More History of the Ford Fiesta MK1 -

The energy crisis of the early 1970s made the introduction of a small car a necessity for Ford. Henry Ford II gave his seal of approval to the design and development of "Project Bobcat" and invested more than a billion dollars - the biggest investment ever made by Ford for the smallest car they had ever produced.

Ford Fiesta MK1 was launched in the summer of 1976. The entry model had a 1.0-litre engine and the Fiesta Ghia model - the top of the range - was fitted with the 1.1-litre unit. Fuel economy was the key element in Ford Fiesta's success.

Just 32 months after its launch, the one-millionth Ford Fiesta was built in January 1979. Sports models were added to the line-up - the Fiesta Supersport and then the Fiesta XR2. The MK1 Ford Fiesta was the best-selling car in its class in Britain and Germany for every year of its production run until 1983, when the Mk11 new generation was introduced.

The new generation of Ford Fiestas of 1983 continued the success and the third generation, introduced in February 1989, led the segment sales chart in seven countries just one month after its launch. Ford Fiesta also had a sporty tradition with the XR2, XR2i and the high performance RS Turbo and RS1800i models. Significant changes occurred in 1992, 1995, 1999 and 2O01 and to date over 10 million Ford Fiestas have been produced.

Ford Fieata MK1 Specifications: (Base Model)
Engine: 957cc, ohv
Transmission: four-speed manual
Max speed: 79mph
Price when new: £1856 (Basic), £2757 (1.1 Ghia)

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For more information and literature on this now sought after Classic Ford model, please visit the website - www.fiesta-mk1.co.uk.