Ford Fiesta: The Story Of Britains Loved Hatchback
The Ford Fiesta. A mainstay of the automotive world and a car that has stood the test of time. Practical, small and full of character it's more than likely that most of us have found ourselves behind the wheel in one at some points in our lives but how did the Fiesta come to existence and what is its story?
The Ford Fiesta has spanned six different iterations and the model first saw the light of day way back in 1976 and has been in continuous production since. It was first developed under the code name ‘Bobcat’ and was given the ultimate sign off for production by Henry Ford II in 1972.
A small supermini, it was partly the product of the 1973 oil crisis with Ford also heading down the small car route after the success of the likes of the Fiat 127 and Renault 5. Much like the Mini a few years earlier, growing demand for smaller more economical cars ultimately swayed Henry Ford II into giving the Fiesta the green light.
Initially, Ford planned to produce up to 500,000 cars a year out of a new purpose-built facility that would be located near Valencia in Spain. It would prove to be Spain and the rest of Europe that would benefit from the Ford Fiesta first as it wouldn’t reach the UK in a right-hand drive form until 1977.
The Mark 1 kicked off the Ford Fiesta’s history and was in production from 1976 through to 1983 and was produced in a 3-door hatchback and panel van variants and came with a range of powertrains from 957cc right through a 1.6-Litre edition.
1983 ushered in the second generation and also led to the production and the development of the now-iconic Fiesta XR2. The new generation Fiesta saw cosmetic tweaks both to the interior and exterior with the range-topping XR2 sporting a 96 bhp 1.6-Litre engine and a dramatic body kit which changed the look and stance of the Fiesta completely.
Between 1989 and 1997 the Fiesta received it’s third major overhaul and importantly featured a 5 door variant for the first time. This was something that needed to be addressed urgently as the Fiesta’s strongest competitors all came in this configuration and therefore rivals were stealing sales as a result. The 5-door variant alongside the 3-door offered a new dimension to the possible configurations for the Fiesta.
The fourth-generation came and included a further facelift whilst the fifth incarnation of the Fiesta started to drive the change to the variant that we know today.
Today the Fiesta is an ultra-modern hatchback and comes equipped with many range-topping features. There are a number of trim specifications available and includes performance variants such as the ST.
To this day the Fiesta is and remains one of Britain's best selling cars and is a common sight on Britain's roads. At Avalon Motor Company, Glastonbury we are delighted to offer for sale a range of fantastic used Ford Fiesta’s. All of which can be viewed over on our website.
At Avalon Motor Company we’ve been serving used cars to Glastonbury and the surrounding area for over 30 years. A business built on fantastic customer service, we strive to go the extra mile for our customers. At Avalon Motor Company you can be certain of two things, great used cars and great customer service. We look forward to serving you soon.
