“Every bit a driver’s car.”

1980 was the second year for the Fox-body Capri and brought few changes from the debut year, and some of those weren’t great, such as a downgraded V8. There was a new rear deck spoiler standard on all RS models.

The standard powertrain on the base Capri was Ford’s Lima 88 bhp 2.3 liter/140 ci inline four with a Holley-Weber two-barrel carburetor matched with a four-speed manual. Three engine options were available:

• a 91 bhp 3.3 liter/200 ci inline six with a one-barrel carburetor ($169)
• a Windsor 118 bhp 4.2 liter/255 ci V8 with a Motorcraft 2150 two-barrel carburetor ($288), which required the three-speed automatic ($340)
• a Lima inline four with a Holley-Weber two-barrel carburetor and a turbocharger ($481). Sources disagree as to whether this engine was rated at 118 bhp, 120 bhp, or 132 bhp, but everyone agrees that it included a 12.5-gallon gas tank

Thus, for 1980, the fastest available Capri had a 0-60 time of a little under 11 seconds. With an 11.5-gallon gas tank and 23 city/38 highway fuel mileage, the owner of a Capri with the base four could expect a range of about 260 to 280 miles with a 10% fuel reserve.

The base 1980 Capri hatchback coupe went for $5,672—about $24,500 in 2026 dollars. Standard exterior and mechanical equipment included dual rectangular headlamps, dual paint stripes, a liftback third door, wraparound taillamps, rack-and-pinion steering, front disc/rear drum brakes, and P185/80R13 tires on 13-inch semi-styled steel wheels with trim rings. Inside, vinyl high-back front bucket seats, a fold-down rear seat, a Sport steering wheel, full instrumentation (tachometer, trip odometer, fuel/temperature/oil/alternator gauges), a lockable glove box, and a cigar lighter were included.

The Capri RS ($204) added a simulated hood scoop, a rear deck spoiler, dual remote control mirrors, and P175/75R14 black sidewall tires on 14-inch wheels with Sport wheel covers.

The Turbo RS ($1,185) made the turbocharged 2.3 liter engine standard and added a sports-tuned exhaust system, the Rally Suspension package, and Michelin TRX 190/65R390 tires (they’re still available!) on 15.3-inch forged aluminum three-spoke wheels. Inside, low-back front bucket seats, Deluxe trim, and an 8,000 RPM tachometer were included. Power front disc brakes ($78) were a mandatory option. A base Turbo RS came to $6,935—about $30,000 in today’s dollars and almost what a 2026 Ford Mustang EcoBoost fastback goes for.

Taking a different direction, the comfortable Capri Ghia included P175/75R14 black sidewall tires with 14-inch wheels with Sport wheel covers. Inside, low-back front bucket seats with European type headrests, a four-spoke Luxury steering wheel with a woodtone insert, and Light Group were included. The Ghia‘s base price was $5,968. Power front disc brakes ($78) were a mandatory option.

Options & Production Numbers

Exterior and mechanical options included tinted glass ($65), a flip-up, removable moonroof ($219), power steering ($160), and power brakes ($78). Inside, Recaro adjustable front bucket seats, air conditioning ($538), an electric rear window defroster ($96), interval windshield wipers ($39), a tilt steering wheel ($78), and the power lock group ($113) were available. A series of five stereos was available, with the most capable being an AM/FM stereo radio with a cassette tape player.

The 1980 Capri sold decently. 79,984 were produced, accounting for 23% of Mercury’s overall sales in a brutally down year.

The View From 2026

Capris come up for sale occasionally in the Hemmings Motor News classifieds, on eBay Motors, and on Bring a Trailer.

Make mine Bright Bittersweet, please.

The only other Capri I have covered is the final-year 1986 hatchback coupe. Fox-body Mustangs I have covered include the 1980 Cobra hatchback coupe, the 1981 coupe, the 1982 GT hatchback coupe, the 1983 GT convertible, the 1984 SVO hatchback coupe, and the 1987 LX coupe.

“The shape you want to be in.”

For 1988, Mercury’s full-size Colony Park station wagon gained a new and at least somewhat more aerodynamic front end that better integrated the fenders, grille, headlights, and bumper. Inside, the front seats were updated, and the Insta-Clear heated windshield was newly available.

The Colony Park name had a long history within Mercury. The first Colony Park branded wagons appeared in 1957 as the “glamorous style leader” of Mercury’s wagon line. Because there were no Lincoln wagons, the Colony Park was consistently the highest-end wagon available from Ford Motor Company for almost 35 years, and it could be equipped to near-Lincoln levels.

The only powertrain available on the 1988 Colony Park was the Windsor 150 bhp 4.9 liter/302 ci V8 with multi-port fuel injection paired with a four-speed automatic transmission. Acceleration figures are hard to find for this 4,000-pound wagon, but it certainly wasn’t fast. Fuel economy ratings were 17 city/24 highway by the day’s standards (15/22 by today’s measures). With an 18.0-gallon gas tank, Colony Park owners could expect a range of 300 to 330 miles with a 10% fuel reserve.

