27 fast facts about the Ford Fiesta

Now in its seventh generation, the Ford Fiesta has been Britain's most popular supermini for most, if not all its 45-year life. Introduced in 1976 (and on our shores from 1977), the car made an instant impact, clocking up a million sales before the 1970s were out.

Like so many cars that have managed multiple decades, the Fiesta has got steadily larger, safer, and more comfortable with each passing generation. We retain a distinct fondness for the very first model, though. That one, and its second-generation successor, are now assured classic car status: if you own one of these now iconic early Fiestas, we'd recommend protecting it with some classic car insurance.

Here are 27 fascinating Fiesta facts.

1. A classic is born

Designers first sat down at their desks to draw up the Fiesta way back in 1972, with the designs approved by company boss Henry Ford II in September of that year. The final design proposal was developed by Tom Tjaarda, an American car designer who worked on a pretty broad range of classics. Aside from the first Fiesta, Tjaarda also sketched some exotic and beautiful sports car including the Ferrari 365 California and De Tomaso Pantera. He produced those wonderful creations while working at the Italian design house Pininfarina – where he also designed the Chevrolet Corvette Rondine. This was a one-off adaptation of the second generation 'Stingray' Corvette with a far more dramatically sloping noise – and is, to our eyes, one of the most arresting cars ever designed. In short, the Mk1 Fiesta had some serious design pedigree behind it.

2. To be or not to be?

A small car had been mooted at Ford over a decade earlier. Back in the early 1960s, the Blue Oval had considered making a rival to the British Motor Corporation's wildly popular Mini, but had decided that the development costs would be too high.

3. A sign of the times

The early 1970s, however, had produced a different automotive landscape, and a small Ford was firmly back on the drawing board. The trend for smaller, more economical vehicles was already growing – and was brought to a head by the 1973 oil crisis, which drove up the cost of fuel considerably. Suddenly, a smaller, lighter car that would do more miles to the gallon became a priority. Alongside the Mini itself, other cars that would soon be dubbed 'superminis' were already appearing: for example, the Fiat 127 and Renault 5 hit the market in 1971 and '72 respectively. The Fiesta didn't quite manage the distinction of being Britain's first supermini – that honour goes to the Vauxhall Chevette, as we discussed in our article on that car. However, the small Ford definitely wins the crown of 'world's best-loved supermini'.

4. What’s in a name?

Before the car acquired the name 'Fiesta', the project's working title was 'Bobcat'. It was actually Henry Ford II who chose the name 'Fiesta' – the marketing team at Ford were angling for 'Bravo'. Ford chose the Spanish word for three reasons – its alliteration with Ford; its festive spirit (it means 'party'); and its links with Spain. The latter was important because the company had built a brand new factory in Valencia to build the Fiesta. And what an important site that turned out to be. The Ford Valencia Body and Assembly car assembly plant at Almussafes now has a production capacity of 450,000 vehicles a year, and a workforce of some 8,000 employees. It's Ford's largest manufacturing complex outside of the USA. That's all down to the Fiesta – which continued to be made there for 36 years and across six generations.

5. The million mark

Introduced in 1976 (and in Britain in '77), that first-generation Fiesta was a huge success. Affordable to buy and run, smart-looking and (in the best Ford tradition) great to drive, the Ford Fiesta Mk1 sprinted to a million worldwide sales by 1979.

6. Ford’s first front-wheel drive

The Mk1 was also Ford's first front-wheel-drive car. This layout was gaining traction in the 1970s, much like the rise of small cars themselves. Once again, BMC's Mini had been the pioneer here, introducing the FWD format right from its appearance in 1959. The Fiat 127 (another favourite of ours here at Lancaster Classic Car Insurance) had followed suit, as had many small Japanese hatches of the early '70s. The next Ford to go FWD, meanwhile, would be the third-generation Escort, in 1980.

7. Fiesta goes sporty

The Fiesta got sporty variants right from the start. The 1981 model year saw the launch of the XR2, the model's first variant capable of reaching 100mph. Before that, though, there was the short-lived and now much-prized Fiesta Supersport, a sort of warm-hatch trial for the hot-hatch that was the XR2. The Supersport used a 1.3-litre Kent Crossflow engine – a trial run for the XR2, which would use the same engine with a 1.6-litre displacement.

This first fast Fiesta stuck with the normal car's square front headlamps, adding extra round halogen headlights – the whole giving it a definite rally car look. A sporty body kit, including decals, a rear spoiler and an extended exhaust pipe, further confirmed that this car meant business.

The XR2, meanwhile, got larger circular headlights, instead of the regular car's square lamps: this meant that the front indicators had to move down into the bumpers. This early hot hatch managed the 0-60mph standing start in 9.3 seconds, as well as a top speed of 105mph. Pretty decent for a supermini of the era, and enough to gain the car a cult following with boy racers throughout the decade.

