Ford fiesta

The Fiesta was originally named the Bobcat ("Red Lynx") project, approved by Henry Ford II in September 1972. The aim of the project is to reduce production costs and make the car cheaper than the then-released Ford Escort model ^[1] . The car should have had a wheelbase larger than the Fiat 127 , but its dimensions in length - less than the Ford Escort . The design was led by designer Tom Jaaard and the bureau Ghia . The project was approved in the fall of 1973 by the Ford Technical Center in Cologne with the support of the Dunton Wayletts.

It was decided to produce 500,000 units. a year, for this, a new plant was built near Valencia, and a factory for the production of a drive axle in a block with a gearbox nearby was opened in Bordeaux , several more plants in Europe. Final assembly took place at a factory in Valencia ^[2] .

Codename

When Ford Europe started designing the car, they wanted to call the project Iris, Beta, The Deutschlander, Mini-Mite, or the Blue Car (from Ghia). The code name for the Fiesta prototype was Torino, but then became Bobcat.

A list with the names for the new car developed by the Bobcat project team (led by Trevor Erskine) included the names Amigo, Bambi, Bebe, Bravo, Bolero, Cherie, Tempo, Chico, Fiesta, Forito, Metro, Pony and Sierra. Despite more votes for the Bravo, Henry Ford II personally rejected the name and named the car Fiesta. Some names were later used for other cars - " Sierra ", " Cortina ", " Tempo ". The name “Metro” was introduced by British automaker Leyland for compact cars in 1980. They named their model Ostin Metro .

The name Fiesta belonged to General Motors at the time, but was donated to Ford. Fiesta was demonstrated at the Le Mans 24 hour race in June 1976 .

The first generation Fiesta was launched in France and Germany in September 1976. In January 1977, sales began in the UK with a base price of £ 1,856. ^[3] In 1978, sales began in the United States. There, the car was produced until 1980.

The model became the second supermini produced in the UK, was released a year after the Vauxhall Chevette . Ford Fiesta sold very well: already in 1979, the millionth instance was released ^[4] .

Although the Fiesta is not the first Ford front-wheel drive car (there was a Taunus in the 1960s that claimed this title), the Fiesta was widely recognized as Ford's first successful front-wheel drive model ^[5] .

In August 1981, Fiesta went through a light restyling. A hallmark was the new large plastic bumpers. The model is sometimes also referred to as the 1982 model year Fiesta.

In 1981, Crayford developed the Fiesta convertible, called the Fiesta Fly. The car was designed by David McMullan. The history of the production of Fiesta Fly is definitely not clear, it is known that only 20 models were built. Coachwork Division bought the rights to manufacture the Fiesta Fly in 1982, and Autocar announced in September 1983 that it had produced about 100 copies of the Fiesta Fly. It is estimated that F. English built about 200 Fiesta Flys, of which 83 have survived to this day. It is reported that Crayford also built two Fiesta Fly based on the second generation Fiesta. ^{[6] [7] [8] [9] [10]} .

Specifications

The first generation Ford Fiesta was available in a three-door hatchback and a two-door van without rear side windows and rear seats. The body base is made of sheet steel. The body shape was developed by Tom Tjaard. At the 1976-1983 Fiesta, the hood opens forward so that there are no problems with the place for the wipers and the windshield.

Fiesta uses MacPherson-style suspension with wishbones and diagonal links in the front. (A characteristic feature was the absence of a stabilizer bar) and a rigid transverse beam on the longitudinal arms and a transverse "Panhard rod" at the rear. Fiesta - front-wheel drive car.

All first-generation Fiesta are equipped with a diagonal dual-circuit brake system, and, depending on the equipment, a vacuum brake booster. Disc brakes with a floating bracket were installed on the front axle, brackets with cylindrical guides (as on later models) and "ventilated" brake discs were installed on the XR2 model. Drum brakes are mounted on the rear axle, which is also affected by the parking brake.

