1980 Ford Fiesta MK1

In reply to jimbbski :

100hp in 1800lbs are MkI GTI numbers, so that would definitely make it a fun car. 

See that label on the drivers side of the firewall? It says "This car was NOT built to accommodate any air conditioning"  Lol!

In reply to Datsun310Guy :

Can top that...how about 2 infant seats and a 5 year old in the middle? We bought a Ghia trim with the pop-up sunroof at the end of '78.  Nice seats. It was Ms RBS 1.0 ride with 3 kids in the rear from Oct. '85 until June '86. Then she got an '83 Chevy Caprice Estate(woodgrain, wire wheel caps, and whitewalls) and I got the Fiesta.

I owned four of them. This was my final one.

Very light, very nimble. The USA only got the 'big' 1.6 engine. Only transmission was 4 speed manual. Could slay Rabbits but not the GTI due to the transmission gearing. 12" wheels meant tiny brakes that were just 'okay'. Very dependable cars that suffered few problems. I had one with a/c, it was an intrusive dealer add-on from Ford with a unique high output alternator that provided barely-adequate cooling.

They came in four trim levels:  base, decor, sport and Ghia. Pivoting front vent windows were an option. If you got a sunroof it came with both a steel and glass panel you could swap around. There was a bag for the 'extra' and it used tie downs in the rear cargo floor. All of them have the slots in the floor pieces.

They tend to break the front motor mount as there was never a torque rod to the firewall. Water pumps were another frequent failure but if you ran the belt tension on the loose side they would last. Had a stupid marine terminal battery that nobody kept in stock.

There is a pretty active Facebook group for the USA ones.

I'm on my 4th Mk Fiesta.  I've first one I  owned  was a '78 that died a sudden death when it was rear ended back in the 80's while parked in front of my house late at night.  It got hit so hard that it was propelled 70 ft down the street, flipped around 180 deg. and ended up on my neighbors front lawn with a small  sapling sticking out from under it that the car rode up and over. Any other car and the kid that hit it may have been hurt but he and his friends were able to continue driving his car. They only stopped because the impact had pushed the front end back and the fan was rubbing on the radiator. A police car stopped to check them out and they fessed up about the accident.

My current Fiesta is a '79 in good shape considering its age. I bought it 3 years ago but it's been sitting while I try to find the time and space to work on it. I now that that time and space.   I plan on rebuilding and hopping up the Kent engine  and the suspension this winter  with some parts from England.

There's 3-4 Mk I Fiestas that still race with the racing body I race with,  Midwest Council of Sports Car Clubs. One showed up this past weekend for the last race of the year and sadly the driver suffered a hub failure and lost a wheel as she came through the turn I was flagging at. The only good thing about this was it was a short tow to her paddock spot, about 100 yards! 

In reply to Aeromoto :

Do you still have the MK1?  I cannot PM yet as this is my first post. I am Interested for sure she would be right at home next to my other EuroFord. If it is still available text me.

In reply to Capri_RS :

Sorry it has sold. Thanks

Thank you for getting back to me.