In the depths of the gloomy automotive winter of the late seventies, the Fiesta made a brief appearance that brought a ray of sunshine into our deprived existence. She was like that cute, skinny little German exchange student who appeared one day at High School, and dazzled us with her algebra, physics, gymnastics and fencing. The jocks didn’t know what to make of her, and their girl friends cast disdainful glances at her. But those of us who favored taut agility over big hips and padded vinyl tops fell hard for her. And when she suddenly disappeared just as mysteriously as she’d arrived, she left behind the kind of memories that last a lifetime.
Ford had the same problem in 1978 as it does today. Its compact car has been in production almost a decade. The market is shifting to ever smaller cars. CAFE standards are tightening. The Asian brands are cleaning up in the segment. What to do? Well, its Fiesta is going gang-busters in Europe. So bring it here, stat. Sound familiar? Well, history has an annoying habit of repeating itself, especially in the car biz.
So if history does repeat, what does the 1978 Fiesta tell us about the 2011 Fiesta? Shall we start with the good news? The Fiesta was a ball to drive. In fact, it was flat-out the most bang-for-the-buck fun on four wheels available in the US at the time. Thank VW’s repeated bone-headedness for that.
The Rabbit/Golf Mk.1 had arrived three years earlier with exactly the same description as above: light, zippy, toss-able; the early Rabbit delivered an unparalleled package of Euro-spec delight. But in 1978, VW opened its first US factory (history is about to repeat again), and hired an ex-GM exec James McLernon to run it…into the ground. He knew what Americans wanted in a VW: a “Malibuized” Rabbit with a softer suspension and cheaper interior, and reduced the engine size from the zippy 1.6 in 1977, to a substantially weaker 1.45 liter.
Willkommen Fiesta! It came straight from the Cologne factory in undiluted and unadulterated form. Actually, it was better than what the Europeans got, with a bigger engine than was offered there, until 1981’s XR2 came along, anyway. Europeans had a choice of 900cc, 1.1, and 1.3 liter engines, the US version had a 1.6; all were revised versions of the old Kent OHV engine. Not as smooth and zippy as the VW EA827 OHC unit, it nevertheless got the job done. Especially since the Fiesta was a whole size smaller than the Rabbit/Golf, and weighed only some 1700 pounds.
The Fiesta’s roots origins go back to a stillborn Ford world car concept of 1963. But the idea sprang back to life in the beginning of the seventies, in response to the popular new Euro hatchbacks like the Fiat 127 and Renault R5. The European Escort back then was still RWD, and destined to get bigger, so Ford put out the call for a contemporary FWD design, and Tom Tjaarda at Ghia answered. 
Project “Bobcat” was approved in ’73, and Ford set up assembly lines in Spain, England and Germany to build up to 500k units per year. And ever since, Fiesta has been a mainstay of Ford’s European ops. It was never planned for the US, but the energy crisis, VW’s Rabbit, and the madly successful new Civic forced Ford’s hand. A quick modification to meet US crash, safety and emission standards got it here; but the Fiesta ended up just being a three-year stop-gap until the all-new FWD Escort arrived in 1981. That’s the bad news, presumably not to be repeated.
Ford followed VW’s Rabbit footsteps and drastically dumbed down its new FWD global-platform 1981 Escort for the US. So the Fiesta ended up being an automotive-enthusiast mayfly: here today, gone tomorrow. I don’t know the numbers, but I suspect that Ford didn’t import nearly as many as they might have, because they were probably losing money on each one, due to the weak dollar at the time (think Astra). That’s also why the new Fiesta will be hecho en Mexico.
The Fiesta was one of the few rays of sunshine during the bleak late-seventies Malaise Era. Especially so in bright yellow, like this one, just like the one my twenty-year old sister-in-law bought used and sight unseen, without knowing how to drive a stick. I got the honors of bringing it home from Pasadena, and then teaching her how to drive it. Fun times.
