CCNA INTERVIEW WITH J MAYS

CCNA-er Norm Murdock (Team Blitz) was able to squeeze in a brief interview with J Mays, Ford Head of Design, at the Carlisle Ford Nationals and Capris At Carlisle 2003.

Mr. Mays is well known for his designs, especially retro-look designs, during his career before Ford and since assuming design chief duties. Under his direction Ford has launched the "heritage" themed vehicles, such as the (recently cancelled) T-Bird, new retro Mustang, the Mercury Marauder, and of course the GT supercar. Mays has been widely quoted in the European press alluding to a successor Capri model, with various leaked concept drawings. We wanted to ask Mays for an update as regards to the upcoming "new" Capri.

When asked if the new Capri would be part of the Heritage Series of Ford cars, Mays stated that it would not be a Heritage model. "We are not going to do a Heritage Capri." Instead, indicating it would be "pretty modern" in terms of design look, it will have some "cues" to distinguish it as a Capri recognizable to the European market. There was a discernable look of conflict in his expression as he discussed the Heritage issue. After a bit of gentle prodding, he offered some regret, saying "I wish we could build a retro looking Capri."

Further, the new Capri may be a European-only offering, as well as being manufactured in Europe. "We'll have to see how the marketing studies go before a decision on US importation."

Mays flatly stated, "We're definitely going to do a Capri."

Details about Capri drivetrain and timing were left unrevealed at this time. However, as Ford Europe produces no RWD automobiles, it is reasonable to conclude the format will be FWD or AWD, as speculation about sharing common chassis with the Focus persist.

After the conversation, Mays unveiled the new retro Mustang to great cheers from the Carlisle grandstand. CCNA-ers can't help but wonder why the same accolades wouldn't also follow for a retro Capri.