I’ve been seeing this green Fiesta around town quite a bit the past few months, but never where I can shoot it. But coming home from Springfield yesterday I spotted it ahead, and hoped I could catch it, given that the Fiesta was a sprightly little thing in its time. Especially this one, which gets used for autocross.
This is the companion car to the red one I shot and wrote up in a full CC here. That was several years ago, and the owner told me he had a green Fiesta S that he used for autocrossing. I haven’t seen the red one in a long time, so it looks like the green one has now taken on the daily driving duties.
I’ve always had a soft spot for these, as I got to spend some time behind the wheel of one when my sister in law bought one in LA before she knew how to drive a stick shift. So I had to bring it home for her, from Pasadena, and teach her. It was bright yellow, like so many of them. And an utter ball to drive. The Fiesta was the stand-out in the US at the time, for the most fun-for-the-bucks award.
Although this Fiesta sports a black stripe and a big “S”, that did not mean anything different under the hood. Unlike European Fiesta Mk1s, which came with 900cc, 1.1 and and 1.3 L engines, all US-bound Fiestas came with a 1.6 L revision of the ohv “Kent” four. It may have been rated at only 66 hp, but the Fiesta was very light (some 1750 lbs). And I strongly suspect this one has been tuned to give considerably more; these Kent engines are eminently tuneable.
I managed to get by him and peeled off one final shot. I’m hoping he keeps this one running for some time yet. When I spoke with him some five years ago, he said parts were getting hard to find. It can’t be getting any easier.
There’s a mint green one here in Wichita Falls I see every so often. I’ll see if I can’t get a photo sometime. My only Fiesta experience was back in 84 when a local junkyard took you around the yard in one they had sawed the top off of. Only had 1st and 2nd gear, no reverse. I needed a fender for my 71 Maverick. They didn’t have one!
sounds like the new Fiesta does its ancestor proud. Fiesta ST is the best bang for your buck performance car right now. And they’re both 1.6 liters.
Is the Fiesta ST the only B-segment (sub-compact) hot hatch in the US these days ?
Its main competitors are the Renault Clio RS, Peugeot 208 GTi, Opel Corsa OPC and the VW Polo GTI (see below). Most of them have a 1.6 liter turbo engine, the VW comes with a 1.8 liter TSI engine though.
Nice to see a Fiesta Mk1 still on the road, a very rare sight. We had two of them, a 1978 1100S (silver metallic with black striping) and after its total-loss crash a 1979 1300S (gold metallic, a popular Ford color back then, with a dark brown striping).
In the U.S., it’s Fiesta ST, Fiat 500 Abarth, and Mini Cooper S playing in that segment. Pretty much every reviewer out there, and yours truly, feels the Fiesta ST’s the best of the lot.
I’d love a change to drive an MK1 Fiesta. I’d love to get a feel for its roots as well as what a European small car actually was about back then. Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever even seen one in real life, though.
The Euro-1300S was as powerful (all relative, of course) as the US-1600. And it must have been a bit lighter too.
Both our Fiestas had a 4 speed manual. There was even a Fiesta Ghia, a mini Brougham.
Nice couple in that picture, btw !
LOVE that the ghia has the UBIQUITOUS ford corporate hubcaps of the time. That style was on several 10s of millions F-150s, Econolines, Fairmonts, Mustangs, etc from about 1980 to about 1994.
Sorry, but those are not hubcaps on the Ghia and the “S” models pictured here but are alloy wheels. I can’t remember if U.S. Ghia models had the alloy wheels as standard, but they were part of the “S” package.
I had a red 80 Fiesta. Because it was red outside and had (matching) red seat upholstery, I thought it looked fairly classy. As far as driving, the U.S. cars just loved to run at high speeds and I often found myself trying to shift into a non-existent 5th gear as I gathered speed.
BTW, in other parts of the world, the Fiesta ST is also available as a 3 door hatchback.
I learnt to drive in my mother’s burgundy metallic Fiesta Ghia. It was a very nice drive, several evolutionary generations advanced from BSM’s Triumph Toledos, but oh dear, the Fiesta kept on breaking down. Driveshafts made of putty, I think. It quickly became rechristened the Ford Fiasco, and ma drove VWs thereafter.
And today? I borrowed my wife’s three year-old Fiesta for the commute. Great car – very chuckable!
Same breed… That’s why they are nice next to each other. 🙂
Those handsome alloy rims must’ve been a hit at Ford, for larger versions also were offered on models like Fox bodies & their light-truck line.
