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.
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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.
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