8. Supersport - a future classic

The Supersport, for its part, is now very much sought after. Only 3,000 were made, and the website How Many Left tells us that some 31 of these are still roadworthy, with a further 94 still surviving with a Statutory Off Road Notice (SORN). You can be sure that all of these survivors, both roadgoing and garage-based, will be well looked after and protected with classic car insurance.

9. Diesel and other developments

Arriving in 1983, the second-generation Fiesta didn't make any radical changes to what was clearly a winning formula. There were a few developments, however. Most noticeably, the new car featured wraparound headlights, with the indicator lights now clearly visible from the side. Other innovations included a five-speed gearbox. That second generation also featured the first diesel Fiesta: the 1,600 cc diesel engine was adapted from the larger Escort.

10. 1987 - a golden year for sales

The second generation has one particular distinction: it gave the Fiesta its all-time best-selling year here in the UK. The year in question was 1987, when over 153,453 Mk2 Fiestas were driven off UK forecourts. Even that impressive figure, though, wasn't enough to knock the Fiesta's sibling, the Escort, off pole position in the sales charts. In fact, the Fiesta was the filling in a Ford sandwich that year, with the Sierra following it into third place.

That year's top 10, incidentally, was completed by the Austin Metro and Vauxhall Cavalier at #4 and #5, followed by another Vauxhall, the Astra, at #6. Sales wars between Ford and Vauxhall were pretty intense at the time, as we discussed elsewhere on the blog.

The top 10 for that year featured two new arrivals: the Rover 200 and the brilliant Peugeot 205, a perennial favourite of ours here at Lancaster Classic Car Insurance.

11. Rivals, be gone!

That big sales year in 1987 was particularly impressive as the 1980s Mk2 faced, arguably, the stiffest competition of any Fiesta generation. With rivals including the 205, Vauxhall Nova, Fiat Uno, Volkswagen Polo, Austin Metro and Nissan Micra, the MK2 had a hard job carving out its own niche in the market. The fact that it did so, and in such style, tells you all you need to know about what an attractive and satisfying car it was.

12. Firsts for the third generation

The third generation, 1989 to 1995, got a few 'firsts' under its belt. It was, for example, the very first Fiesta to feature a five-door model. It also introduced certain key safety features, including airbags and an anti-lock brake system.

This was also the first Fiesta to get a turbo generation, with the introduction of the RS Turbo in 1990. Well, the late '80s and early '90s were the age of the turbo, as we discussed in our article on the era's best turbocharged classics. Continuing the performance theme, this generation also saw the introduction of fuel injection into the range, with the Mk3 XR2i model. The funny thing, to our eyes, is that this third-generation XR2, though the fuel injection may have given it more performance, looks a little less sporty and attractive than its less powerful Mk1 predecessor – an iconic sporting Ford if ever we saw one.

13. Sales superstar

This third generation of the Fiesta was the first to occupy the coveted top spot in annual UK car sales. That feat was achieved, impressively, in 1990 – it’s very first full year of sales. The car then repeated the feat in 1991. Those sales may have been slightly smaller than that standout year of 1987 (151,475 sales in 1990, 117,139 sales in '91) but they were enough to give it pole position.

14. Fourth-gen favourite

The fourth generation also has its place in history – managing to top the UK sales lists for three successive years, from 1996 to 1998 inclusive. It only lost the top spot in 1999, to a certain rather fine new car called the Ford Focus. Incidentally, there was a special edition of the Mk4 Fiesta introduced in 1995 and branded as a Focus. Ford clearly planned to repurpose the name…

By the way, we have the Mk1 Ford Focus pegged as a classic of the future – indeed, it made our list of Noughties future classics. Sharp-looking, reliable and a hoot to drive, it looks a safe bet for classic status. If you’re the proud owner of a Mk1 Focus, you may want to start looking into some classic/vintage car insurance sooner rather than later.

15. New design direction

The Mk4 got a facelift in 1999, to fall in line with Ford's latest 'New Edge' design philosophy. And in fact, this is where some confusion can arise with Fiesta generations: some fans and websites label that '99 facelift as a new (fifth) generation. We prefer to label it as a facelift, though…

16. Asian appeal

Which brings us onto the fifth generation proper, of 2002. This was the first iteration of Ford's now-dominant supermini to be sold in Asia and Australasia, adding to its already existing markets in the UK and Europe, South America, Mexico, India, and Japan.

17. Global reach

However, the sharp-looking Mk6 Fiesta of 2008 was the first generation to go global, adding North America to its existing European, Asian, and South American markets.

18. Eco leader

In the days before electric cars became a reality, this sixth-generation Fiesta was something of a green pioneer. In ECOnetic guise, the car became the greenest and most fuel-efficient five-seater car in the UK at the time, managing an impressive 78 miles per gallon and producing 98g of carbon dioxide per kilometre.

