UK’s rarest cars: a fond farewell to the Ford Fiesta

It might have been named anything from Bambi, Bebe, Bolero or Cherie, to Chico, Metro, Pony, Sierra or Tempo. But, instead, Ford’s senior management was about to opt for Bravo when company CEO Henry Ford II let it be known that he preferred Fiesta. Now, in 2023, one of motoring’s most high-profile models will cease production after 47 years. 

The narrative commences in 1969, when Ford of Europe first considered building a “supermini”, and its smallest car thus far. Three years later the company initiated “Project Bobcat” at the cost of £550 million. Tom Tjaarda at Ghia created the bodywork in conjunction with Ford of Europe, and Ford evaluated no fewer than 48 rivals – using about 25 examples of the recently launched Fiat 127 as test beds for the engines. 

Manufacturing started in July 1976, with Ford’s Dagenham factory building UK and Irish market Fiestas, but British sales did not begin until February 2 1977. The great Patrick Allen voiced the launch advertisement and Ford trained its 380 UK dealers in the art of servicing a front-wheel drive, transverse-engined hatchback.

The Fiesta was not Ford’s first front-drive product, but the Cologne-built 1962 Taunus P4 that took that honour was not exactly a familiar sight in this country. 

Car magazine noted: “Ford makes no secret of the fact that it is designed very much with women in mind, and if they want a car that will do the job without any fuss at all, then they’ll love it.” Meanwhile, The Telegraph regarded the Fiesta as “an unusually difficult car to fault” and, importantly, “at least as good as its imported rivals”. 

Buyers had a choice of 957cc or 1,117cc engines, and four trim levels, with the base version living up (or down) to that description. The owner could enjoy the distracting luxuries of “a tailgate with twin gas struts opening from floor level” and a “self-adjusting clutch”. The next specification up – the L – provided luxuries such as a heated rear window, a reversing light, halogen headlights, reclining front seats and fabric upholstery. 

The penultimate member of the hierarchy was the S with its “sports suspension”, anti-roll bar, Cádiz fabric-trimmed seats and side decals, as befitting a version aimed at a “would-be Lewis Collins” market sector. Finally, at the top there was the Ghia, aka “The Luxury Side of Fiesta”, complete with alloy wheels and a push-button radio. 

The Fiesta’s prices were competitive, ranging from £1,856 for the 950 Base to £2,756 for the 1100 Ghia.  By comparison, a Volkswagen Polo L was £2,299, a Renault 5TL £1,997 and a Fiat 127 Special £1,898. In late 1977 a 1.3-litre engine option was added for the S and Ghia versions, with The Telegraph finding the latter “one of the nicest small cars available”. 

Sales passed the million mark in 1979. By then, a 1.3-litre Ghia cost £3,616 – a reasonable sum for a hatchback with a glass sunroof and a “mahogany-effect instrument binnacle” as standard. Ford occupied the top three places for the UK’s bestselling cars the following year, with the Cortina, the Escort and the Fiesta, in that order. 

1981 marked the final significant development of the Fiesta Mk1, with the XR2; the version for any driver who favoured grey slip-on loafers and/or Dire Straits albums. It ably demonstrated Ford’s genius for marketing, for although its performance left a lot to be desired, it was nimble and made you feel good – and the “boy racer” stripes and bodywork addenda were spot-on, making the XR2 one of the most desirable small cars of its time. The Mk2 replaced the first-generation Fiesta in August 1983. 

Edward Dufty bought his 1979 1300 Ghia 10 years ago. He says: “I found her on eBay from a gentleman whose father had passed it to him. The Fiesta is, basically, almost a duplicate of my first car.” 

To ensure that it can cope with modern traffic, Dufty has made several modifications. “She’s running a period, retrofit dealership modified engine – a 1.6-litre ‘oversized by 0.090’ unit with a performance camshaft and twin 40 DCNF carburettors. It drives fast enough for 1970s’ suspension technology!” 

Any Mk1 is now a fairly unusual sight; for example, only five 1100 Ghias are believed to be roadworthy. The response to Dufty’s car at this year’s Classic at Silverstone vividly illustrated the early Fiesta’s significant impact on British motoring. Virtually everyone’s father/mother/teacher/distant cousin “used to have one of those”. 

Fortunately, Dufty is used to such attention, observing that “it is an essential aspect of ownership”. Possibly the most telling comment from a member of the public at Silverstone was: “It doesn’t look that old” – a fitting tribute to the car that helped establish the Fiesta name around the world and, like stablemates the Cortina and the Transit, went on to become part of the fabric of the land. 

Plus, a “Ford Cherie Ghia” would not have quite the same appeal.