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Official Press Release Information Below
News Release
1976 Ford Fiesta
The energy crisis of the early 1970s made the introduction of a small car a necessity for Ford. Henry Ford II gave his seal of approval to the design and development of "Project Bobcat" and invested more than a billion dollars - the biggest investment ever made by Ford for the smallest car they had ever produced.
Fiesta was launched in the summer of 1976. The entry model had a 1.0-litre engine and the Ghia model - the top of the range - was fitted with the 1.1-litre unit. Fuel economy was the key element in Fiesta's success.
Just 32 months after its launch, the one-millionth Fiesta was built in January 1979. Sports models were added to the line-up - the Supersport and then the XR2. The Mkl Fiesta was the best-selling car in its class in Britain and Germany for every year of its production run until 1983, when the Mkll new generation was introduced.
The new generation of Fiestas of 1983 continued the success and the third generation, introduced in February 1989, led the segment sales chart in seven countries just one month after its launch. Fiesta also had a sporty tradition with the XR2, XR2i and the high performance RS Turbo and RS1800i models. Significant changes occurred in 1992, 1995, 1999 and 2O01 and to date over 10 million Fiestas have been produced.
Specifications:
Engine: 957cc, ohv
Transmission: four-speed manual
Max speed: 79mph
Price when new: £1856 (Basic), £2757 (1.1 Ghia)
1988 Ford Fiesta XR2
The first Fiesta XR2s - high-performance versions of Ford's best-selling small family hatchback range - were introduced in 1982. Soon after the entire Fiesta range received its mid-term facelift, a much-revised XR2 went on sale in 1984. Like all other XR2s of this generation E131 JPA has a 96bhp/1.6-litre version of the overhead-camshaft CVH engine, a power unit which powered many Fiesta and Escort models in the 1980s and 1990s.
Because they were all equipped with special aerodynamic features - front spoiler, wheel arch extensions and a U-style rear spoiler surrounding the hatchback - the XR2 was always instantly recognisable. It was the fastest of all Fiestas in this range at this time with an authenticated top speed of 110mph.
Specifications:
Engine: 1597cc
Max power: 96bhp
Transmission: Five-speed manual
Max speed: 110mph
Price when new: £5713 (at launch in 1982)
ISSUED BY THE PRESS OFFICE - FORD MOTOR COMPANY LIMITED
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