It was the stylish and sporty Australian-made, Italian-designed soft-top set to conquer the world - what could possibly go wrong? A lot, it turns out, and the Ford Capri's bold ambitions were dealt one bruising reality check after another.

There was poor timing, poor build quality, and worst of all, poor comparisons to its direct rival: the Mazda MX5. The Capri revved up for the ultimate showdown but in the end, it was a case of a Legend vs a Lemon. And yet, in typical Aussie fashion, plenty of fans still barrack for the underdog...