Hooniverse Weekend Edition – The launch of the Mk1 Ford Fiesta 1976

Jim Brennan

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Welcome to the Sunday Edition of Hooniverse Weekends. I was cruising around the net when I discovered this tasty little video about the launching of the new Mk 1 Fiesta. We here at Hooniverse love the original Fiesta, and this is a great period piece, but you can only see this video after the jump…

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Jim Brennan

Jim Brennan

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  1. $kaycog Avatar
    $kaycog

    I'll take a blue one.
    <img src="http://www.fiesta-mk1.co.uk/press_releases_adverts/pre_production_testing/factory/images/fiesta_factory_003.jpg&quot; width="500"/>

    Reply
  2. LTDScott Avatar
    LTDScott

    Ford sure got their money's worth out of that style wheel/wheel cover on the light blue Fiesta at top. I've seen them on 80s Cortinas, Fox Bodies, and Ford F-series trucks used a variation of them too.
    <img src="http://api.ning.com/files/qJL0m1BjLrTNzC*pVlqtZXxJS1IX43*w7O4ox0IMo0JgCuZWtVriIMNj7YIAzJHJ1IN2FxQ1T2UqU4a3sxKAHoi64aiNTvwl/MustangGT.jpg&quot; width=500">
    <img src="http://www.militec-1singapore.com/images/Company%20Tests/fordF150_1985_16.gif"&gt;

    Reply
    1. BlackIce_GTS Avatar
      BlackIce_GTS

      Granada, too. I always associated them with the F-series.
      <img src="http://www.americancarsuk.com/Previous_Cars/Ford_Granada_1983/Ford_Granada_1983.JPG"&gt;
      semiunrelated: from the same site, here's a MkV Cortina Estate, which I didn't know existed:
      <img src="http://www.americancarsuk.com/Previous_Cars/Ford_Cortina_Crusader_Estate_1982/Ford_Cortina_Crusader_Estate_1982.JPG"&gt;

      Reply
      1. LTDScott Avatar
        LTDScott

        Yeah, I remember seeing the exact same wheels that are on that Granada on my grandpa's neighbor's Cortina back in the mid 80s in Australia.

        Reply
  3. dukeisduke Avatar
    dukeisduke

    Great rat racers. A cousin had a Ghia, and a friend had an L model.

    Reply
  4. Alff Avatar
    Alff

    Wundercar. Looking at it now, it's hard to believe that I really wanted one of those as my first car. Instead, I got a Ford Courier. Good choice, as it (humbly) demonstrated the value of always having a pickup in the driveway. An immediate gateway to self-employment, it paid for itself several times over in the two years I had it.

    Reply
  5. tonyola Avatar
    tonyola

    We in the US tend to think of the old Fiesta as something of a historical footnote, but it was hugely important to Ford of Europe at the time because it was a direct challenge to the then-class-leading VW Golf. Fortunately, it ended up being a smash success for Ford.

    Reply
    1. Duurtlang Avatar
      Duurtlang

      It actually competed with the Polo back then, and it still does today. The Ford Escort was the car that challenged the Golf, just like the Focus is the Golf competitor today.

      Reply
      1. tonyola Avatar
        tonyola

        OK, you're right – the Fiesta was a bit smaller than the Golf. But the Escort wasn't a real challenge to the Golf until it went FWD in late '80.

        Reply
  6. Jim-Bob Avatar
    Jim-Bob

    It was a nice design for the times. I actually wish we had cars that size on sale in the US today. They don't fit the needs of everyone, but with the real possibility of $5 a gallon gas looming in our future they would be a great alternative for people with low incomes or long commutes. Throw in a well-designed suspension and you have a fun commuter for not much cash. Pity that it would be damn near impossible to get it past crash safety regs without a substantial increase in mass and cost though…

    Reply
  7. Joe Dunlap Avatar
    Joe Dunlap

    Bought one of these as a demo unit in 79. For anyone who thinks they need an SUV for a family, I carried triplet daughters around in it until they were 8 years old with no problems. Three car seats just fit side by side with no problems. We finally upgraded to a 245 Volvo and I autocrossed the Fiesta for another 4 years before selling to someone else. Great little car! As Jim-Bob said, I wish they would bring them back, but progress………..Bah!

    Reply
  8. jjd241 Avatar
    jjd241

    ooohhhh sunshine roof!

    Reply
  9. Bren Avatar
    Bren

    'a direct challenge to the then-class-leading VW Golf ' – Sorry, the Fiesta was aimed at the VW Polo, Renault 5 (LeCar). The larger Escort lll was aimed at the Golf – tho' you'll see thousands of Mk1 Golfs still around while Escort Mk lll's are mostly scrapped !!! I owned both US and European Fiestas, the US one was a real sleeper over here with it's 1600 engine and plain trim.

    Reply