WHEN FORD ANNOUNCED IT WOULD be ceasing production of the Fiesta it felled one of the oldest family trees in the company's history. Announced in 1975, produced from 1976 and on sale in the UK from 1977, the Fiesta was Ford's first truly small car.
Slotting in below the Escort, the all-new front-wheel-drive hatchback was seen as a risk for the profit-hungry US giant. Forty-seven years and 22 million cars later, it's safe to say the Fiesta repaid that leap of faith by becoming one of the most successful models of all time.
It might have existed to provide Ford with an affordable, entry-level model, but no time was wasted in offering a sporting version, with the 1300 S arriving less than a year after the Fiesta was introduced. Boasting rampant 66bhp and 68lb ft of torque from its 1298cc pushrod Kent engine, Motor magazine described its performance as 'pleasantly brisk' despite it falling a little short of Ford's claimed top speed of 98mph and 0-60mph time of 10.7sec during a rigorous road test.
In a sign of things to come, Ford followed the S with the racy-looking Supersport, a limited run of 3000 cars built for the 1980 model year. Mechanically identical to the 1300 S, but bedecked in Series-X options, including wheel-arch extensions, small spoilers, cool decals and 13-inch RS four-spoke alloy wheels, it whetted the market's appetite for a hot series-production Fiesta.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der May 2023-Ausgabe von Evo UK.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der May 2023-Ausgabe von Evo UK.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
BEST BUYS BMW M CARS
THE PERFORMANCE CAR LANDSCAPE WOULD HAVE looked very different over the last five decades without BMW. Its M division, founded in 1972, has produced some of the best driver’s cars ever to hit the road, and in the process has provided a stream of benchmark models for its rivals to chase. In recent years, stricter emissions regulations, downsizing and electrification have seen some of those rival cars falter, yet by and large BMW’s M machines have remained strong. In fact, some rank among the greatest the department has made think of the eCoty-winning M2 CS and M5 CS while others are the only options worth recommending in their respective segments. Price tags have risen with performance, however, putting those latest offerings out of reach for many, but the marque’s popularity means there are numerous earlier M models available on the second-hand market for far more attainable figures. Here are four of our favourites.
TYRE 2024 TEST
Want to fit the very best tyres to your performance car? The annual evo Tyre Test identifies the cream of the current crop
HONDA ACCORD TYPE R
A liberal sprinkling of Honda Type R fairy dust on the late-'90s Accord produced an unlikely evo icon and a genuine performance bargain
TOY STORY
Where best to store some of Toyota’s most prized and valuable racing superstars? Under the wind tunnel at its Cologne HO, of course...
POWER PLAY
It develops 819bhp. It has no turbochargers, no hybrid assistance. Ferrari describes it as the most complete GT it's ever made. And it’s so proud of its mighty V12 engine it’s named the whole car after it. This is the 12 Cilindri
THE FIRST SAMURAIS
Japan has been responsible for many of our favourite driver's cars of recent decades, but their ancestors are often much less well known. We take a look at where the big manufacturers began their performance car journeys
DEFINITELY. NO MAYBE
Three Japanese performance icons - Lexus LFA, Subaru Impreza 22B and Nissan GT-R. Over three days on some of our favourite roads we explore what makes each uniquely thrilling, but also the car culture that unites them
1V3.0
F1, P1... and now W1. The next chapter in McLaren's Ultimate Series is the British firm's challenger to the forthcoming new Ferrari hypercar and a £2million, 1257bhp, hybrid-powered, technical tour de force
Thornley Kelham European RS
One man’s dream to build the perfect Porsche 911 has resulted inthis aaticMously restored and enhanced classic. We delve into the details and take it for a drive
Bentley Continental GT Speed
The new Continental GT is the most powerful Bentley ever, and the beginning of anew plug-in hybrid era for Crewe. But is it still a benchmark grand tourer?
