Could Capri be the next name to be revived by Ford?

The Ford Capri may be making a comeback, but it won’t be a sleek, affordable coupe.

Based on Sunthe upcoming “coupe” version of European Explorer EV will be named the iconic Capri.

Unveiled this week, the Explorer EV is the first of two cars confirmed to be based on the Volkswagen MEB architecture. Designed and engineered by Ford, the Euro Explorer features a unique interior and exterior that emphasizes the company’s American heritage.

Amko Leenarts, head of design at Ford of Europe, has previously expressed a desire to bring the Capri name back.

The Capri name is most famously used by Ford of Europe for a sports coupe based on the second-generation Cortina sedan. Launched in 1968, the European Capri was produced until 1986 and sold 1.9 million units.

Mercury then reused the name for its version of the Ford Mustang from 1979 to 1986. In the late 80’s, the Capri name was once again revived for a Laser-based convertible, which was adopted Designed and built by Ford Australia and exported throughout the United States. the world, mainly the United States.

Leaky roof, poor quality, sold under the name Mercury in the US and the presence of rear-wheel drive Mazda MX-5 ensured the Aussie Capri failed in sales and the car was discontinued in 1994.

If this report is true, this is not the first time Ford has used the sporty name for a crossover. Mustang Mach-E And leopard lion both reside in corporate showrooms.

For the Mach-E, Ford used the Mustang’s logo and styling cues, but the two-door line and the electric crossover run on different architectures and share little in terms of mechanics.

with leopard lionFord revives the name that many people love festival-based on the three-door coupe from the late 90s, and applied to it a crossover based on the Fiesta. Squint and you can see the face of the original in the psuedo four-wheel drive.

Ford isn’t the only company guilty of taking a glorious sports badge from the past and repurposing it for a market hungry for crossovers.

The Mitsubishi Eclipse SportsUnlike the old Eclipse coupes and convertibles, for example, and Audi’s Q-line crossovers still live in the glory reflected in the demonstration of the original Quattro coupe from the early 1980s.

Opel is also resurrecting the Manta nameplate, last used on a coupe in the 1980s, to rival the European Ford Capri. Like the reborn Capri, it is said to be an electric SUV.