The Ford Fiesta changed our lives… it was a car for everyone which is why it’s Britain’s all time favourite motor
DON’T need to be Mystic Meg to know that at some point in your life you have either owned a Fiesta, been driven in a Fiesta, or learned to drive in a Fiesta.
Your gran probably had one and you probably had one as your first car at 17.
If not, your brother did. Or his girlfriend did.
It was the car for everyone which is why it is Britain’s all-time favourite, head and shoulders above everything else.
The Sun broke the sad story on Tuesday that the Fiesta would be scrapped next June after 47 years.
Ford confirmed it yesterday morning in a tweet from European boss Martin Sander.
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He wrote: “It’s time to say goodbye to the little car that has touched us all — thanks for all the memories #FarewellFiesta.”
Fiesta is being axed because of cost, shrinking sales due to the rise of baby SUVs, and a “reset of Ford’s portfolio DNA”.
Instead, bosses are fully focused on electric cars and have promised four by 2024.
They will be Mustang Mach-E, a Puma EV and two mid-size crossovers.
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To say this is the end of an era is a massive understatement.
Fiesta has been part of the fabric of Britain since Henry Ford II signed off “Project Bobcat” and invested more than a billion dollars on a small affordable car for everyone.
The stats speak for themselves.
We’ve bought an incredible 4.8million Fiestas over the years — and still counting. The next most popular was the Ford Cortina, with 4.3million sales.
Fiesta had 12 consecutive years as the UK’s No1 best-seller from 2009 to 2020.
Ford supplied AA Driving School with Fiestas for 25 years, as well as many other instructors.
My friend at Auto Trader tells me Fiesta has had 43MILLION advert views over the past 12 months.
That’s how much we still love them.
I feel quite emotional writing this because this is a particularly sad day for me too.
Like many of you, my first car was a Fiesta. It was the first car where I folded the seats flat, if you know what I mean.
I also raced in Wales Rally GB in a Fiesta R5. All landmark moments in my life. Two of my brothers had XR2s.
I was only four when the first Fiesta came out in the summer of 1976. Elvis was still alive. James Callaghan replaced Harold Wilson as PM.
James Hunt won the F1 title.
But I was lucky enough in my role as The Sun’s Motors Editor to get my hands on the car that started it all.
This silver 1976 Fiesta is a proper little time capsule.
Simple, honest and amusing. Everything you needed and nothing more.
Wind-up windows, three ashtrays, huge door pockets, choke (ask your parents) sliding air vent controls, and lots of orange upholstery.
It was the Seventies, man.
Even as old as it is, the four-speed synchromesh gearbox is surprisingly easy, the suspension pillow-soft, and that little 957cc engine sounded great.
Something car fans will miss the most when everything is electric.
But the Mk1 Fiesta wasn’t just a one-hit wonder.
Every generation of this car got better and better, right up to the eighth-generation we have today.
Hand on heart, I still say it is the best car pound for pound on the planet.
It’s smart, safe, efficient, tech-rich and a lot of fun. It handles well beyond its price tag.
I want my lads to have the same rite of passage as I did and start their life on the road in the best car Britain has ever seen.
That’s why I’m already saving for one of the last 2023 Fiestas.
It will be my forever car.
‘NEVER OWNED A BAD ONE’
NO ONE is going to miss this extraordinary little car more than Sun reader Nick Males.
Dubbed “Mr Fiesta”, he’s had SEVENTEEN since the late Eighties, starting with a second-hand Mk1 1100L on an X-plate (1982).
Nick, 57, said: “I have had at least one of each shape and facelift over the years.
“They are just good reliable cars that suit me perfectly. I’ve never had a bad one, so I have stuck with them.
“Fiesta has got bigger and bigger in all proportions over the years – and also better.
“The current 1-litre engine is fantastic. Performance you can’t fault and good economy.
“I’ve just taken delivery of a ST-Line Vignale after nearly a year’s delay.
“I ordered the three-door just before Ford dropped the option from the range, so it could be a future classic in years to come.”
Forklift driver Nick, from Trowbridge, Wilts, bought most of his brand new Fiestas from the same dealer.
He said: “I’m probably their best customer.
“But if you asked me which one I should have kept and put in storage it would have been the Mk2 1400S.
“It was originally a Ford employee’s car from Essex and it had a set of twin Maserati air horns under the bonnet.
“It used to frighten the neighbours when I set off the car alarm in the morning.”
It seems there’s another big Ford fan in the family.
Nick said: “My dad’s a Focus man. He’s had at least six.
“He’s gone through all the models. He got his new one a month before I got my new Fiesta.”
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Sadly, the clock is ticking for both of these much-loved Fords.
Focus will stop production in 2025.
TOP 10 BEST SELLING CARS OF ALL TIME
- Ford Fiesta……………..4.8m
- Ford Cortina………….4.3m
- Ford Escort……………4.1m
- Vauxhall Astra……….3.1m
- Vauxhall Corsa………2.3m
- Ford Focus…………….2.2m
- Volkswagen Golf……1.84m
- Vauxhall Cavalier…..1.82m
- Mini…………………………1.78m
- BMW 3 Series……….1.5m