She was a pretty quick learner, despite the un-ambivalent clutch. And the Fiesta was pretty quick too. Zero to sixty came in about eleven or so seconds. That was enough to worry some of the strangled V8s coming out of Detroit, like the 110 hp Chevy small blocks. With sixty-six perky ponies on tap, street light drags were harmless fun. But tight traffic and edgy canyons were Fiesta time. It was one eager little puppy. No wonder some Fiestas are still hard at work autocrossing.
The owner of this Fiesta has a bright green “S” model that he uses for that purpose. The Fiesta’s Kent engine is eminently tunable, the English equivalent of the Chevy small block. And Euro Ford’s long-running rep for good handling was already established. Attention to detail pays off.
I think the owner told me he has or had a third one too. They’re probably the last roadworthy Fiestas in Eugene. How about in your town? Parts are getting iffy, he told me; having to reach out to Europe, for things like a throttle cable. That’s how it is, when it gets to the end of the line for some of the imported cars that were once so plentiful. There comes a time where it just gets too hard, at least for a daily driver like this example.
That’s why I feel a sense of urgency about Curbside Classics. Once-common cars are disappearing quickly; where are all the gen1 Coronas? Mazda 626s? GM H-bodies? I’m making myself anxious; better grab the camera and go on the hunt. Too bad I don’t have a Fiesta to hop into for the task. That would really inspire me, especially if it was sunshine yellow. Oh well. But I do know where a bright yellow Ford Festiva is parked. Is that CC worthy, or not?
Thank you for all of your comments and suggestions yesterday. The one that I most took to heart was the suggestion to have a broader international scope for those cars produced and/or sold abroad. In hindsight, I realize now that this Fiesta CC is very US-centric, even though the Fiesta was one of the first truly global cars, and its impact in Europe was much more significant and lasting than in the US. If you look at the series of flags affixed below the Fiesta’s rear logo, they’re all European; the stars and stripes are noticeably absent. Did Ford do that on purpose, or were they too cheap to change it for what they knew was going to be a short three-year “study abroad” program?
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On my first ever trip to the UK – early ’80s – I needed to hire a car for a short trip to Oxford (from Heathrow) – I was told it was to be a Fiesta much like the one in the photo here. The counter chap asked if I wanted the small engine or the large engine version. Amazed that there was a choice, I asked what the difference was. 900 cc or 1100cc I was told. I chuckled.
Hardly imagining what 900cc would be like, I took the 1100. Soon I was on the M25 at 80mph with room to spare on the pedal. After my trip to Oxford, I decided to do some more touring so I went to Dover. Then back to Heathrow. This was certainly a Zoom zoom moment – well before Mazda took the term.
I loved every minute in that car – wondered why we couldn’t get this back home.
Let’s hope the new Fiesta has the genes of the past.
Festivas are definitely CC worthy. You did it again Paul, putting the Fiesta in context like nobody else can.
The Festiva was certainly better than the Aspire that replaced it. I’m too young to have any Fiesta memories, but I’m looking forward to the new one that’s coming! Hatchbacks rock – I miss the Focus ZX3 and ZX5.
Also, I never see older cars around my area (Hudson Valley NY) everyone drives (presumedly leased) new BMW, Mercedes, Audis, and a smattering of S and CUVS. It’s a shame.
It boggles the mind to think that after the Fiesta, Ford managed to excrete the Escort, a car that had none of the charming traits of its predecessor. I haven’t seen one of these in at least a decade. Great writeup, Paul!
I’m been dying for someone to recapture the handling of the lightweight hatchbacks of the late 1970s and early 1980s. People think of my Mazda Protege5 as a very small car, but it’s over 1,000 pounds heavier than this Fiesta. Ditto the not-so-mini MINI.
Yes, I know, modern safety standards and refinement expectations.
My very first new car was a gold 1980 Fiesta. It was not “Malibuized” at all. Not only was there no factory A/C, but not even a radio space in the dash. Both were only available in dealer kit form.
