Capri (later Mercury Capri) is a nameplate marketed by the Lincoln-Mercury division of Ford Motor Company on three distinct series of automobiles between 1970 and 1994. From 1970 to 1978, the Capri was a sport compact marketed in North America by the Lincoln-Mercury division without any Ford or Mercury divisional branding; it was a captive import, built by Ford of Europe sold simply as the Capri. From 1979 to 1986, the Capri became part of the Mercury model line as a pony car. From 1991 to 1994, the Mercury Capri was a roadster was a captive import, built by Ford Australia (and sold outside North America as the Ford Capri). In North America, the Capri was marketed without a direct Ford-brand counterpart for its first and third generations, although it was sold in other markets under the Ford brand. Origin of name The Capri nameplate is derived from the namesake Italian island; in automotive use, it has been used by all three Ford divisions. In 1952, the Lincoln Capri marked the first use of the nameplate, serving as a trim level through 1959. From 1962 to 1964, Ford of Britain introduced a Ford Consul Capri two-door hardtop coupe. For 1966 and 1967, the Capri name was first used by Mercury, denoting the standard trim of the Mercury Comet. For 1968, Ford of Europe developed the Ford Capri two-door coupé as its counterpart to the Mustang. In line with the Mustang, the Capri was styled with a long hood and a short deck (trunk lid; later hatchback) with a fastback-style roofline. First generation (1970–1978) Capri (1970–1975) The first generation of the Capri was a captive import produced by Ford of Europe in Cologne, Germany. Introduced in Europe for 1968 (and designed by Ford of Britain using locally sourced components from the Cortina MkII and Escort with plans dating back to 1964 when the development of a European variant of the Mustang commenced), the Ford Capri was marketed by the Lincoln-Mercury Division starting in April 1970. While marketed as part of the Mercury model line, the Capri did not carry any divisional identification. Priced at $2,300 at the time of its launch, ($ in dollars ) the Capri was marketed as an economical sporty coupe (with no upscale trim levels, unlike its European-market variants e.g. the GT, RS, L, XL, and XLR which were trim levels), far smaller than the Mercury Cougar