Mercury Capri began as hot-selling four-seater that was imported to the U.S.

Last week's photo showed the rear wheel and side scoops of a 1974 Mercury Capri, the "sexy European" that Ford Motor Co. built in Germany and England beginning with the 1970 model and imported to the U.S. for Lincoln-Mercury.

The distinctive four-passenger coupe, introduced exactly six years after the runaway hit Ford Mustang, also was a hot seller both in Europe and in the States. As a clue last week, we compared the Capri to the Toyota Celica, which also took its styling from the Mustang.

We will let our readers tell you about it - and they have some great stories - starting with Larry Garner, of Augusta, who wrote:

"This one's easy for me, as I bought one of the first ones off the showroom floor; it's an early Mercury Capri. The German-built car was offered by Mercury dealers in mid-1970; it was a very basic sports car with a 1.6-liter engine, four-speed manual, no AC and no radio.

"A few options were available if you could find them. I still have a brochure in a box somewhere, that presented it as 'The Sexy European' car. Performance was so-so, but handling was something not found on American cars of that time. I seem to remember paying under $2,000, and when I called my insurance to company to add it to my policy, they thought I meant the Chevy Caprice, saying they'd not heard of the Capri.

"I didn't keep it long, trading it for something bigger with more options. Mine was red; I bought a yellow '72 with the 2-liter for my younger brother that he kept for a couple of years.

"As usual, they began to try to make it more desirable by adding more trim options, a 'luxury version' and even a V-6. They ruined it when they introduced the Capri II around 1980, built in the U.S. on the Mustang frame and most recently (1990?) as a convertible built in Australia to compete (ha!) with the Mazda Miata - and we know how that turned out. I have two Miatas: a '97 and an '08 with the power hard top - the most fun per dollar cars I've ever owned."

Other readers identifying the vehicle were:

AUGUSTA: Gary Engen wrote: "I believe it's a 1974 Mercury Capri. After last week's puzzler you really offered us an easy one. The Capri was born as a European version of Ford's Mustang, designed to cash in on the gotta-have-it popularity of the pony car.

"It first came out in 1971 and continued with design variations on to the '90s. In its heyday, the Capri was second only to the Volkswagen Beetle in sales of imported vehicles. Capris could have been great cars but like a lot of the U.S. car offerings of the day they suffered from poor build quality and engineering, particularly the earlier models.

"I heard of a young Capri owner who was constantly having things go wrong and needing repair and that he finally became so frustrated he respelled the name on the trunk of his car from 'Capri' to 'Crapi' by moving the letters around and using super glue."

Norman Lewis wrote: "You were right about this week's car - didn't need a clue. The car is a 1971 Mercury Capri that was a poor imitation of a Mustang, woefully underpowered, with an 11.5 second 0-60 time. It was a good-looking car for its time, and the fake vents just ahead of the rear tires gave it a style all its own."

Tony Brunson said: "This week's What Is It? is a 1974 or so Mercury Capri. Neat little car that in the day was fun to drive. Had a friend who had one. This version did not look as much like the Mustang to me as the next generation of this car. He bought the next generation later and it would scream. Thanks again for the stroll down memory lane.

CANTON, Ga.: David Anderson wrote: "The idea for the Capri dates back to 1965 in the phenomenal success days following the introduction of the Mustang. Hoping that lightning would strike twice, approval was given for Ford Europe to develop a 'baby Mustang' for the European market.

"The Mustang was available to the European market as the T5 (Ferrari owned the Mustang name in Europe); however, it is a distinctly American two-door coupe. The Capri would be a distinctive European two-door coupe for the European market, following the design of the Mustang with a short rear deck and long hood.

"Just as the Mustang originated from the more sensible Falcon, the Capri originated from the just-introduced family-friendly and sensible Ford Cortina. The Capri was introduced to the European market at the Brussels Auto Show in January 1969 and went on sale to the public two weeks later.

"Sales were every bit as successful as the Mustang, and a little more than a year later, it was introduced to the North American market at the New York Auto Show in April 1970 and went on sale to the public two weeks later. The Capri was manufactured in both England and Germany, and nearly all of the North American Capris originated from Cologne, Germany.

"Sold as the Ford Capri in Europe, on this side of the pond it was sold through the Lincoln-Mercury dealers. It is thought that since Ford was already selling the Pinto at its Ford dealerships, the Capri might draw sales away from it. It was an unquestionable better-looking package for about the same price. The styling and better-appointed interior were thought to better fit the Mercury lineup, too.

"Ford took advantage of this arrangement with most of the period advertisement touting, 'Imported by Lincoln-Mercury' and 'The Sexy European.' Although nearly always referred to as the Mercury Capri, the car carried no Mercury badging - only Capri.

