I've just noticed that I've passed the 3,000 mark

Thanks for putting up with me guys & gals.

Well done Dave.

All good aswell.

Congratulations Dave, And i can say that 90% have been very helpfull

The other 10% though

lol, i like the capri posts, very informative even if boaderline obsessive

Yes I have to admit.
70's-90's Fords, especially Capris.
And The Beatles.

I have detailed files and an Anorak

Congratulations Dave on reaching that figure. The level of technical knowledge you show in your posts is brilliant, so thanks for helping fellow members so much over those 3000 posts.

I look forwards to reading your next 3000!

Talking of capri's i saw on the front of a mag earlier a new focus coupe and the headline thing was 'the new capri?' What ya rekon? Bet nothing can beat the orig in your eyes tho

I know, funny, AutoExpress are really trying to push Ford to do another Capri.

That photo is the GenIII Focus 3-door due in 2010.

Ford know that to re-introduce Capri it has to have the main Capri signature styling cues:
Long Bonnet/Short Tail
D-Shaped rear side 1/4 windows
Bonnet Power Bulge

Also, to be accepted it needs to be rear-wheel drive, a platform that Ford Europe unfortunatley do not have.

I don't think many people will go for a FWD Capri.
I know the Scirocco is FWD but it always was which is why Capri always outsold it 10-1.

You could argue the case for them to use the Mazda RX-8 platform but as they've sold their share off in Mazda, I can't see that happening either.

It costs about $2billion to develop a platform from scratch, I can't see FOE spending that on a niche volume car.

Yh the new mustang I see one everyday, blue with stripes

Mustang a very bad chassis???????

Have you been reading motoring magazines of BMW test pilots complaining about the live rear axle??

It's actually a very, very good chassis (from the front seat mounts forward, it is shared with the RWD Jags) it's just that Ford continued to use a live rear axle because when they did the market research all the current owners said they wouldn't buy one unless it's got a live axle.

It actually handles a dream (if you know how to drive a RWD car that hasn't got stability control - all BMW owners press the back button now please) but needs to be treated with respect.

Any production figure below 250,000 units per year is classed as a niche model.
This is why manufacturers sell multiple cars off the same platform.

At peak Capri sold 250,000 units worldwide (71-74) then dropped to around 100,000 units when it was removed from USA.

It's peak sales for UK was 83,000 which steadily tailed away to 25,000 per year in the UK only from 1984. It wasn't sold in any country other than UK RHD from October 1984.

In it's last full sales year (1985) it sold 19,000 units. Which was not enough for Ford to warrant production even though they made more money out of those 19,000 than they did on the Sierra's 150,000. It even sold 15,000 in 1987 long after production had finished and once the 280's price was reduced.
All they had to do was put the Pinto EFI egine in (which SVE were pushing for and ran proto-types of) and sales would have gone back over the 25,000 mark and it would have stayed in production.

The Probe sold 4,000 units in the whole of it's career, so you can see why it was dropped quickly.

You may love the new one but that new one (as I said earlier) is the 3-door Focus not a Capri.

Congrats on 3000 posts, I for one think most were useful / informative

Dave... congratulations on the 3k mate!

AND... the Probe was a fantastic car, just all us silly brits could never get to grips with the super sexy styling!