L V6 was Capri only, while the Mustang had the 171ci/2.8L inline 4.

The Fox Capri was only available in the hatch version, and not the notchback “trunk car” body currently favored by Mustang racers. Mustangs on the other hand never got the aero “bubble back” hatch glass. Finally, the Capri was not offered with a convertible option.

While both cars share the same DNA and parts are interchangeable, today you’re far less likely to run across a Fox Capri than its far more popular Mustang twin. Like any limited-production car, the Capri has its own cult, though, and when you’re around the Mercury faithful, you better know the difference…