As I recall it sold for almost a grand less than the Rabbit, and that was one of the main reasons I bought it, having been a long time VW owner.
I modded it with a bigger Weber carb, Koni lowering struts to replace the awful Motorcraft OE ones, and Panasport rims, just like on the Fiesta pictured, with Yokohama tires. Stock 145×12 Michelins were not only tiny, but short-lived, along with the miserable stock brake pads. Repco Metalmasters fixed that.
The car was fun, but overheated easily in the Southwest. Oregon is probably a lot more like Europe. Fortunately, the all cast iron Kent didnt seem to mind.
I’m anxious to drive the new Fiesta. The current Toyota has over 200,000 faithful but boring miles and its due for replacement soon. Ford is trying to market Fiesta like Scion did. I hope it does better than that, or the Mk I Fiesta did over here back then.
Wonderful job again, Paul. The Saturn Astra will prove to be even more rare in the long run than this Fiesta was…a true Euro-import that was never given a real chance. At least with making them in Mexico and trying some actual marketing for once, the upcoming Fiesta seems to have some corporate support.
The woman who is now Mrs. Panhard had a Fiesta when I met her in college. Oddly enough, a friend at the time had a ‘78 Rabbit with fuel injection.
The future Mrs. Panhard and I took plenty of short road trips in the Fiesta. And other times, I was frequently pressed into service as “designated driver” of the Rabbit fuelie.
The Rabbit had less torque steer than the Fiesta. It’s front seatbacks could be reclined, unlike the Fiesta’s.
But for some reason that I never quite figured out, the Fiesta was more fun to drive, even though it was a little less refined, and by no stretch of the imagination can one call a 1970s European econobox “refined.”
Perhaps the closest car available today of the 1970s econobox is the Honda Fit. But even then, it’s still got about 350 to 400 pounds of curb weight on the late 70s econobox.
Mr. Karesh is correct. Today’s cars are heavy. The first Honda Civics, with 2 doors and a back seat, weighed 1820 pounds, which is about the same as a Smart today.
Heck, if you want an Astra, the Saturn dealer in Riverside, California has a brand new 2008 model for sale (there might have been two, now that I think about it) sitting out in front. Of course, the Cadillac-Buick-Pontiac-GMC dealer down the street has a brand new 2007 Cadillac STS…
I had chance to drive 1980 Fiesta L, 1100cc, 4-speed stick, chocolate brown with hounds tooth on brown seats, when I used to live in Eastern Europe. A friend of mine got it for his sister, but guy who brought it from Europe, got drunk and crushed it tailgate first into the tree. So, we fixed it, repainted it and she drove fine for many years. We couldn’t get a glass for the tailgate, so we put Plexiglas window instead. It was fun to drive car, but Lada from 1984 had better brakes.
The Rabbit had less torque steer than the Fiesta.
Torque steer? It had 71bhp.
I wanted one of these bad as a kid. There was a company called “bat” performance, or sometihng like that importing all the european speed stuff for this. I did manage to get an Escort GT, which flew apart as I autocrossed it.
A friend had an orange Fiesta back in the mid-80’s right out of high school…it was fun but felt like an absolute tin can compared to the used ‘79 fox Mustang I drove (which today, I’m sure would feel like a tin can). The new Fiesta will probably feel like a Mercedes S-class in comparison.
The Fiesta went thru clutches and brakes like crazy (maybe he just couldn’t drive) and then it went up up in flames at 3am on Chicago’s Kennedy expressway after a night out partying…good times.
I’m pretty sure the flag logo under the “Fiesta” emblem are from a mid-nineties Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera fender. Couldn’t find a picture of one, though.
The 1978-1980 Fiesta, the Mk I and Mk II Golf (aka VW Rabbit), and original Honda Civic and Accord are EXACTLY what this country needs today.
