Corona Capri

The Corona Capri was a sporting luxury car produced by Corona from 1957 to 1974. The Capri was at the top of the Corona hierarchy, placed just below the Corinthian, and above the Corona Classic and later Elegance models.

First generation
The Capri was introduced in early 1957. This was meant to be a combination of sport and luxury. The Capri would've competed against cars like the Carona Maya, Dortmund Concordia and Dodge Royal.The car featured a Buick V8 engine producing 210 hp, or could be fitted for 1958 with an uprated 250 hp engine.

The original Capri came as a two-door pillarless coupe or as a convertible, with a two-door wagon (comparable to the Chevy Nomad) being released a few months later. The cars came in two-tone colors, though the secondary one was simply a small colored decoration. Cars came with special wheels, small chrome and were the first Lovian cars with automatic transmission, utilizing GM's Hydramatic Drive.

The wagon was sold only in 1957, due to low sales, with the other two models being sold until 1958.

Second generation
The second generation Capri was introduced for 1959, featuring an all-new design. Ads claimed it was "built for today, styled for tomorrow". The car was only available as a two-door hardtop or convertible, and were styled after the "Forward Look" Chryslers of 1957-58. The new coronas featured the same engines as before, though was longer and wider and featured more color choices.

This Capri was produced from 1959 to 1962 largely unchanged, apart from a few trim changes.

Third generation
The Capri was completely redesigned in 1963, made smaller and given a "European look". This change lowered sales, but made the cars much quicker. It was now moved into the personal-luxury segment, with wood trim interior and bucket seats. A 195 hp Buick 215 V8 (and later the Rover V8) gave the cars increased power and speed given the lighter weight. Production of the third generation lasted until 1967.

Fourth generation
A new personal-luxury Capri was introduced in 1968, based off of the 1963 Capri chassis. This was a bigger car, aimed to be Lovia's response to the Oldsmobile Toronado or Cadillac Eldorado. The car featured appointments such as two-tone leather interior and wooden trim for the interior. Priced at $6,000, it was out of reach to most and sales slid over the years.

Fifth generation
The last iteration of the Capri came in 1970, produced until 1974. This was released as a 2-door hardtop and convertible, with a rare four-door being produced in 1970 alone. The car was again enlarged and comparable to larger American cars of the period. Sales were fairly low for the Capri, despite the bigger size. Production ended in 1974 after a minuscule run of 250 1975 models.