I’ve always considered the TT one of the greatest modern automotive designs. Then it (almost immediately) grew a small rear spoiler - I think it was a mandated thing due to high-speed-becoming-airborn incidents (one of you Core-ites will know, I’m sure, please add . . . ).
Regardless: that spoiler, as little as it was, utterly destroyed its purity. It was so dissapointing! Because I rarely see a first-gen without the mandated recall item, I’ve gotten used to seeing that little wing’s abusive presence. But I saw this TT yesterday in its pure form, for the first time in ages, and had to take a couple of shots.
P.S. strange case of curb rash considering the crap parking job . . .
Found this hanging out at the greatest import mechanic in the world’s shop the other day. I just now remembered I have a bunch of shots from Petit LeMans that I need to post too. Soon.
Sorry Lew it wasn’t even based on the Miata. That would have been sensible. No it was based on the 323 and had transverse fwd.
Do you know japanese for “WTF?”?
“The Capri was the product of an Australian car industry labouring under the shadow of industry minister John Button’s car plan that aimed to reduce the number of local car-makers by at least one. It spawned some truly awful badge-engineered products as manufacturers jumped into bed with each other to share models and boost production runs.
The car plan could also mean exporting cars as a way of surviving, and into that mindset was born the Capri convertible.
The plot was to sell the cars locally and through Mercury (a division of Ford) dealerships in the US, where convertibles have usually done well. But because of the car’s problems and some marketing issues in the US, the Capri was a lame duck.
The Capri was beset by quality control gremlins that immediately took the shine off the thing. The biggest problem centred on the manually operated convertible roof, which leaked like a Buckingham Palace butler. Ford replaced leaking lids under warranty but the replacements seemed no better and more than one Capri was hiding under its fourth or fifth top by the time the original owner screamed “enough!” and traded the thing in.”
Interiors were also a bit fly-apart, with poor plastics and dashboard graphics that were aimed at US buyers but looked ordinary here. Bumpers warped and cracked (or fell off) and Ford’s paint technology of the time meant that many Capris faded prematurely, particularly reds and darker colours.