I thought the 500 & Mini were more A-segment models. Anyway, I’d prefer a Fiesta or Mazda 2 over them.
I remember those trim options. I know the S had a tach, which I would’ve insisted on; I ordered my Escort L with the gauge, A/C, & light packages.
Wikipedia says the 500 is an A-segment and the Mini Hatch is a B-segment.
The consensus here seems to be that the Peugeot 208 GTi 30th anniversary (208 hp, what a coincidence !) is at the top.
There’s also the Honda Fit and Toyota Yaris. Until last year, there was also the Mazda2, although Mazda has been going back and forth on whether to import the redesigned version. (Current verdict seems to be not.)
I thought of those too, but I’m not aware of any “boy racer” versions. It seems Japan is staying out of the hot hatch game, at least in America. Maybe the market for them isn’t deemed worth their while anymore.
I’m not complaining; Hondas are plenty of fun in stock form, as I’m sure is also true of the Mazda.
I foolishly missed the “hot hatch” stipulation. Although the Fit and 2 would have qualified compared to the original Fiesta XR2.
The last Toyota sub-compact “boy-racer” was this Yaris TS with a 133 hp 1.8 liter engine.
Even if we don’t get the 2, though, we do have a variant of it–the new Scion iA is a rebadged 2 sedan.
That, BTW, is one of the more puzzling rebadges that I can think of recently. Why on earth is Toyota selling a badge-engineered Mazda? I wasn’t aware of any other tie-up between those two companies. But then again I wasn’t aware of one between Toyota and Subaru, either, before the FR-S/BRZ.
When Mazda ran into trouble with their new plant in Mexico, Toyota invested about 3/4 billion in it and struck up a deal for Mazda to build the next Yaris which is a Mazda 2 and the Scion. Part of the deal is for Mazda to not sell the 2 hatchback here. Lot cheaper than building them in Japan.
Evidently Ford has been reducing its equity stake in Mazda; Sumitomo Mitsui is the major shareholder now, so Mazda relied on them for financing & Toyota for expertise, hence the marketing quid pro quo.
All I can find is the upcoming Kia Rio GT. I like the gen1 Fiesta, should’ve bought one, or a Mazda 323/GLC, instead of the half-baked US Escort, except the Fiesta’s higher price (DM vs. US$) made no market sense.
One has to go to Mexico to get a Polo of any kind in N. America; it’s never been sold Stateside. And I saw customized [older] Opel Corsas doing stunts at Disney MGM Studios in Florida.
I test drove one (yes, bright yellow) in 1980; it was a blast. I haven’t seen one of these in literally decades which is a shame. A stylish, cheerful little car.
Oddly enough I saw a green fiesta like this last month, first time I had seen one in 15 years.
Count me as a huge fan of these – they still look good today. I remember thinking it was awesome to see Euro-spec examples on the streets of western Europe as a kid during a trip abroad over 30 years ago. Here in the U.S., my grandma zipped around in a silver, ’79 4-speed my grandpa bought for her. They both loved that car.
Been a while since I saw a proper Mk.1, but I did see a red facelifted version (1983-9) in this past week. They do look small now, unless they’re near a real Mini (those are still around in fair numbers, especially for a car that’s not been produced since 2000).
I haven’t seen the beige one on Hamilton Ave in Northside (Cincinnati) lately…I hope it’s just hibernating for the winter.
Why do I feel like those wheels are only 14 inches, and they look HUGE in the wheel openings?!? Maybe the tires are just too tall…
Fiesta came with 12 inch wheels in the 1st generation. I don’t know off hand when the 13s were phased in, my guess is that Euro market “go fast” models may have gotten them before production of the 1st generation ended. Wheels from Escorts built before…..I THINK, Ford and Mazda collaborated on the Escort design process, will bolt onto these Fiestas so 13-14 inch wheels aren’t that hard to find.
The Super S/Supersport and XR2 had 13-inch wheels, as did late Mk1 (1982–83) Fiesta S and Ghia cars. There were also various X-pack wheels available through RS dealers. The facelifted Mk2 got 13-inch wheels as standard, but most of the non-sporty Mk1s had 12-inchers in the interests of cost and unsprung weight.
Ford didn’t collaborate with Mazda on the development of the Mk3 Escort per se, but Ford did buy some Mazda components, including some gearboxes.