"In its introductory year, the only drivetrain was an English 1.6-liter four-banger and four-speed manual transmission. A slightly more powerful Pinto 2-liter four-cylinder engine would be available the following year along with a three-speed automatic transmission. Eventually, a 2.8-liter V-6 engine would be added as front/rear/side impact and emissions standards took hold adding weight and sapping horsepower.

"The teaser shot, I believe, shows us the driver's-side rear quarter of a 1974 model because of the smaller grilles in the simulated rear brake ventilation ports. Those already mentioned impact standards had extended the front bumper in 1973 by placing a steel bar behind it and mounting it on shock absorbers.

"The bumpers were still chrome, however. In 1974, the rear impact standards came into play and the bumpers were replaced with slightly better looking body-colored bumpers to better hide the shock mechanisms and blend the bumpers into the body.

"The 'Sexy European' would be around only until 1977. Leftover stock was sold as 1978 models through that model year, and it was replaced by a rebadged Fox-body Mustang in 1979. The original, still today, maintains a devout following. Back in the day, they enjoyed quite a bit of racing success in Europe - not so much here - and today are frequently seen at heritage and vintage track racing events.

"It can be difficult today to find a good drivable or restorable example with minimal rust, but when found, one can usually be picked up for a very reasonable sum; at least when compared to the typical 1970s classic car find."

EVANS: Bill Harding said: "As soon as I saw the photo, I knew that I was looking at a Mercury Capri. However, nailing down the exact year was tricky. I will guess that it is a 1974.

"The Capri name was used on Lincolns from 1952 through 1959. The name was revived to be used on Mercury's German-built sportster. Although sold through the Lincoln-Mercury Division, neither name appeared on Capris sold in the U.S. The 1974 Capris used a 2-liter four-cylinder engine as the standard motivator. An optional 2.8-liter V-6 was available at extra cost. A four-speed manual transmission was standard; a Select-Shift three-speed automatic could also be had for a few dollars more.

"The Capri was restyled as a hatchback for 1975, and the car continued to be sold through 1978 in North America. 1979 Capris were based on the new Fox platform Mustangs, built in the United States and (finally) badged as Mercurys. U.S. Capri production continued through 1986, when Ford decided to kill the car. In 1991 Ford started to import Australian-built Capris that were badged as Mercurys. The cars sold rather poorly, so both the car and the name were dropped after 1994. Mercury as a Ford division was finally killed in 2011."

Larry Heath said: "1970 Capri, sold by Lincoln-Mercury dealers. A small car imported from Germany that was sold from 1970 to 1978. It received good reviews by the auto magazines of this era because of its handling, performance and build quality. Initially available with a 1600 cc four-cylinder engine only; it later received a 2.6-liter V-6.

"A friend of mine in the early '70s owned one of these but she eventually traded it on a Mustang because of various mechanical woes. In 1979, Mercury replaced this car with its own version of the Mustang, which it applied the Capri name to."

Wayne Wilke identified the 1974 model and added: "The car is a first-generation (1971-74) Mercury Capri. Those cars were sporty and stylish. The cars were produced in Cologne, Germany, and marketed in Europe as Ford Capris. Some in Europe called the Capri the 'European Mustang.'

"The model in the photo is either a 1973 or '74. Those years had parallelish-shape faux rear quarter grilles as compared to the trapezoidal ones on the 1971-72 models. The 1974 model could have had an optional 2.8 liter V-6 engine that made it a hot number."

FORT GORDON: Bob Munari wrote: "That is the left rear quarter panel of a first-generation German built (Koln, or Colonge, Germany) Ford Capri. Sold in the U.S. under Ford's Lincoln-Mercury Division.

"I had a 1972 that I purchased second-hand. It had the 2-liter engine. I recall the car was well-balanced and spirited despite lacking the horsepower of engines of today in the same displacement. I enjoyed the car for many years and became a master with Bondo, for it had survived some years in the Rust Belt. It was my daily driver while I attended the university and when I first started working.

"The car was solid and it never once let me down despite advancing in age and with only minimal DYI servicing. I recall using it for a cross-country trip, traveling from Columbus, Ohio, to Chicago and on to Los Angeles, Death Valley (in the middle of summer with no A/C) and continuing south to Ensenanda, Mexico, and back. Not a bad buy for the $750 that changed hands when I took the keys.

"I later purchased a '74 with the 2.8 V-6. It was a strong runner with plenty of power in reserve, but I never enjoyed it as much as the little '72 and the memories that endure. When I was stationed in Germany in the early 1970s the car came with a range of engines To include a miserly 1500 cc displacement, performance suffered accordingly, but it was sold with European insurance rates in mind, which are driving in many countries by horsepower.