I was too young to drive in the 1970s, but loved cars and devoured car articles, from Car & Driver to Consumer Reports, and enjoyed checking out the local showrooms on my bicycle. The Fiesta was FUN to drive, delivered 30 MPG or better in suburban driving, and I easily fit in the back seat. It was a 9/10 Golf, which set the standard of the era, it’s “Americanization” notwithstanding.
It was unfortunate that Ford replaced it with the American Escort, an overweight, anemic POS in 1981, which contributed to the poor reputation of US small cars. Adding power-sapping accessories like A/C and auto, which were also more prone to fail, didn’t help.
Some have commented the Fiesta was ‘unrefined’. Perhaps by todays standards. By the standards of its era, it was more refined than most small cars, even with it’s busy ride and short wheelbase. The small cars of 1970s America ranged from solid-axle Datsun B-210s and Corollas to rough-engined Vegas (when they ran) and cheaply finished Pintos. Only Accords and Rabbits were more refined than the Fiesta.
And, as far as refinement, the US Spec Mark II Golf, which replaced the Rabbit in 1984, was, and remains quite refined. It added a few inches in wheelbase and length, approx 100-150 pounds for the base car (though it did offer Power steering, more weight), a 1781cc engine vs 1459 to 1715, yet it was much more refined, and gave up little if any of it’s fun-to-drive, especially in GTI trim. In 1999, I had no trouble driving my 1986 GTI, weight less than 2200 lbs with P/S and (inop) A/C, with 140k miles, 300 miles each way.
Todays cars are porkers–a Mini weighs as much as a 1980 Ford Fairmont or a 1976 5-series, and a Fit is about the same. “Small” cross-overs weigh over 4,000 lbs, as much as a 1976 Old Cutlass V8! MASS IS THE ENEMY! Besides burning more fuel, especially in urban/suburban driving, it costs more to make, and all these frivolous features cost a lot to fix…air bag sensors, power windows & seats, electronic throttles… The Fiesta, Rabbit/Golf, Civic and Accord, the best of their era, were all LIGHT cars that were easy to build and maintain, and could cruise at 70-80 mph.
And that’s exactly what America needs RIGHT NOW! As more Americans slide backwards from middle-class to working class or working poor, with no end in sight, people need honest, reliable, economical basic transportation. The govt should roll back safety standards to 1976, and tailpipe standards to 1999, and give people the oppoortunity to buy reliable, honest cars.
Someone who bought a 2000-plus square foot house in exurbia and cannot sell it, lost their ‘real’ job, and needs to drive 30 miles to their restaurant job cannot afford the luxury of 20 air-bags and OBD 2 and crashworthiness. Their life is hanging by a thread..they need to be able to go to work, supermarket, and Wal-Mart, and a new 1978 Fiesta or 1985 Golf that weighs 1900-2200 lbs will do quite nicely.
The overzealous safety standards we are stuck with might be tolerable in an affluent society. Ours no longer is–we are broke and getting poorer, our public and private sectors have made commitments that cannot be fulfilled with the resources we have. Giving middle Americans a false choice between a new car they cannot afford to buy, and an overweight, thirsty, complex used car they will barely be able to keep on the road is no choice. Our excessive govt regulation, now mandating stability control and tire pressure sensors (ever get your tires replaced and have problems with the sensors–it is a royal, and pricey, pain!) is deluded and most be ended ASAP…so we can bring back the Fiesta, which really was a better idea!
My first car was a 1980 Fiesta – and I still long for its spiritual replacement (I recently settled for an Astra). At 1700 pounds, the car had a back end which was light enough for two people to pick up and throw back on to the road if you happened to skid into a ditch. It was so basic that the windshield washer fluid was activated by pumping a button on the floor. The only problem I ever had was a recurring clogging of the gas filter – but I quickly gained the skill necessary to replace it in about 2 minutes.