Ford Fiesta 1976-1983 was equipped with "cheap" trim levels with OHV engines of 1.0 (40-45 hp) and 1.1 liter, (49, 50 and 53 hp) made on the basis of the famous Ford "Kent" family, but having a somewhat simplified design (a three-support crankshaft instead of a “full support” in “Kent”, only single-chamber carburetors) . In the GHIA version, Kent was used with a volume of 1.3 liters, (66 and 69 hp) with a Weber dual-chamber carburetor, and Kent was used with a 1.6 liter (84 hp) on the XR sports model. also with a Weber dual-chamber carburetor. Transmission - only four-speed manual. On models with engines 1.3 and 1.6, an intermediate support of the left half shaft was used, which made it possible to use half shafts of equal length. On cheap versions - half shafts of different lengths.

In August 1983, the easily redesigned second-generation Fiesta appeared. Although many parts of the 1981 Fiesta were used in the second-generation Fiesta, it is not restyled. The car’s interior, aerodynamics, front end and headlights were redesigned, but the new model remained virtually unchanged ^[11] . A 5-speed manual gearbox and new engines (including diesel) were also added. The front wheel track increased by 33 mm, while the rear wheel remained the same, the brake and steering systems were changed ^[12] .

In 1984, the XR2 version appeared, equipped with a 1.6-liter engine along with a 5-speed gearbox ^[13] .

The small Fiesta Express van, built on the basis of a 3-door hatchback, was only available with a 1.0-liter engine, and since 1986, only with a 1.1-liter engine. The equipment is no different from the base model. The van does not have rear seats or rear side windows. In August 1983, a car cost 11,960 German marks in Germany.

In September 1986, the updated Fiesta MK2 was introduced. The car has changed the bumper and engine range.

As of April 1989, from 1976 to 1988, about 4.5 million Ford Fiesta 1st and 2nd generations were produced ^[14] .

In 1988, the first information about the new generation appeared, and in February 1989, the deeply processed Ford Fiesta MK3 was launched. Starting from this generation, the Fiesta is available in a 5-door version.

This model was on sale the longest Fiesta. And it sold very well, two years after the release, the millionth instance was already released. In 1991, a van based on the Fiesta was released, called the Ford Courier . Also in 1989-1990, versions with fuel injection appeared on the markets. In the British market, fuel injection engines became available only in 1991. They were sold in countries with more stringent emission controls ^[15] .

In 1992, a number of Ford prototype cars with two-stroke direct injection engines were launched, produced by the Orbital Engine Corporation in Australia with full-scale production ^[16] . The cars were widely tested in the UK, but in the end it was decided not to produce them.

In January 1994, Fiesta underwent a small restyling in the field of security. Changes as an option: driver and passenger airbags, side impact protection and seat belt pretensioners.

After the 4th generation Fiesta production began in August 1995, the old model remained in production until August 1996 as the “Fiesta Classic”. The Fiesta Classic was manufactured at the Ford Valencia factory in Spain and positioned as a low-cost model before the introduction of the Ford Ka .

The 1996 Ford Fiesta model year was launched in August 1995, and became the best-selling model on the British market from 1995 to 1998. ^[17] For the first time, the Fiesta appears in the sedan market. In some markets it is made as Mazda 121 .

Fiesta also began to be delivered to Brazil, and later to be produced there at the Ford Brazil factory and exported to Argentina and Chile . There, the Fiesta is equipped with 1.0-, 1.3- and 1.4-liter engines.

Fiesta began to be delivered also to South Africa , and later - to be produced in its capital Pretoria . Fiesta is equipped there with a 1.3-liter engine, and since 1999 - with a 1.4-liter. He also won the Car of the Year Award in South Africa.

In September 1997, the Ford Puma coupe was developed, built on the basis of the fourth generation Fiesta. The coupe is equipped with a 1.7 liter engine, which is not equipped in the Fiesta model.

In 1999, Fiesta underwent a fairly significant restyling, made in the style of “New Edge”, taken from Ford Ka . The updated Fiesta has become similar to the Ford Focus , as the first has changed the front bumper. Also, the car has changed the design of the wheels and the range of engines. Restyling received the designation MK5.

Fiesta MK5 was the last generation of Fiesta, made in Dagenham ( UK ). The car still remained the best-selling supermini in the UK in 2001, despite the fact that it was made in the style of the last decade (but it was periodically updated).

The three-door Fiesta was sold until December 2002, along with a new, fifth generation. In Brazil, it was sold until 2006 under the name Fiesta Street.

