They were known as the British Mustang. In the same way Cliff Richard was known as the British Elvis and Donovan was known as the British Bob Dylan.
I.E. all very poor imitations.
ever tried an ordinary Mustang? Base models used a straight six that was underwhelming in the family saloons it was intended for. A 289 Mustang is hardly a quick car, yet is entertainingly awful to drive because the better engine easily overwhelms the terrible suspension, weedy tyres, barely connected steering and piss-poor drum brakes. The novelty soon wears off though, and you find yourself looking at £3000 worth of simple upgrades. Or buying another V6 Capri.
Capris make a better go of the same approach of using utterly ordinary running gear in a fancy body, an idea which was hardly new; MG were probably the first with Standard and Triumph only just behind. Lets not forget that Ford listed a mk3 Capri 1.3S
. And they sold at least one, because I've seen it.