Sorry about that, I have foolishly bought into the “myth” that the 91 Escort used a platform based somewhat on the Mazda Protege. I guess all the car magazines I read in the last couple of decades got it wrong, too?
Sorry, I misread your original comment (for the second time — I’m really doing well today). The 1991 U.S.-market Escort was indeed Mazda-based; the earlier iterations were not, although some used some Mazda-supplied components.
I learnt to drive in a 1977/78 Fiesta 1.1L, in brilliant white, and now drive a 2012 1.4TDCi in Colorado red. Talk about a sharp clutch!
At the time, this was one the best looking superminis around, and whilst quite straight forward was also pretty sharp to drive and good value. Seeing a Mk1 or the 1983 revision is a bit of a treat now though, although it did have a pretty long life, from 76 to 89.
I certainly remember the sharp clutch from my brother’s 1.3 Ghia. For a new driver it added a lot of challenge to the drive..
L as in Ford’s renowned trim-level L ? As in “Lack of luxury and options” ?
And what Chaz says, the clutch pedal in a 1300 was a brusque on/off-switch. The 1100 drove much smoother. What I also remember is the very thin backrest of the rear bench seat in the Fiesta Mk1.
For better or worse (usually the former), the 1st gen German Ford Fiesta seemed like a poor man’s Rabbit. Yeah, they had flimsy, thin, rather basic construction (the front and rear bumpers are obviously interchangeable), but despite that, they held together about as well as could be expected, and I dare say that the incidence of being stranded was much higher with the VW original from which it seemed to be copied. And then there was the strange mis-match of black/dark brown interior bits. OTOH, when you got the flipper-style sunroof, you got both a tinted panel ‘and’ a solid metal one, quite rare for a bottom-feeder level car.
So, it was rather sad that the Fiesta only lasted from 1978-80 in the states, replaced by the quite lackluster ‘world car’ Escort. For the short time it was imported, the first Fiesta was a tossable, fun ride. But I think it was only built as a 2-door, whereas the Escort came in a full range of 2-door, 4-door, and wagon. Likewise, it didn’t help matters any that the US Fiesta was a 4-speed manual ‘only’, with no automatic option.
The VW Polo was more of a direct competitor in size, not that this mattered in the US market since it was never imported. Mexico gets them, however.
The European cars didn’t get automatic until 1987(!), and then it was a CVT — made by Van Doorne and also used by Fiat. At the time, I don’t think Ford had a conventional automatic that would fit and the demand was still so low that it wasn’t worth developing one until later.
Not a great picture, but I have its big brother in my garage. Mine has the 1.0L Ecoboost, which arguably is a better analogy to the original than an ST…economical yet still feisty. And the Titanium trim wheels I added are even similar in style to the aftermarket wheels on the CC car.
It’s amazing to know that Ford decided to revive the Ford Fiesta almost four decades later. Chevrolet had never revived the Chevette nor Chrysler the Dodge Omni and Dodge Colt Hatchback and the only closest one today would be the Mitsubishi Mirage all of which were the Ford Fiesta’s main competitor. Mazda Ford’s former partner never directly revived the Mazda 323/GLC, but it can be considered that the Mazda 2/Demio (no longer imported in the U.S. except that they are now re-badged Toyota Yaris Sedan in Canada/Scion iA in the U.S.) as its main “spiritual successor” since the Mazda 3 had grown in size to the Toyota Corolla compact field just like the Honda Civic.
What’s new is the 6th-gen’s 2010 reintroduction to the US market, probably made in Mexico this time (it’s built world-wide). The Fiesta’s reputation was unsullied in its original market, thus no need to rename it.
Also, I seem to remember that Mitsubishi still has (or had until fairly recently) a Colt hatchback in other markets, which got some praise as the last of the old-school warm hatches. (The Dodge Colt was a ‘captive import’ version.)
The Fiesta did not have the stigma in the USA that Chevette or Moni/Horizon had. Those that remember the Fiesta Mk1 when it was sold in the uSA, would have remembered it fondly with its gas friendly size and weight and its quickness due to the light weight of the car. It showed folks that you could have a small gas friendly car that was not slow.
By contrast the Chevette was a boat anchor. It was very slow. I owned one for years and while I loved the car, I always broke in to a sweat each time I had to get on to RT495.
The contrast between the Mk1 Fiesta and Chevette is an interesting one. The former is mostly remembered fondly as a fun, flingable little toy while the latter as a slow, penalty box. And, yet, both are known as cockroaches of the road that, with a minimum of maintenance, seem to last forever.