The latest Fiesta seems likely to be a good car – I recently saw a dozen (european made) Fiestas at some sort of test drive event Ford had in Toronto. I certainly hope Ford retains the euro-nature of the cars, and additionally hope that people buy the thing – even if Ford does have to add a (stupid) sedan model to improve its popularity.
My first car was a silver 1980 Fiesta with beautiful 13″ telephone dial (or Porsche 928-style) alloy wheels. I loved that car. Even did a run at Englishtown dragstrip just for kicks. I think I took me a leisurely 19 seconds but it was my first time ever at a dragstrip. I dreamt of pimping my Fiesta with high performance parts but alas, it never happened. If I drove one now I might think it incredibly crude but at the time it was the best car in the world for me.
My grandfather had one. He is a frugal man, and a safety first man. He painted it bright safety orange just like everything he owns.
He earned it. Being a tail gunner in WW2, i always respected his quirky ways. I’m glad hes still around today. He now drives a menacing orange Dodge Caravan.
Great article. I remember thinking that these cars were very handsome back in the day.
Interestingly, while leaving the big Hershey Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA) fall meet this past Saturday, I saw three new Ford Fiestas – one in lime green, one in red and one in white – whiz by, all in a row. They really do look very small, but managed to stand out in traffic.
krazykarguy: While Oldsmobile used a row of flags underneath the Cutlass Salon nameplate starting with the 1973 models, the Fiesta had a version, too. I believe that the Olds version included the American flag.
As always, thanks to Paul for “memories from my youth”. I picked up a used base orange Fiesta in the early eighties. Note- Do NOT confuse this car with the Festiva, which was a Mazda 121-via-Korea model from the mid to late eighties. My strongest Fiesta memory stems from the fun driving experience.
Yes, it was 71 bhp, and had equal length drivesahfts, but with the suspension technology of the time, torque steer was extreme. The short final drive gearing (probably about 4:11 to 1), combined with its extremely light weight, made it a handful on ice or snow. Suddenly closing the throttle provided front wheel braking, and the rear wheels would immediately try to walk around the front of the car. More than once a Denver snowstorm led to me performed a 360 degree pirouette on I-25.
The downside? Abysmal build quality and poor engineering. Ford took a front wheel drive package and shoehorned it into a sidewinder engine bay. Engine and transaxle mounting prevented easy maintenance, while vehicle components included designed in self-destruction. The pinnacle of my ownership experience? The day the starter motor fell off the engine (high in the Colorado Mountains). After eight months of ownership, I was bemused, but not surprised.
Still, I enjoyed the experience enough to spend the last several months watching Craiglist for a replacement. Paul is also correct that these cars are disappearing at a ferocious rate. It’s a shame, but these cars were never more than a disposal econobox.
40,549 Fiestas were sold in the U.S. in 1977, 76,145 in 1978, 78,109 in 1979 and 68,595 in 1980, according to the book I have at hand.
I had a buddy who had a Fiesta in the early 80’s. He got 90k miles out of the OEM Michelin tires before having to replace them – and then only because the rubber had started to decay on the sidewalls, they still had a ton of tread left. Incredible. No doubt due to the car’s feather weight. I drove the thing several times, it was fun as hell to drive.. and that comes from a Rabbit GTI owner at the time.
My only memories of these was watching 3 and 4 year old versions litterally rusting to death in the salt belt. After 10 years very few of them survived. Also remember how sparsely equipped they were. Few had A/C or even a radio. They were very noisy and slow and build quality varied drastically from car to car. But that was pretty much par for the course in 70’s automobiles. Still those 70’s vehicles including this one offered something that todays overweight technology laden blandmobiles lack- personality.
I drove one for a winter in Germany in the mid 90’s, courtesy of a gf I had there. On the autobahn that little square box with 12″ wheels and a liter of engine took some getting used to.
It would max at 160 km/hr on a long straight or with a downhill. Grip the wheel and ignore the vibrations. Wound out at warp speed, I’d shoulder check, see some car in the far distance, then just as I was about to pull out I’d shoulder check again and ‘whoooom’ some big BMW or Mercedes would pass me at 100 km/hr faster than I was going.
