Seller Submission: 1971 Mercury Capri w Turbocharged LSX

The first generation Mercury Capri was a rebranded Ford Capri from Cologne, Germany that was sold at North American Lincoln-Mercury dealers from 1970 through 1977.  Interestingly enough, the Capri was not badged as a Mercury, Lincoln, or even a Ford, but it did get a selection of inline-4 and V6 power that was appropriate for the US market.  However, if you want one that will keep up in a drag race with the V8 powered muscle cars that invade parking lots across America every summer weekend morning, you might want to take a look at this next thing.  Find this 1971 Mercury Capri w Turbocharged LSX offered for $12,000 in Rising Sun, MD via craigslist.  Seller submission from John.

The seller puts together a very good description of this tire-burner in his advertisement and the only thing I have issue is when he writes: It is a very fun car to drive, however I do not have a need for a 600 horsepower vehicle at the moment.  Whoa…everybody needs a 600 horsepower vehicle at every moment…or at least that is what I’ve been lead to believe by watching movies and reading car magazines.

If you wonder why a car has a mysterious exhaust port just aft of the passenger side wheel well, it is a good bet the thing is seriously boosted…yup, this thing has a Borg Warner S400 T6 75 mm turbocharger that dumps the entire contents of the 5.3 liter engine just after the turbine exit.  With a large front mount intercooler and 15 psi of boost the 600 horsepower figure quoted by the seller is very believable.  Expect to see flames shooting out of that exhaust at night.

This thing is setup for drag racing with a 4L80 transmission (with a sidewinder shifter) connected to an 8.8 inch rear end from a Ford Explorer.  The full cage and racing seats will keep you safe if you exceed the limits of Newton’s first, second, or third laws.

Got your own ride to sell?  Send us a submission, the worst we can do is say yes.