MEET THE OWNER – IAN MACKENZIE AND HIS FORD FIESTA XR2 MK.I

“I bought it two years ago - I’d just finished a six-year restoration of my Mark III Wolseley Hornet and decided to sell it, so wanted something different from my usual BMC/BL fare. It was on eBay as a classified in Cheshire, so only just over the Pennines from me.” And so Ian Mackenzie became the proud owner of a 1982 XR2, the car that Ford described as ‘highly tuned but not highly strung’.

When the Fiesta debuted in 1976, the original high-performance version was the S with its black decals, Cadiz fabric trim, upgraded suspension and, of course, a tachometer. However, would-be F1 drivers found the performance from the 1.1-litre engine slightly lacking as the top speed was 86 mph.

The S was subsequently available with the 1.3-litre Kent engine, while Dagenham was considering the viability of higher-powered Fiestas. They tested the market in 1977 with the X-pack option, and three years later, they unveiled the Supersport: ‘the car that looks as good as it feels as good as it drives’. Power was from a tuned 1,298cc engine, and the specification included RS style stripes and alloy wheels.

The Supersport served as a curtain-raiser to the 1981 XR2 – so named as it was the second car to hail from Ford’s Special Vehicle Operations. The 1.6-litre power plant from the US-spec Fiestas resulted in 105 mph and 0 to 60 in 9.5 seconds, combined with an anti-roll bar, plus up-rated suspension and brakes. And, to impress the neighbours, there were also ‘pepper pot’ alloy wheels, auxiliary lamps and – naturally – extended wheel arches.

William Boddy of Motor Sport found the XR2 ‘competitively priced, at £5,500’ and “a highly attractive and desirable little package, a credit to Ford’s new Special Vehicle Engineering Department, whose first product was the much-acclaimed Capri 2.8i”. Motor proclaimed, ‘At last the Fiesta we have all been waiting for’. By the time the second-generation version replaced the Mk. I in 1983, the XR2 had already created its own mystique.

Ian’s example was registered in May 1982 – “so in the first six months of build. I’d always fancied one, and the way Ford prices were climbing, I knew I’d have to buy one quickly to be able to afford it”. He has the original sales invoice that states the first owner specified the optional sunroof, black paint, tinted glass and padded head restraint inserts.

As for the XR2’s road manners, “it drives really nicely. The auto choke still works, and the gear selection is nice and tight. I’ve got a couple of MG Metros as well, and it’s funny how two such similar cars in terms of envelope and target marker can feel so different”.

Above all, Ian’s XR2 possesses industrial levels of nostalgia. “Back in 1980, my dad got a new Fiesta 1.3 Ghia, and the drone of the Kent engine in the XR2 takes me straight back to that time!”. Cue the latest song from Adam Ant.

With Thanks To: Ian Mackenzie

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