It would seem to say a lot about how the management of both companies approached the way they designed and engineered their vehicles.
The Fiesta had to be good or it would be an expensive flop in a very contested European marketplace, whereas the Chevette, like other domesticated loss-leading “world cars” of that period, was half-baked (indifference or incompetence?), quite apart from generally erratic factory QC.
The Chevette is why my wife became a loyal Toyota customer. She said hers was a complete lemon.?
A guy in my hometown had a mk 1, it was probably the first hopped up fwd car I’ve ever come acrossed. The thing would spin the fronts pretty good,
Reminds me of my first car. A robin egg blue ’79 Fiesta I bought in 1984 before my final year in college. I drove it until the early 90’s. It was really quite reliable, always started in those cold Iowa winters and was a hoot to drive! But since I bought it in Michigan, it already had rust issues. The exhaust was one piece and expensive to repair and once I closed the hatch after an ice storm and the entire window shattered under the weight. The final issue was when a hole rust through the floor. I found a piece of sheet metal and shoved it under the carpet, which worked great until I’d go through a puddle on the way to work. One time my pantleg was soaked after doing just that! But overall, it was a great car and fun to drive. I always wished it had a fifth gear for the interstate, but the engine was indestructible. I am glad I never got in a collision. There was little protection. From that standpoint, I’m glad they don’t “make them like they used to.”
The funny thing is that the U.S. cars had much taller gearing (lower numerical axle ratio) than the European versions. I imagine highway travel in one of the 957cc versions with 20% shorter gearing would be tiresome.
Yes!
In 1980 I was a student driving a gas guzzling ’69 Wildcat. Ugly but fast and comfy!
Since everyone’s hair was on fire regarding the gas situation at the time, I went from the Buick to almost getting this Fiesta. But this was the start of the Japanese can do no wrong era, so I jumped on that bandwagon and purchased the re-designed for ’80 Toyota Corolla instead. (Sold it 4 years later for the same price it was purchased for!)
Actually, should have went with a Scirocco. Damn.
Glad to see a MkI Fiesta still on the road; there can’t be many left in the US. I loved my ’78.
Just curious, Paul: Does anyone wash their cars in Eugene?
Not so much in the winter. It’s been very wet. Why bother? It’ll be dirty by the time you get home from the car wash.
Welcome to England!
L.A. is nearly as bad with the dust and nighttime condensation. The dew gets the car just wet enough to smear the dust around.
I certainly remember the Ford Fiesta Mark 1. And when I came to the US I was quite surprised to see one on our campus.
One note: the guy who headed the platform development was Lew Veraldi. Later he was chosen to head the development of the Ford Taurus/Mercury Sable in the US.
I love the Mark 1’s- I had so many, one each for the kids as their first cars’ and a buncha extras for parts cars. The Ghia trim is easy to move from car-to-car! I still have a Fiesta parts stash that I can’t bear to trash. I wonder if there could be an owner’s group left anywhere in N America?
I never had a personal experience with a first generation fiesta but remember a 6ft4 large size buddy used one as a 100 mile a day commuter car with 3 not quite as large co-workers for years in the early 80’s. he always spoke highly of it and I remember he was quite sad when it finally died of the terminal rusties (a common disease of the lower body extremities in salt laden Ontario)
b.t.w…..I imagine its replacement was quite a rare breed for its time too. a diesel escort!!
I never had a chance to drive a Mk1 Fiesta but I did own its future successor for about a year. I bought a nice low mileage lime green 2012 Fiesta from Carmax in 2013. It was loaded(remote entry, power windows/locks, sunroof and Sync system) but still had a 5 speed manual. It was wonderful on the road and the manual transmission was one of the best that I had ever driven. it was a good looking car(I hate how Ford redesigned the front end and added that grill, so it looked like a mini Fusion.
I finally got rid of it due to the Ford Sync system. That drove me nuts, I was commuting 70 miles a day to work then and relied on being able to play my tunes on ether an iPod or USB drive(listening to regular AM/FM radio in the DC area is painful). That Sync system would cause me no end of trouble that would result in yelling at the damn thing once each day. In the end I dumped the car due to finding out my blood pressure actually went up because I was always yelling at the $%&^ thing. I did sell it back to Carmax for $1000 more then I paid for the thing.
Here is a pic of it right before I bought it and it was taken off the Carmax lot to be cleaned for me.
