Hatch Heaven

The Mk1 Ford Fiesta XR2 (with the round headlights) was launched in 1982 and featured a 1.6 liter engine that gave it a 0–60 time in 9.3 seconds with a maximum speed of 105 mph.

The basics of the 1977 Ford Fiesta S were that it was a three-door hatchback with folding rear seats, a transverse engine and front wheel drive. Nothing new. But Ford’s point of difference was a better engineered car. A car that would work better without making it more complicated. Because the simpler a car is, the less it costs to own. All in one safe handling, lots of space and remarkable economy.  Some of the features that contributed to the Fiesta’s roadholding, handling and stopping power were their Negative Scrub Steering Geometry which helped counteract a car’s natural tendency to swerve one way or the other under heavy braking.  So it helped you stop in a straight line in emergencies. The other was Diagonally Linked Dual Circuit Brakes, which meant that if one circuit should fail you’d still have braking at both ends of the car.

There was more legroom in the back of a Fiesta than any other comparable car, and while it was only a matter of a few inches, Ford made it feel bigger that it really was by, for example, making the rook pillars much slimmer with deep windows. This made the car feel light and airy inside. The total glass area was no less that 25 square feet and this gave it a 390 degree of all-round vision. With the back seats folded down, there was 42.6 cubic feet of luggage space. The back hatch door was assisted by twin gas struts and open to the floor level, eliminating the need to lift a load over a high sill.

Fuel consumption figures were 35.8 MPG for the 1100cc models and 41.5 MPG for the 950cc 40 BHP models. To reduce ownership costs even further, Ford simplified servicing by lowering labour saving tasks, some of which included self-adjusting clutch, self-adjusting brakes, maintenance free wheel bearings and “lube for life” suspension and steering. And, since electrical systems were the single biggest cause of breakdowns, Ford reduced the number of connections to a bare minimum by using a printed circuit instrument cluster.

You would also find a surprising amount of space under the hood which made everything ver accessible for those who like to do their own maintenance… you can get to all the parts without skinning you knuckles.

The same attention went to the body work, which was treated with phosphate that inhibits rust. The entire body was then immersed in primer which was applied electrostatically. Then, after a second primer, it got four coats of tough acrylic paint for a really durable finish.

To quote AutoCar “As a piece of Ford thoroughness the Fiesta is perhaps their most impressive car yet. The Fiesta S had 53 BHP, reached a maximum speed of 90 MPH and had an MSRP of £2,360.

The 1990 Ford Fiesta RS Turbo had the combined muscle of a Garrett TO2 Turbocharger unit and a 133 DIN PS engine, which drove it from 0-60 in just 7.7 seconds and to a top speed of 127 MPH. The June 20th issue of AutoCar proclaimed “The RS Turbo simply leaves the immediate opposition trailing in its wake”. The styling was appropriately cool as well with its unique alloy wheels and the low profile tires, the body colored bumpers and rear spoiler, the distinctive dark green moulding inserts and the bonnet estimator vents. Among other refinements were the Recaro seats, central locking, power front windows and sunroof, leather-trimmed steering wheel and gear lever knob, all standard. A few of the available options included anti-lock brakes and electrically heated Quickclear windscreen.

For 1982, Ford added this new 4-door Escort hatchback. Comparable front and rear-seat head and leg room, superior fuel economy 0f 47 MPG highway and 31 city and a substantially lower price tag made it more than competitive with larger sub-compacts and compacts from other American automakers. This year offered several improvements, like larger standard tires, more front seat leg-room and a new optional close-ratio manual transaxle for livelier through-the-gears performance.

The 1983 Ford Fiesta Quartz had an MSRP of £4,089 and was marketed to “non-conformists” as part of Ford’s “special Editions” cars. The Quartz combined the nippy performance and economical maintenance of a Fiesta Popular Plus with a mass of equipment like special wheels and some very stylish color schemes, al for a very special price.

