Bell Bottom Custom: 1979 Ford Fiesta Mk1
The Mk1 Ford Fiesta was a fiesty compact designed by Ford of Europe and built in an
assembly plant in Cologne, Germany for poor people around the world. The
Fiesta was available on these shores a few years (1978-1980) before it
was replaced by the North American built Escort, an unfortunate turn of
events because the European Escort was actually a good crapcan. Find this 1979 Ford Fiesta Mk1 offered for $5,995 in Athens, GA via craigslist. Tip from PB.
This Fiesta isn’t the average Mk 1 you’ll find rusting under a blue tarp out in front of grandpa’s house — this one has only 30,000 miles on an unrolled odometer. That isn’t entirely accurate, because it was abandoned in a garage for a few decades, and has some rust and a dent where a motorcycle was propped against it, but it doesn’t look bad, all things considered.
Under the hood is a 1.6 liter Kent inline-4 mated to a 4-speed manual transaxle. To my eyes, the carburetor fed, pushrod engine looks strange mounted sideways in the engine bay, but the front drive setup will work well in the snow and provides a low load floor in the back.
The interior features some sweet blue suede upholstery and only the most basic amenities, but you didn’t buy a Fiesta for its power features.
See another example of a 70s hot rod for less? tips@dailyturismo.com
These things were fun for their time, simple. The 1.6 Kent (same basic engine design as the Pinto and later Cortinas and low-end Capris, but different block for FWD mounting) was the only one the US got, but in Europe that was the hot-rod XR2 motor.
I'd love to have one, with a pair of DCOEs or maybe an injected Zetec/MTX75 swap with some motorcycle TBs on it, but I live in California and life ended in 1975…
Did the early tempos have a version of this engine? When i was 19 I had a 5spd tempo that was just way faster then it had any right to be.
To my knowledge the Tempo/Topaz was all 2.3/2.5L 'HSC' pushrod fours.
Although this particular example is a rolling monument to bad taste, these are wonderful little tin cans. I have driven several but the most memorable was a test drive in the mid 1980’s. The guy selling it had raided the BAT Ltd parts catalog and put on a bigger Weber, XR2 suspension, headers, and performance exhaust. What a blast to have the scenery chucked at your face in high definition 3-D through a windshield about six inches from your eyes. Few things in life are more fun than tearing around in a light and unsophisticated little car.
The first weekend with this car would be removing all the items and stripe kit ordered from the Mullet-Motors catalog.
I will have one someday even if I have to import one from the continent. I wonder if there’s a Greek XR2 owner who needs some quick cash until his bank reopens.
Mobile.de is the one Continental site I'm able to read enough of to get anywhere.
Slovenia, anybody? EUR-USD's pretty good right now.
suchen.mobile.de/fahrzeuge/details.html?id=209980554
Don't find any Mk1 XR2s listed, couple Mk2s that would now clear the 25-year DOT/NHTSA threshold.
I'll have you know you cost me half an hour researching Zetec engines +Getrag 285 (Focus SVT/Mini Cooper) gearboxes into Mk1 Fietsas.
If you somehow managed to make all the SVT Focus cruft fit under the hood there's even a prayer of doing it CA-legal.
I'll have you know you cost me half an hour researching Zetec engines +Getrag 285 (Focus SVT/Mini Cooper) gearboxes into Mk1 Fietsas.
If you somehow managed to make all the SVT Focus cruft fit under the hood there's even a prayer of doing it CA-legal.
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Not sure if Superman ever shows up with that 1.6 Kent.
Can you imagine these modifications on a new Fiesta?
[img] wordpress.carthrottle.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Ford-Fiesta-old-v-New.jpg[/img]
What, sticking a 200psi air hose into it to blow it up to the football shape of the new one?
Car and driver did a test of it back in the day they added momo custom seats and other dress up goodies it looked exactly like this one