19. All-time hero

The Ford Fiesta is the UK's best-selling car of all time. Yes indeed: the car achieved that milestone in 2014, during its sixth generation, overtaking its stablemate the Ford Escort in the all-time sales charts. Interestingly, the Escort had previously achieved the feat over six generations (you can read our full Escort history elsewhere on the blog) – and in a slightly shorter time frame. It managed its 4.106 million UK sales in around 33 years, from 1968 to 2000, whereas the Fiesta was already 37 years old when it overtook its former sibling, reaching 4.115 million in June 2014.

20. Best-selling new car

The Fiesta has enjoyed many years as Britain's best-selling new car. As we recalled, the Mk3 managed the feat in 1990 and 1991, followed by the Mk4 from 1996 to 1998. Between them, the Mk6 and Mk7 then shared the top prize for a hugely impressive 12 consecutive years from 2009 to 2020. Interestingly, the Fiesta lost its crown in 2021. Data released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) in January 2022 showed that the Vauxhall Corsa was the UK's best-selling car for 2021. That ended Ford's 50-year grip on the top spot, achieved thanks to various generations of Cortina, Escort, Focus and Fiesta.

21. Super sales

If we're talking world sales, the Fiesta has now shifted around 16 million units across its 45-year history. Not bad at all. Perhaps not quite as impressive as Ford's first ever car, the Model T, which achieved 16.5 million sales in 19 years from 1908 to 1927. Then again, the market was a lot less crowded then.

22. Rising prices

Back in 1977, you could get a base model Fiesta for £1,856. Today, an entry level Fiesta will set you back £16,620. That's not just inflation: it also reflects the car's steady rise upmarket over the years. Even an entry-level Fiesta today will have an eight-inch touchscreen as standard.

23. Unusual Fiestas from down the decades

These would have to include the convertible form of the Mk1 car, produced initially by Kent-based coachbuilders Crayford. At their base in Westerham, Crayford adapted basic Fiestas including the 950cc Popular, plus the 1.1 and 1.3-litre cars. The 'Fiesta Fly' featured a welded-up boot, while all cuts were rust proofed and covered with plastic sills so that no repainting was required. Crayford then sold the project to Bournemouth coachbuilders F. English, who used the sporty XR2 – a natural choice – as the basis for their own soft-top Fiesta. These Mk1 convertibles occasionally come up for sale on the used market, and don't command the astronomical sums you might imagine – we saw one for £3,995 recently. A nice way to invest in a fascinating corner of Ford history – and perhaps the perfect nippy little summertime soft-top. Just make sure you look after it with some specialist classic car insurance.

24. And the winner is…

Somewhat surprisingly for such a hugely popular car, the Fiesta has never scooped the European Car of the Year Award (more on this annual event, and some of our favourite winners, in this feature). The first generation did, however, finish in third place in 1977, losing out narrowly to the Rover SD1 (in 3500cc guise) and the Audi 100. Later on, in 1990, the third iteration also took the bronze medal, behind the Citroen XM and Mercedes SL (R129). Much more recently, the Mk6 Fiesta was beaten to the 2009 award by the Vauxhall / Opel Insignia – by just one vote!

25. Small and mighty

The current generation's ST-Line 1.0 140PS EcoBoost is the most powerful 1.0-litre production road car ever, producing – you guessed it – 140PS from its small, three-cylinder unit.

26. Rally greats

The Fiesta has seen some decent successes in motorsport. It got involved early on in its lifetime, in fact, with two Mk1 cars entering the 1979 Monte Carlo Rally. Both the British entry (driven by Roger Clark and co-driver Jim Porter) and the German competitor (with Finn Ari Vatanen at the wheel and David Richards in the passenger seat) featured highly modified Fiestas. Their specialist motorsport additions included some pioneering limited-slip differential technology. (What's a limited-slip differential, we hear you ask? We explain here. You're welcome).

These fast Fiestas also featured competition-tuned versions of the 1.6-litre Kent crossflow engine, which would later turn up in the Mk1 XR2, ready to be thrashed around Britain's B roads and council estates. Vatanen's car finished in ninth position overall – a decent result, and the start of demand for sportier Fiestas.

27. Two-tone treasure

Our favourite generation? Really, honestly, that would be the very first one. That's partly because of the childhood memories it inspires in us. But partly, and more objectively, it's surely the nicest looking generation, although the sharper looks of the current one and its immediate predecessor run its close.

And our favourite paint job? That would be the Mk1's glorious two-tone Sandpiper guise. Roman Bronze over Cordoba Beige (later Solar Gold): it's oh so late 1970s. And, although this is not always the case with designs of the era, it still looks great today. Congrats to owner Paul Matthews for this mint-condition version.

Classic car insurance from Lancaster

If you're lucky enough to have a Mk1 or Mk2 Fiesta in your garage, congratulations – you are the owner of an official British classic. And these cars are just a tiny sample of the huge range of vintage vehicles for which we can arrange classic car insurance for your vintage/classic vehicle here at Lancaster.

If you join a classic car owners' club you may be able to negotiate a discount on your classic car insurance. There are UK owners' clubs for most classic cars out there: here's an excellent club for Ford Fiesta owners of every generation.

Cover your classic with us today.