1982 Mercury Capri "Black Magic"

This was my first "cool" car.  The others were neat to me, but other people thought this car was neat.  Ruhroh, that's what did me this to me!

This car had EVERYTHING from the factory, except beans.  It was not the turbo 4 cylinder, because the guy who ordered it, had durability concerns with the turbo.  It was ordered with the Lear pace car seats, but they weren't available without the pace car ? option, so that fell off of the build sheet.  He didn't order cruise cuz it woulda got the ugly TBird steering wheel instead of the cool Rally wheel.  It had everything else.  Even the rear wiper washer option!  The 5 speed was the same one that Merkur XR4tis came with years later, and it was, an over $1000 option!  This car stickered at over $11,000 in 1982!!! I had the sticker too.  In fact the guy I bought it from, ordered it in Vegas, shipped it to England with the Air Force, so when I titled it in Texas in 1986, I turned in the MSO (Manufacturer's Statement of Origin).  In other words, I was the first registered owner!

This picture was taken when I first got it back stateside, before any mods.  I eventually put on it;

the carbureted turbo 2.3 setup (yuk), a HUGE Weber carb off of the 3.0 V6 GT Capri sold in England, a 2.5" exhaust, a complete 86 Mustang GT suspension and rack, 87 GT Turbine wheels, 140 MPH FMS speedo and 8 grand tach, Corbeau seats, a wicked (for the time) Kenwood stereo with speakers in the headrests!, and tons of electronic doodads, ie.. remote radar, alarm from hell with power unlocking, pumped up CB, and more.  I even developed a system that had a knob to adjust the amount of timing retard under boost using the stock Duraspark ignition!

It was as fast as 86 GTs, at 18 PSI, but when the 87s came out, I got left behind.   Since I got about 13 mpg, no matter what, cuzza the big carb, I traded it in on an 87 GT. I stripped all the cool stuff off of it, and the Ford salesman who sold me the GT, bought the car.  He had a 70 Cougar Eliminator!  Then he wrecked it (Capri) and it was gone!  (San Antonio, Texas)

That's my ex-wife's 86 Honda Civic si behind it.  I wish my Mustangs would power-shift like that Honda, what a blast it was!

That's my 77 Chrysler Lebaron up in front of the driveway.  I used it to regularly SPANK the stock Monte Carlo SS crowd...  I broke 3 rear ends in that car, before I put a truck rear in it.  On a "stock" 318 Mopar!

History lesson is over.  And now you know,  the "rest of the story".