That conforms to CU’s reports that the Sync system is a drag on Ford’s reliability ratings. In-dash software is overrated; smart phone apps can do most of that stuff better & more cheaply, such as navigation. I’d say only the map display & phone integration is really useful.
Sadly the Sync system is the reason that there does not look to be another new Ford in my future any time soon. One of the things I car most about in a car is to be able to play my tunes (ether by iPod or USB flash drive) as most cars have the radio integrated with other systems, it is hard to go aftermarket now. It means I need to get this feature in any new car i buy from the get go. The only way to do this on a Ford is to buy the Sync package. No thanks
I’m not just worried about Ford; the whole industry is given over to computerized dash features of increasingly marginal added value & worse, marginal stability. A coworker recently told me he likes his Hyundai, but its dash computer periodically has to reboot. Even Toyotas have had issues here too.
Someday we may be forced to tolerate this nonsense as std. equipment because most buyers like it (or marketers believe this), so I’ll hold onto my “old-school” 2010 Civic as long as possible; its only concession to the trend is an Aux input jack, which is just right. I’ve had no mechanical or electronics problems after 60Kmi.
These were near ubiquitous in the Yorkshire of my childhood (a neighbour had an especially handsome little blue-grey Ghia for years) and almost all gone now.
Sadly a great many will have been wrecked in the mid 90s by overzealous under-experienced drivers my own age – these and the near identical Mk2 were popular first cars. I remember a lad in my year at school rolled and wrecked no fewer than three in one year 🙁
I remember these in Italy in 78 or 81. Always found the turning signals under the headlights a bit baggy-eyed, but a nice clean shape. Didn’t know they were closer to the Polo than the Golf until I read this piece.
Oh yes ! The Fiesta Ghia with a vinyl top and a sunroof.
The Ford Fiesta and the VW Polo were -and still are- direct competitors. Just like the Ford Escort, VW Golf and Opel Kadett were competitors in their segment in the same era.
Opel’s Fiesta and Polo fighter was introduced in 1982, the Corsa.
Where I lived in Michigan these were just rusty beaters within a few short years and so I think most midwesterners probably have that as their first and last impression of these. I understand now that they were a formidable VW rabbit-level compact, save the lack of rust resistance, but at the time they were just another rusty shitbox foisted on the masses. That is not to say that VW Rabbits, particularly the early ones were any better. My VW-loving buddy like to tell the story of his ’75 Rabbit that was so rusty that it fractured at the cowl when put on a lift.
A ’77 Fiesta was my first car. It was a damn fun car and, though pretty “tinny”, it was actually screwed together quite well and rugged for such a bantam weight car. Learned to drive a stick in it. Flogged…er…drove it all through high school and first 3 years of college in the midwest. It was always reliable and eagerly took whatever punishment I gave it. And, boy, did I give it hell, all the damn time. But I also maintained it, kept the fluids changed and kept it clean. It was not a ‘shitbox’ at all…it was fun as hell and took all the punishment my aggressive (read: stupid) teenage driver self could give it. Got hit in the right rear quarter by a ’64 T-Bird one time (my fault…ran a stop sign) and after the rear bumper and quarter panel, the car drove straight and true. I washed it often during winter months to keep the salt off, which is probably why it didn’t rust very much over the 6 years I had it. Probably unlike most Fiesta (and other subcompact “shitbox”) owners back then (or today) who didn’t/don’t bother to maintain their cheap car to even the most minimal standard, which is what gave/gives such cars “shitbox” reputations in general.
Here in Michigan even the Festiva and Aspire are pretty well extinct.
Most interesting sighting of Mk I Fiestas was around 84. I was driving US 131 between Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids a lot then, and there was one of those self storage places right next to the freeway. Some hoarder had about 8 or 10 Fiestas parked in that storage place.
Would you believe there was a marine Kent? Yup, Outboard Marine Corp, around ’69-’70, sold a 1600 Kent stern drive package. I have seen and worked on only one in my career as a marine tech
That was the best Ford you could buy in the US in 1978.
A fifty year old Model A? 🙂
Seriously, I would suggest an LTD Landau. There was probably a highly trimmed Thunderbird that would come close, but it was a size smaller. There were Lincolns and Mercuries of course, too.
There was one that stayed listed for sale in Baton Rouge’s used car rag mag for quite a long time, I think in the late eighties…was advertised as having some sort of Lotus twin-cam (I don’t remember any more details.) I always regretted not going to drive it but I know if I had I’d have found an excuse to buy the thing.