The 1985 Ford Escort RS Turbo S1 was developed by Ford‘s Special Vehicle engineers. At the heart of this car is a 1600cc fuel-injected engine complete with intercooler Garrett T3 turbocharger. It generates 132 PS which is transmitted to the front wheels by a close ratio 5-speed gearbox and limited split differential. As a result, the RS Turbo accelerate from 0-60 in 8.2 seconds with a maximum speed of 125 MPH. To handle this performance, the brakes were upgrade, the suspension was both stiffened and lowered and the wide alloy wheels wore ultra-low profile tires. It even had standard Recaro seats.

As you’ve probably noticed, we tend to favor the classic hatches here, but while the new 2014 Ford Fiesta ST 5-door hatchback will be a bit pricey, it delivers class-leading performance with 197 HP. With an aggressive, sporty design, this ride is Ford’s newest contribution to the world of hot hatches. Fiesta ST offers a 6.5-inch MyFord Touch® screen, unique ST high-mounted rear spoiler, interior trim accents, leather shift knob and seats for that race car feel.

The 1989 Ford Escort 3-door hatchback was quite versatile which made it the best selling car in the world for over six years.

1974 Ford Pinto 3-door Runabout was a basic car with further improvements to the engine (now with 2000 cc – with an option of 2300 cc), the brakes, (now with front disc brakes as standard) for more efficient fade-resistant braking with little pedal effort and the more refined front and rear suspension. With rack and pinion steering, front bucket seats, 4-speed synchromesh transmission and a welded unitized body, it was America’s best selling economy car. These days, they are hard to come by, but check out the 1973 Ford Pinto Runabout on eBay Motors in this post.

The 1978 Ford Fiesta Ghia was engineered and built to exacting standards by Ford of Germany and achieved excellent EPA fuel economy ratings of 46 MPG highway and 34 MPG in the city. Front wheel drive and a transverse-mouned 1.6 liter OHV engine put more over the driving wheels to help improve traction. Its drivability was enhanced by rack-and-pinion steering for more precise control and a MacPherson strut front suspension system for improved directional stability. It had Michelin steel-belted radial tires, front discs brakes, carpeting and a fold-down rear seat. The 3-door Fiesta hatchback was a beautiful value.

1976 Ford Pinto Runabout Squire 3-door hatchback was a small, fun and economical car that was fun to drive. The Runabout went on sale five days after it was shown at the 1971 Chicago Auto Show, and has an MSRP of $2,062.

The Focus Electric, which launched in 2011, is the flagship of the new Ford family of electrified vehicles. Aston Martin must have left behind a few drops of DNA when they left the Ford family because the brand’s new front grill, while very beautiful, has a very strong resemblance.

It has a top speed of 84 mph, with a full recharge is expected to take three to four hours. Our friends at Shiny Side sent us these great images from a current test drive IDM Photo‘s Ian did.

If you like the new Ford Focus, you can now have the opportunity to get your hands on the very beautiful 2013 252 HP ST since the order bank is now open. Its new “Aston Martin”  looking front grill gives it a real mean and nasty look (in a good way) and we’re even partial to this very energetic and bright orange color.

The 1980 Ford Escort MK3 came with either a 1300 OHC or 1600 OHC engine, both with single variable venturi carburetor, automatic choke and electronic ignition. It had 5″ x 13″ styled road wheels with 155/80 SR13 tires and came with halogen headlamps, heated rear window, self checking silicone chip controlled warning light system for front brake pad wear, low washer fluid, oil, coolant and fuel levels.

The interior had reclining front seats trimmed in “York” fabric. Center face level vents with warm air control, side window demisters, perforated headliner, front passenger grab handle, two grab handles in the rear incorporating coat hooks, passenger vanity mirror on sun visor, dipping rear view mirror, cigar lighter, two rear ashtrays, full door/rear quarter trim, front door stowage bins, three speed heater fan, glovebox with lock and document stowage, soft feel two-tone instrument panel, coin box, center console, Ford P21 push-button radio, two-speed wipers with intermittent wipe, load compartment carpet, trip recorder, Quartz clock, special gear shift gaiter and knob, color keyed ribbed carpet, driver’s lower parcel shelf, tilting rear package tray and four spoke soft feel steering wheel.

The 1975 Ford Mustang II Mach 1 hatchback, with it’s (code 2B) bright Red and racy styling said “driving fun starts here”. Ford promoted its 2.8 liter V6 as “authoritative”, and had a 4-speed manual to back it up.