You got used to it, and we loaded it with camping gear and took it on trips to Switzerland and all the way to Ireland.
The big problem with this car is the name. Anyone I mention this to who’s in the market for this kind of car immediately thinks of the made-by-Kia Ford Festiva, which doesn’t engender positive memories.
I think automotive enthusiasts fail to understand that no one in North America remembers the Fiesta, but they do recall the singularly nasty Festiva that came after. The nameplate should not have come back because it’s not a wholly positive one for most people in this market.
A friend had one of these he bought used in about 1980–Ford Grabber Orange in a bright, European sort of way. It was a blast to drive. The only cars in our group that could leave it behind in the canyons of southern California were the Fiat X19 and the Porsche 914–both of which cost much more. Another reasonable alternative was the original Honda Accord hatchback. If you don’t remember those, glancing at a new Accord won’t help you.
Mr Carpenter, What book do you have at hand?
It is very sad that their names are so similar. The Festiva, btw, wasn’t even really a Ford, but a re-badged captive import Kia. It was *still* better than its main competitor, the Hyundai Excel, as sad as that is.
I once owned a well-used and dearly loved ‘80 Fiesta. It screamed, “I will do your bidding, even if you abuse me!” It was fast, handled like a go-kart, and laughed at gas stations. The rear brakes locked up once, so I waited for a snow day and dragged it with only the front wheels turning to the mechanic. He laughed. Then he tried to buy it.
If you trusted the hatch cylinders, you got a head-ache. I drove one cold day from Marquette Michigan to Hibbing Minnesota with no radiator. I ran it off-road and on. My wife hit a dog and ripped nearly the whole front fender off, but the car never complained.
I would buy another in a heartbeat, but I would not let my son drive it – same reason I got rid of my ‘67 Chevy van last year. Growing up sucks.
Paul: I don’t agree with you on practically everything else but man, you find the right car and weave the right story for it each and every time here in CC.
I remember seeing a crapload of these in Colorado when I was in school there (79-85). As mentioned above, they were deathtraps in snow but lasted a lot longer in a dry, no-salt-on-the-roads environment. One of the best econoboxes made.
Too bad Ford couldn’t build a car worth crap as Dave S points out above. They didn’t really start to turn that around until the early 90s.
You know, until I started reading this site, I had forgotten how many totally crappy cars I have owned in my lifetime – and I loved them all!
I can’t wait until the article about my ‘73 Plymouth Cricket!
I’ve been hit enough that I wouldn’t be willing to drive that in modern traffic, but it is a cool car.
Dave Skinner : Suddenly closing the throttle provided front wheel braking, and the rear wheels would immediately try to walk around the front of the car.
You probably had better tires on the front than on the back.
I never drove a Fiesta. I was a land barge guy in those days, and the Fiesta never made it onto my radar. However, I did drive my sister’s 77 Rabbit on an 80 mile trip on 2 lane highways, and it was an absolute blast. The Fiesta must have been a heckuva fun car.
I did drive an 81 Escort (or was it a Lynx) however. It was NOT a fun car, you are right about that. My mechanic always referred to Escorts as being like a beer can – throw away when empty.
@Robert.Walter :
(from the CC Clue post)
Monty: If you had done the ol’ “cardboard in front of the radiator” trick, the windscreen would have been clear, and the whole iterior would have been toasty warm…
Robert: I’m a veteran of 40 years of driving on the Canadian Prairies – you had better believe that back in the 60’s/70’s/80’s the “cardboard sheet in front of the radiator” was standard equipment for just about every single import car, and a lot of domestic small engined vehicles. It was MINUS 46 AT NOON(celcius or fahrenheit, doesn’t matter it’s still freakin cold)we were wearing mittens, toques, winter coats and boots, and my wife was wrapped in a blanket. It didn’t make much difference; it was so cold on the highway by nightfall that I’m sure the temperature outside was below -60 with the windchill. That poor little Fiesta’s heater couldn’t possibly contend with the cold.