The 1988 Mercury Grand Marquis Colony Park GS station wagon’s base price was $16,341—about $45,900 in today’s dollars. Standard exterior and mechanical equipment included a bodyside rosewood appliqué, tinted glass, a rear-bumper step pad, power brakes, power steering, and P215/70R15 tires on 15-inch wheels with Deluxe full wheel covers. Inside, vinyl twin comfort seats with dual recliners, Luxury sound insulation, air conditioning, power side windows, a power tailgate window, a quarter-panel stowage bin with lock, a tailgate-activated cargo compartment light, and an electronic AM/FM stereo with four speakers were standard.

For an additional $585, the LS added turbine spoke aluminum wheels, Luxury twin comfort lounge seats with high level cloth, a rear seat center armrest, and the Light Group.

Packages, Options, & Production Numbers

Two packages were available on the Colony Park:

• Preferred Equipment Package 192A (about $1,700) included front cornering lamps, a Deluxe luggage rack, a 6-way power driver’s seat, dual inboard facing rear seats in vinyl, a tilt steering wheel, fingertip speed control, an electric rear window defroster, and the Power Lock Group.
• Preferred Equipment Package 193A included everything in 192A and added a power antenna, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, dual illuminated vanity mirrors, and the Premium Sound System (power amplifier, upgraded front and rear speakers, plus two additional speakers).

Exterior and mechanical options included a narrow bodyside molding ($66), the Insta-Clear heated windshield ($250), an automatic leveling suspension ($195), a heavy-duty suspension ($26), and an engine block heater ($18). Inside, buyers could add Automatic Climate Control ($211), a Tripminder computer ($215), and a high-level AM/FM stereo cassette audio system ($472). LS purchasers could also add leather seating surfaces ($415). A loaded LS could near $20,500—not that far from Lincoln Town Car money.

Mercury sold 9,456 Colony Park wagons in the 1988 model year—down about 12% from the previous year despite the freshened styling. Mercury’s offering continued to be outsold by both Buick’s Estate wagons (Electra and LeSabre) and Oldsmobile’s Custom Cruiser wagons—likely its natural competitors.

The View From 2026

Sixth-generation Colony Park wagons sometimes show up for sale in the Hemmings Motor News classifieds, on eBay Motors, and on Bring a Trailer. As I update this blog entry in January 2026, there’s a White 1989 Colony Park GS with 78,000 miles for sale on Hemmings, asking $21,500.

Make mine Medium Cabernet Metallic, I think.

Other Mercurys I have written about include the 1980 Cougar XR-7 coupe, the 1983 Grand Marquis sedan, the 1984 Grand Marquis Colony Park LS station wagon, the 1986 Capri hatchback coupe, the 1987 Lynx XR3 hatchback coupe, and the 1988 Cougar XR-7 coupe.

Last updated January 2026.

At Mecum Kansas City 2021, a Light Desert Tan Mercury Grand Marquis Colony Park LS station wagon with bodyside and tailgate rosewood woodtone appliques sold for $8,500. For Boxing Day 2021, here’s a big American station wagon.

“luxurious working cars”

For 1984, Mercury’s Grand Marquis Colony Park station wagon was little changed. The Colony Park name had been around since 1957 as a signifier of Mercury’s top-of-the-line station wagon.

The Colony Park’s only powertrain—indeed the only powertrain available for any Grand Marquis—was a Windsor 140 bhp 4.9 liter/302ci V8 with fuel injection paired with a four-speed automatic. Fuel economy was 17 city/27 highway by 1984 standards (14/20 by current measures). With an 18.5-gallon fuel tank, a Colony Park owner could expect a range of between 285 and 365 miles with a 10% fuel reserve.

The Colony Park was a large car, with a 114.1-inch wheelbase and 218-inch length. It had changed little since 1979, when Ford downsized its full-size cars to the Panther platform. Changes over the next five years were mostly confined to trim and color variations, along with powertrain changes.

Standard exterior and mechanical equipment on the $11,816 Grand Marquis Colony Park (about $32,500 in today’s dollars or about what a base 2022 Ford Explorer goes for) included the distinctive “bodyside and tailgate rosewood woodtone applique,” a three-way tailgate, a power tailgate window, power steering, power front disc/rear drum brakes, and P215/75R14 white sidewall tires (a size still available thanks to Hankook) on 14-inch wheels with Deluxe wheel covers. Inside, reclining Twin Comfort Lounge front seats in vinyl, a fold-down rear seatback, and AM/FM stereo radio with two rear speakers were included.

At $12,437, the Colony Park LS added tinted glass, Luxury cloth seat trim for the Twin Comfort Lounge front seats, seatback map pockets, and 18-ounce color-keyed cut-pile carpeting.

Packages, Options, and Production Numbers

Packages available for the Colony Park included Convenience Group, Lock Group, Light Group, and the Trailer Towing Package.

Since there were no Lincoln station wagons, the Colony Park LS was the top-of-the-line wagon available from Ford Motor Company in the mid-1980s. Despite all the luxury Mercury implied the Colony Park LS had, it still didn’t include standard air conditioning, though the take rate on the two air conditioning options—one manual ($743) and one automatic ($809)—must have been high.

