These trim levels changed very little in the Fiesta's three-year run in the US, from 1978 to 1980. The US Mark I Fiesta was built in Cologne, but to slightly different specifications US models were Base, Decor, Sport, and Ghia, with the Ghia having the highest level of trim. The Fiesta was initially available in Europe with the Valencia 957 cc (58.4 cu in) inline-four engine (I4) with high- and low-compression options, and 1,117 cc (68.2 cu in) engines and in Base, Popular, Popular Plus, L, GL (1978 onward), Ghia, and S trim levels, as well as a van. Ford's marketing team had preferred the name "Bravo", but Henry Ford II vetoed it in favour of the Fiesta name. The name "Fiesta" (meaning "party" in Spanish) belonged to General Motors, used as a trim level on Oldsmobile station wagons, when the car was designed, and was freely given for Ford to use on their new B-class car. Chrysler UK were also about to launch the Sunbeam by this stage, and British Leyland was working on a new supermini, which was launched as the Austin Metro in 1980. Its initial competitors in Europe, apart from the Fiat 127 and Renault 5, included the Volkswagen Polo and Vauxhall Chevette. A Fiesta was on display at the Le Mans 24 Hour Race in June 1976, and the car went on sale in France and Germany in September 1976 to the frustration of UK dealerships, right-hand drive versions only began to appear in January 1977. Īfter years of speculation by the motoring press about Ford's new car, it was subject to a succession of carefully crafted press leaks from the end of 1975. Final assembly also took place in Valencia. The project was approved for production in late 1973, with Ford's engineering centres in Cologne and Dunton (Essex) collaborating.įord estimated that 500,000 Fiestas a year would be produced, and built an all-new factory near Valencia, Spain a transaxle factory near Bordeaux, France factory extensions for the assembly plants in Dagenham, UK. The final proposal was developed by Tom Tjaarda at Ghia, overseen by Ford of Europe's then chief stylist Uwe Bahnsen. The car was to have a wheelbase longer than that of the Fiat 127, but with overall length shorter than that of Ford's Escort. Development targets indicated a production cost US$100 less than the current Escort. The Fiesta was an all new car in the supermini segment, and was the smallest car yet made by Ford. More than a decade earlier, Ford had decided against producing a new small car to rival BMC's Mini, as the production cost was deemed too high, but the 1973 oil crisis caused a rise in the already growing demand for smaller cars. The Fiesta was originally designed by the project "Bobcat" team headed by Trevor Erskine (not to be confused with the subsequent badge-engineered Mercury variant of the Ford Pinto) and approved for development by Henry Ford II in September 1972, just after the launch of two comparable cars – the Fiat 127 and Renault 5.
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