@love2drive :
My first car, a 79 Ghia I got going in to my senior year of high school. The car was so light you could light up the tires and not move, and even chirp the tires in 2nd…
If the pavement was hot enough on a hot August night, my Fiesta would leave rubber going into third.
Other than the alarming wear of the brake pads and the CV joints, plus replacing the waterpump, it was almost maintenance free little car. Cost me next to nothing for gas and insurance too.
The best thing about the car was the almost sleeperish modest appearance. Many times I would pull up to a red light in the hole-shooter lane, and blow the doors off of some american V-8 muscle car, because the Fiesta looked a little like the VW Rabbit or the Honda, and nobody suspected what a straight line rocket it was.
If Ford sold this car today, I would own one. Stripped out, lightweight, just put some decent shocks struts and tires on it and you could have all the fun you ever wanted in an econobox.
“The Fiesta’s Kent engine is eminently tunable, the English equivalent of the Chevy small block”
I have to take exception to the above statement in an otherwise excellent article. That title would have to be granted to the Austin/BMC A series, or perhaps the Jaguar XK engines, as a far greater variety of machines have been powered from these than the Kent. The A series engine drove virtually every small car, from family sedans to sports racers out of Britain from it’s inception until a very short time ago. The XK powered all manner of world-beating race cars from D-types to Listers, as well as driving everything from E-types, Saloons, Limos, and even British Army tanks.
I had a college professor in the early/mid 80s that drove one of these Fiesta’s and loved it. He had been a staff illustrator at Sports Car Graphic in the 50s/60s and had a strong appreciation for tossable machines. I never had a chance to drive one, but trust his judgement.
I did have a chance to drive the execrable Escort that replaced it. It was a rental car and self-immolated at a traffic light 2 hours after I drove away from the airport. What a POS.
–chuck
Grog,
I loved that jingle. I loved my Cricket. I need a shrink. Dan
You probably had better tires on the front than on the back.
Trust me, at that point of my life (early twenties, no income) all my tires were of equal (nearly bald) quality.
Chuck Goolsbee, I meant to say Ford small block, but somehow the word Chevy seems to jump in front of that phrase “small block”.
That’s a scary car. It looks as though it could fall apart if you sneeze while touching it.
Oh, ZoomZomm, that hurts. My little Fiesta was practically disassembled by hitting a dog. But it still was lovable for some crazy reason. Mechanically it was nearly indestructable.
Now, if I am going to meet up head-on with a semi truck…what would I want to be in while kissing a Kenworth!!!
Ford had a tent set up on the side of Guadalupe near UT here in Austin last week, demoing the Fiesta (presumably it would have to be the 2011?). Was driving on other side of street so only caught a quick glimpse and no time to stop, but students were looking fairly interested.
While it’s true the Fiesta wasn’t exactly ‘rugged’, given it’s cheapness throughout, they held together remarkably well.
In fact, I’d go so far as to say that the Fiesta was a distant precursor to the smart, only a lot more fun and practical – one of the best examples of the storied four-wheeled motorcycle disguised as an econobox. Fiestas were just about as tossable and throwaway a car as was ever built.
IIRC, the main reason the Fiesta wasn’t imported after 1980 was because it wouldn’t meet US side impact requirements. If you ever saw how thin and lightweight the doors were, you’d definitely understand. Another was likely that Fiestas didn’t have laminated glass, i.e., when broken, they would shatter into lots of tiny bits.
One of the worst things about it was it was built back when Ford thought putting the horn on the turn signal stalk was a good idea. OTOH, the Fiesta was one of the last (and cheapest) cars on which you could still get manual front vent windows.
I remember these as a kid but haven’t seen one in years as rust would come pretty fast for them in the Great White North.
