Rest assured: unlike some other once-common beaters that have gone extinct, there’s still a remarkably healthy number Festivas on the streets here. But this is the first I’ve seen with such wide rims.
Not surprisingly, these rims are taking a bit of a beating at the curb.
There’s some other CCs keeping this Festiva company on this parking lot. Yes, the Mercedes W123 is obvious. But two car further down, there’s the tail end of a BMW E34 5 series. And, yes, unlike the Mercedes and Festivas, they are getting scarce.
We’ve done a slew of Festiva Outtakes, but oddly enough, never a full CC. But we did run a Vintage Review last summer, so if you want more on this Mazda 121 built in Korea, check it out.
Hasn’t that poor thing suffered enough?
Ugh, is it an automatic? That would be the icing on this sad cake.
Reminds me of this Lemons racing rollover, except it was an Escort, not a Festiva:
Isn’t illegal to have tires extend beyond the fenders?
Nothing appears to be illegal in my town, incl ding this vehicle: https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-asian/curbside-classic-toyota-lo-lux-pickup-the-minimalist-edition/
I actually saw one of these just a few days ago, in Orlando, Florida.
If I remember correctly, Mazdas, until recently had a very uncommon bolt pattern and/or offset to their wheels. Yet I suspect this car’s owner is a member of the (too) wide wheels and fartcan exhaust pipe make my car faster society.
I have to admit that the black rims on the white Oddessy next to it actually look pretty good.
Maybe I should look for some black rims for my white Ram C/V.
I am more impressed that the Festiva has not been impounded since the registration expired in June, 2015 according to the plate stickers. Cops in Oregon do tend to be lackadaisical when it comes to those things. I am too lazy to research if the rims being wider than the fenders are legal in Oregon, but they probably are as long as they do not stick out beyond the sideview mirrors.
The Oddysey with lower profile tires and Black rims looks sharp and I like the brightly colored W123.
ya i wish people wouldn’t do this to my beloved Festiva. at least they didn’t try fitting 16 inch wheels. a stock Festiva has a pretty embarrassing tire/fender gap that doesn’t jibe with the pugnacious fender buldges but a little bit of lowering and up size to 13 or 14″ wheels gives the proper stance and much improved handling. but no, not this.
I drove and learnt how to.drive stick on a Festiva. Great lil cars and if I could buy one today i would in a heart beat. Dad had 2 and they both got totaled. First one got t-boned at 30mph and 2nd one got hit from behind at a dead stop at 70 mph by a drunk driver driving a 1987 Plymouth Reliant. We walked out of both, albiet 2nd with serious injuries. I still have the pictures as a reminder to this day
A Ford Ka+ would come close to a modern interpretation, if it has to have a Ford badge.
So is this one a Ka- then?
That’s the K1.
The problem with the Festiva is that any given tyre has a recommended range of rim sizes.These rims are seriously out of kilter for these tyres. Stretching them as much as this puts undue strain on the tyre shoulders, and is dangerous.
I’m thinking he’s running spacers behind those wheels – the inner face of the wheel centre looks almost out level with the edge of the front fenders. Pretty sure the standard Festiva wasn’t like that.
It looks like USA only got the 3 doors hatchbacks.kia pride is still in production here with 5 door sedan&5 door hatchback& pickups.used to have station wagon as well for afew years.the car in picture probably needs new tires.
I can easily understand why someone would go to the trouble. Having had a ’89 Festiva LX (Li? – or whatever the $8000.00 high line version was) I still have fond memories of a very good car, other than the Yokohama tires that came standard with it. They wore like they were made of Bakelite. They handled on wet roads like they were made of Bakelite, too.
This was the car I had when I started in English Civil War re-enactment. Having formed a unit of Scots Covenanters and made all the uniforms, I also hauled the equipment, which included 18′ pikes (long spears). Which were strapped to the roof of the Festiva via a home made roof rack made out of 2×2’s and straps.
It worked quite well. I’d strap the pikes on with the butts even with the rear bumper, which meant the iron pike heads extended a bit past the front bumper. Wonderfully intimidating in traffic, especially with people who insisted in driving under the speed limit.
I’m always amazed at what I learn on CC, and I’m certainly amazed that there was any English Civil War re-enactment in the US. Sounds like fun. Were you a Cavalier or a Roundhead?
When I was Showroom Stock racing my Fiesta, I decided to get a set of street wheels and tires to save my shaved, 155SR-12 radials for the track (don’t laugh). So bought a set of 5.5×13 Capri rims with nearly bald 185/70-13 Pirelli CN36’s mounted up. The tires rubbed the fenders, so when I bought new tires I got slightly narrower 175/70-13’s (Vredesteins). But the car never really handled well with the extra width and backspacing, and I soon sold the wheels to a guy with a Pinto and went back to the skinny 12″ tires. I suspect this Festiva is a handful under even it’s meager power with those rims.
My wife had a 1988…a total-stripper L with carb, manual steering, and 4 speed. She loved it…motor went at 273,161 miles.