Security

At first, the car was not given points, but in 2000 Fiesta passed the test again.

At the beginning of April 2002, the fifth generation Ford Fiesta was introduced, and production began in Spain on April 29. Although this is the fifth generation, the car received the MK6 index due to the 4th generation restyling, which received the MK5 index.

It was also the first Fiesta to be sold in Asia and Australia, replacing the Festiva model. In Brazil and Argentina, a sedan version was introduced at the end of 2004. A similar Fiesta sedan model with a different interface was released in India in late 2005.

Fiesta fifth generation can be equipped with engines of 1.25 liters, 1.3 liters, 1.4 liters, 1.6 liters and 2.0 liters.

The car was also shipped to Mexico, replacing the Ford Ikon there . The fifth generation Fiesta was produced in Mexico until 2010.

In 2004, the Fiesta ST was introduced at the Geneva Motor Show. It is equipped with a 2.0-liter engine with a capacity of 150 liters. with. (110 kW). Max. speed - 208 km / h. ^{[20] [21]} It also differs from the standard model in sports design, 17-inch (43 cm) alloy wheels, disc brakes for all wheels, various front and rear bumpers, side moldings, body color, embossed stripes and ST logo on the backs front seats and steering wheel. In Australia, the car was manufactured as the Fiesta XR4.

In November 2005, the Fiesta MK6 was restyled. The bumpers, the radiator grille have changed, new headlights, new taillights, reconstructed exterior mirrors and thicker side moldings have appeared. New vibrant exterior colors were added, including Tango Red, Amethyst, Sublime, and Apple.

Security

Fiesta 5 generation has become much safer than its predecessor.

The sixth generation or Ford Fiesta Mark VI was shown as a Ford Verve concept car at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2007 and a year later began to be delivered to major European markets. The strangeness of the name is that the generation of the car is the sixth, but according to the British classification it is the seventh. The disagreement went from the Mk4 / Mk5 generations - which were one Fiesta IV generation, but had different generation numbers.

This model is based on Global Platform B , the unified platform for the Ford lineup. The main production began at the Cologne Ford plant in Germany in August 2008. The second factory in Valencia began production in early 2009. Production in China, Thailand and Mexico began in late 2008.

Sixth-generation Fiesta sales began in June 2010 in Asia and North America. In India, the sixth generation sedan began to be produced in July 2011 in gasoline and diesel versions. In 2013, the model was restyled , during which the grille and engines were changed. Since 2015, the 2013 Ford Fiesta model year has been produced in Russia at the Ford Sollers plant in Naberezhnye Chelny ^[23] , but it was not produced in Europe.

Security

The car passed the Euro NCAP test in 2008 and in 2012:

At the end of November 2016, the seventh generation Fiesta was introduced. The car is not much different from the sixth generation, but it has become bigger and safer. Two new versions will also appear: the Fiesta Active (hatchback crossover) and the luxury version of the Fiesta Vignale ^[26] .

In February 2017, the future of the Fiesta ST was announced. It is equipped with a 1.5-liter engine with a capacity of 200 liters. with. ^{[27] The} Fiesta ST went on sale May 7, 2018. ^[28]

In March 2019, Ford announced a Fiesta with a hybrid engine. The Hybrid modification will receive a benzo-electric power plant, with a 1 liter turbo engine and a 48-volt lithium-ion battery. A hybrid car will appear on sale in the European market in 2020 ^[29] .

All generations of the Fiesta (except the seventh) were available in the back of the van. This option was not available in all markets. In the first three generations, the van was based on a 3-door version of the car. The car has removed the rear windows and the rear row of seats.

In 1991, a high-body van was introduced, based on the Fiesta Mark III, but with an increased wheelbase and suspension from Renault. It was named the Ford Courier. Courier continued to be produced until 2002, after which it was replaced by Ford Transit Connect .

Начиная с Fiesta MK5 Fiesta-van, снова был базирован на трехдверной модификации кузова. Fiesta-van шестого поколения был впервые представлен на европейском рынке в середине 2009 года, через год после запуска легковой модели.

• Ford Ikon

Oswald, Werner. Deutsche Autos 1945-1990, Band (vol) 3 : [ him. ] . — Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart , 2003. — ISBN 3-613-02116-1 .

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