"Thank you for showcasing this old German thoroughbred!"

GROVETOWN: Charles Jenkins said: "I really was not familiar with the car. However, I found reference to a British Ford Capri XL (1969-75) and to a German-built U.S. Mercury Capri (1970-74). These are probably the same car.

"Available wheels appear to have varied during those years, including that shown, but the scoop design for the 1973-74 Mercury is like the photo. So I'm guessing a 1973 Comet XL."

Ruth and Jimmy Sapp said: "Our guess for this week's contest is a 1974 Mercury Capri."

HEPHZIBAH: Theo Hammontree guessed a Capri, saying it could be a Mark II, which were produced in Germany, or could be a 1968.

Phillip Crump said: "This week you have a 1971-74 Mercury Capri, with us leaning to 1973."

JOHNSTON, S.C.: Lee Williams wrote: "I am confident that the car is a 1974 Ford Capri. Very sneaky clue to reference that the manufacturer was influenced by the Mustang design. So Ford Motor Co. influenced Ford Motor Co.?

"I first was introduced to this car during high school. Several students drove them to school. I became involved in the sports car club when I attended Clemson University. The club would go to Road Atlanta to work as corner marshals at turns 6 and 7. I got to see a couple of Capris that would race there.

"The most attractive Capri was the one that Zackspeed raced in Europe. However, after the car had been created out of a tube-frame chassis, flared fenders, front dam and rear wing, there was not much left of a Capri."

KEYSVILLE, Ga.: Glenn Widner guessed a 1970 Capri: "The first-generation Capri looks good, but only a four cylinder offered. Really? All the good looks in the automotive world don't make up for not having a V-8."

MARTINEZ: Eddy Marsh said: "Today's car is a 1970 Ford Capri. The Capri was marketed in the U.S. by the Lincoln-Mercury division of Ford between 1970 and 1994. This week's Capri is a 1970 model. The Capri was built in Cologne, Germany. The European Capri was first sold in the U.S. in April 1970. It did not carry Lincoln or Mercury marque identification."

Reese Lewellan said it was the 1972 or '73 model: "Later this became part of the Fox-body Mustang with the V-8 Capri. Pinto had some of the same driveline components. This was the beginning of the Capri line in the U.S. Our neighbor had one of these years ago that looked like this."

NORTH AUGUSTA: Robert Blake wrote: "The car this week is the first-generation Mercury Capri built in the early '70s. Other versions built later carried the same name but were entirely different cars.

The early '70s cars had the long hood and short deck sporty design that followed the successful designs from earlier Mustangs and Camaros and other pony cars.

It was a nice-looking car and had the sales appeal of a foreign model. Though it was marketed as a four seater, I can attest to the fact that the back seat was really really small.

"When I was stationed in the Army in West Germany in the early '70s, we went on a camping trip through the Netherlands with a couple who had just bought one of these.

"We rode all the way in the back seat along with assorted camping gear since the trunk was also very small. The trip was great fun as we drove past all of the beautiful fields of tulips.

"I will never forget the long garlands of tulips (which were sold along the road at every intersection), draped over almost every car we passed, including ours, as we all toured. While that part was very memorable, what I really will never forget is the numbness in my legs from the contorted positions I had from having to fit in the back along with a tent, food, lanterns and clothes."

Dave Leverett said: "It's an early '70s Mercury Capri. I was in my late teens and the Capri was one I looked at during this time."

PERRY, Fla.: Larry Anderson guessed the 1970-74 Capri.

RIDGELAND, S.C.: Chris Jeselnik said it was a 1971-72 Capri: "These were sold by Mercury in the early '70s to compete with Celica, 240-Z and the other imports. I think they were imported, too. When the Fox-body Mustangs came out in 1979 or so, Mercury rebadged Mustangs as the Capri. Dr. Campo in Millen had a silver one when he arrived in 1976-77 and started work there."

NO CITY LISTED: Michael Hollister wrote: "This week it's a car near and dear to my heart. I owned a new 1972 Mercury Capri with a 2.6-liter V-6. Great car, well-made (in Germany), handled very well (particularly for the era). The only problem I encountered was difficulty keeping the front wheels balanced.

"The Capri was imported for most of the 1970s, so the precise year of the car in this week's picture is unknown to me. Most of my experience with Capris came while I was living in Europe, where they were very popular and cheap and easy to upgrade, so performance variants were everywhere.

Harry Bell said: "It's a 1971 Capri; could be a '70 or '72. They made this style through 1972."