1980 Mercury Capri (RS, 5.0 and special editions)

Eighties Cars reports 79,984 Capris produced for 1980, calling that 23 percent of Mercury's total sales, with conceptcarz citing the identical figure without either source naming its underlying record. Its list prices ran $5,672 for the base hatchback, $204 for the RS option, $5,968 for the Ghia, and $6,935 for the Turbo RS, with the 2.3 turbo four itself a $481 option and the 4.2 V8 a $288 option that in turn required a $340 three-speed automatic.^1,2

The 2.3 turbo's own output is disputed inside a single source: Eighties Cars itself reports three different figures drawn from different places, 118, 120, and 132 bhp, without settling on one, so this record carries all three rather than choosing among them. The 4.2-liter (255 cid) Windsor V8, with a two-barrel carburetor, is rated 118 hp SAE net by the same source; the 2.3 SOHC four was standard, and a 3.3-liter (200 cid) six was optional, not offered in California.¹

A 4-speed manual, geared 3.98, 2.14, 1.42 and 1.00, was standard with the 2.3 four and the 2.3 turbo; a 4-speed overdrive manual was standard instead with the 3.3 six. The 3-speed automatic was optional with either the 2.3 or the 3.3, but standard and required outright with the 4.2 V8. The 2.3 turbo itself came standard on the Capri RS Turbo and was offered as an option elsewhere in the range.

The RS Turbo's own standard content, per the brochure's options availability chart, bundled the turbo engine with a 3.45:1 performance axle and forged aluminum wheels riding on TRX tires with the Rally Suspension, none of that trio available as a separate option on the RS Turbo since it already had them; the plain Capri, Capri RS, and Ghia could add the performance axle, the Rally/TRX/forged-wheel package, or a distinct set of 14x5.5 cast aluminum wheels instead, with the Radial Sport Suspension standard on the Capri RS and optional on the others but unavailable at all with the RS Turbo. Further options spanned Recaro adjustable buckets on any trim, low-back buckets in cloth-and-vinyl (standard on the Ghia, optional on the RS Turbo) or natural grain leather (RS Turbo and Ghia), a flip-up removable moonroof, an interior Accent Group standard on the Ghia, a rear window wiper/washer, and a right-hand remote mirror standard on every trim but the plain Capri.

The Capri measured 179.1 in overall on a 100.4-inch wheelbase, 69.1 in wide and 51.5 in tall, with 12.0/33.3 cu ft of cargo volume depending on rear seat position, an 11.5-gallon fuel tank (12.5 with the turbo), a 2,548-lb base curb weight in the 49 states, a 0.48 drag coefficient that improved to 0.47 with the rear deck spoiler fitted, 9.3-inch vented front discs with 9.0x1.75-inch rear drums, and a standard 3.08 rear axle ratio. Suspension varied by engine: the 2.3 and 3.3 could take the base setup, the Radial Sport option, or the Rally/TRX package; the 4.2 V8 got the base setup plus a rear stabilizer bar; and the 2.3 turbo came standard with the Rally Suspension and TRX tires.