1993 Ford Fiesta

1993 – a time when Meat Loaf announced I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That) and when Angus Deayton still hosted Have I Got News For You. And a time when a Ford Fiesta was a familiar sight. Thirty years later, time and the impact of various scrappage schemes means that it is now an increasingly rare sight on British roads.

Ford launched the original Fiesta in 1976, with UK sales commencing the following year. The Mk. II debuted in 1983, and in late 1988, the Mk. III represented a significant departure from its predecessor. Gone were those familiar lines devised by Tom Tjaarda in favour of a more streamlined bodyshell. There was also a five-door option, to the relief of Ford dealers who needed a competitor to the Metro, the Fiat Uno, and the Peugeot 205

Under the skin, the latest Fiesta had a new platform with torsion beam rear suspension. The Renault 5 was said to provide the benchmark for ride comfort, and Sue Baker of The Observer found the Mk.III’s handling characteristics had a “distinctly French favour with an agile nippy and grippy feel”. The wheelbase was also six inches longer than its predecessor: one magazine pointed out it was two inches longer than the Escort. Ford’s investment in the Fiesta amounted to approximately £550 million.

Photographs of the Fiesta Mk. III were released to the media in the autumn of 1988. That December, Ford allotted 235 examples to fleet managers across Europe as part of a major evaluation exercise. Their market research also revealed that a Fiesta’s average journey time was a mere ten minutes, as most drivers used them for short commuter and shopping trips plus the school run.

British sales began on the 13^th of April 1989, with Ford modestly claiming, “We think it’s the best small car in the world”. Hyperbole aside, the Mk. III had almost 50% more boot space than the Mk. II and the option of anti-lock brakes. The Fiesta greatly impressed Autocar & Motor, who thought it could stand “shoulder to shoulder with Europe’s best small cars: the Fiat Uno, Peugeot 205, Renault 5, Citroën AX and Vauxhall Nova”.

Sales reached the one million mark in two years, and in December 1989, the not easily pleased Car magazine described the Fiesta as “one of the best superminis you can buy, and it outsells all its rivals, month in, month out”. In 1993, a 1.3-litre version cost £8,980 in three-door guise and £9,340 with five doors, compared with £9,030 for a Rover Metro 1.4Li or £7,490 for a Vauxhall Corsa 1.4i Flair.

The Mk. IV debuted in 1995, with the older model remaining available until 1997 as the ‘Classic’. This year saw the demise of the Fiesta name when the final seventh-generation model left the production line on the 7^th of July 2023. Today, you will still encounter motorists who remember their Mk III as “the best small car in the world”.