Other options available included “glamour” paint ($77), a luggage rack ($104), a Traction-Lok axle ($95), fingertip speed control ($176), a leather-wrapped steering wheel ($59), a tilt steering wheel ($110) and the Premium Sound System. Optional P205/75R15 tires ($17/$178 if puncture sealant) required the optional turbine spoke cast aluminum wheels ($361). A well-equipped Colony Park could easily get to $14,600—not that many thousand dollars from Lincoln money.

Mercury sold 17,421 Colony Park wagons in 1984, but the split for the base versus the LS versions is unknown.

Make mine Medium Canyon Red Metallic, please.

Two other Panther-based cars I have written about are the 1980 Lincoln Continental Mark VII coupe and the 1983 Mercury Grand Marquis sedan.

As I walked to the train in October 2017, I saw an eighties Mercury Grand Marquis sedan idling on Chestnut Street in Philadelphia. It stood out because of its size—at 214 inches, these cars are longer than a 2025 Lincoln Navigator—and its new for 1979 squareness. That was reason enough to write a relatively rare Mercury blog entry.

“A Lesson In Luxury”

For the 1983 model year, Mercury renamed all versions of the full-size Marquis to Grand Marquis and moved the Marquis name to the mid-size Fox platform. Other than the name change, changes for the Grand Marquis were relatively modest: there were new full-width wraparound tail lamps and a modified grille. New options included a remote locking fuel filler door ($24), locking wire wheel covers ($168), and a Tripminder trip computer ($261), which showed month/day/time, elapsed time, average speed, average MPG, instantaneous MPG, and gallons of fuel used. In their annual “Charting the Changes” roundup, Car and Driver once again made the ritual complaint that there was still no de Sad package.

The standard engine in 1983 was Ford’s 130 bhp 4.9 liter/302 ci V8 with fuel injection paired to a four-speed automatic. Somewhat strangely to our modern eyes, the optional power upgrade was a carburetted version of the same motor with 145 bhp. These were not fast cars—with an almost 3,800-pound curb weight, 0-60 came in about 12 seconds. Mileage with the standard powertrain was 17 city/27 highway by the day’s standards (14/20 by today’s standards). With the 18-gallon fuel tank, Grand Marquis drivers could expect a range of 275 to 355 miles with a 10% fuel reserve.

Standard exterior and mechanical equipment on the $10,718 Grand Marquis (about $34,700 in today’s dollars) included a coach vinyl roof, coach lamps, halogen headlamps, power brakes (front disc and rear drum), power steering, and P215/75R14 steel-belted white sidewall radial tires on 14-inch wheels with deluxe wheel covers. Inside, cloth/vinyl Twin Comfort Lounge seats with dual front seat recliners, a four-spoke Luxury (the Grand Marquis brochure mentioned luxury a lot) steering wheel, an analog quartz clock, and an AM/FM stereo radio with four speakers were included. Standard items that Mercury proudly listed that do not impress in 2025 included a front stabilizer bar, seat belt warning chimes, and carpeted lower door trim panels.

Packages, Options, & Production Numbers

Upgrading to the $11,273 LS added tinted glass, luxury cloth Twin Comfort Lounge seats, cloth-trimmed headrests, right-hand visor vanity mirror, map pockets in front seatback, luxury door trim with armrest woodtone inserts and courtesy lights, dual beam dome/map light, dual fold-down front center armrests, rear-seat folding center armrest, and the all-important LS badge on the rear decklid.

Exterior and mechanical options included the Traction-Lok differential ($95) and cast aluminum turbine spoke wheels ($361), which required P205/75R15 tires ($17). Interior options included manual air conditioning ($724), automatic air conditioning ($802), 6-way power driver’s seat ($210) or driver’s and passenger’s seats ($420), power door locks ($123), fingertip speed control ($170), and tilt steering wheel ($105). Audio options included a host of optional radios with 8-track or cassette player, a power antenna ($60), and the Premium Sound System with two additional speakers in the front doors, upgraded rear speakers, and an extra power amplifier ($175 base/$145 LS). Leather seating surfaces ($418) were only available on the LS. All these options meant that a loaded Grand Marquis LS could quickly get close to the Lincoln Town Car’s pricing territory—I quickly priced one to $14,584 (about $47,200 in 2025 dollars).

The Grand Marquis sold well for Mercury in 1983—72,207 sedans, 11,117 coupes, and 12,394 Colony Park wagons made it one of the division’s best sellers—23% of sales in a year when Mercury also offered the Capri, Cougar, LN7 (remember the LN7?), Lynx, Marquis, and Zephyr.

The View From 2025

The first-generation Grand Marquis sometimes shows up for sale in the Hemmings Motor News classifieds, on eBay Motors, and on Bring a Trailer.

Make mine Midnight Blue Metallic, I think.

Other Mercury’s I have written about include the 1986 Capri hatchback coupe, the 1987 Lynx XR3 hatchback coupe, and the 1988 Cougar XR-7 coupe.

Last updated March 2025.

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