Having never driven one I can’t comment on that either, but I can on the so called “World Car” 1981-1989 Ford Escort.
To me the 80’s Escorts are what you bought when you couldn’t afford a Honda Civic or a Mazda 323 due to their Sebring like depreciation.
Built during the “Quality is Job One” era, so of course they were poorly built, slow, and had the handling characteristics of an Ox Cart (GT version notwithstanding).
Interior pieces in particular broke or fell apart with alarming regularity – door handles, seat frames, window cranks,regulators etc.
The 1.6 litre was notorious for timing belt failures, head gasket leaks and ate computer modules, the 1.9 was a little more refined but not by much.
Having said that they ( I owned 2 of them) were fairly reliable, dirt cheap to buy and acres of them at the junkyards, so parts were limitless.
Another upside is the constant repairs required taught me to tinker in order to fix them, or else they would have nickel and dimed me to insolvency.
Throw away cars indeed, most of them at the scrap yard had 200000 km’s and under and I hardly (n)ever see them today.
Thanks for the memories…………..
This is why I read every CC installment.
Fantastic find!
My Grandmother had one of these MkIs in England. Almost perfect little hatch. I haven’t seen one of these in probably a decade.
This was my first ever car, brand new back in 1982, Yellow and with the 957cc engine.
It was a very good car, I mean, this car was passed on in my family for almost 20 years with 5 different owners, refusing to die, it was so simple in terms of components, no AC, manual box.
One thing I did not like is power, it was really slow, back then I had the opportunity to drive other small cars with same size engine like the Fiat 127 that felt better in terms of spirit but it was also coming apart as you drive it like all other Italian cars.
After that I got myself an Alfasud, 1.3 liter that was a real charm to drive but again, the maintenance was simply too much, endless tuneups, brakes, rust, you name it.
I had an orange 78 on its way out my last two years of college. A fantastic car to learn auto mechanics on, as everything was on the verge of failing or in need of upgrading: brakes, water pump, clutch cable, carb, CV joints, seats, wheels. Good thing it didn’t have a single accessory or power assist of any kind. But fun to drive, and man, could it hold a lot of milk crates!
The night after I rebuilt the carb, I was with my GF accelerating onto the highway. In fourth gear at full throttle I felt the cable get trapped by something and not release. I didn’t panic and figured it was something I hadn’t fastened on the carb and showed my GF, who thought I was goofing off as usual: Look, here’s my foot and we’re just going faster! So at what I guess was not even 100 MPH I turned off the key and rolled to a stop. She was kinda mad and wouldn’t even hold the flashlight as I fastened the three screws for the electric choke thingy that had come loose. Good times!
‘80 Red Ghia bought w/80K on odo; 50K on engine. Traded in after 50K.
DEANST,
I had the same exact prob w/the fuel filter! The thing would either clog or ‘hydrolock’…I got good @ replacing ‘em too….it was easier w/the replacement carb…didn’t have to pull the air filter.
DSWILLY,
I put on a ‘performance’ intake and carb (Solex?) from BAT, which didn’t make much difference…I really wanted their turbo kit, but couldn’t afford it.
A little underwhelmed by its MPG..only about 32 on the highway…but it was only a 4-speed.
The USDM model had a 1.6 w/ a timing chain, not a belt, IIRC.
The other issue I had was the rack and pinion went out…was my 1st repair job on a car.
Also, the car’s 12″ tires wore quickly..of course it didn’t help that I bought el cheapo ones.
And I just remembered that I owned this car longer than any since – 4 years!
Finally, wore out 2nd gear synchros and traded it in.
Great memories!
manual pump windshield washers…
Horn on the turn signal stalk…
hatch cover held up with little more than a string…
Manual vent windows…
Rough cloth interior stiched by what seemed to be a blind Sherpa…
Anyone have the dual knob radio with the 5 manual/mechanical preset buttons? Pull back to set…push to select.
I do remember replacing one of those web carbs. It was $180 in 1983!!!!