After a quarter-century of unprecedented expansion and prosperity, the 1970s found the North American auto industry in a new game with profoundly changed rules. The government had entered their boardrooms with tightening emission standards and new safety legislation, spawned in part by Ralph Nader鈥檚 1965 book Unsafe At Any Speed. The automobile business would never be the same.
There was also the first oil embargo precipitated by the 1973 Yom Kippur War. It brought United States government legislation enacting automobile fuel mileage standards called Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE). There was no Canadian version, as manufacturers agreed to meet U.S. levels in sa国际传媒. In addition to all this was increasing import competition, particularly from Japan.
Ford reacted to the threat with its 1971 subcompact Pinto, General Motors with the Chevrolet Vega and American Motors with its Gremlin. Rather than develop its own small car, Chrysler imported its 鈥渋mport fighter.鈥�
In spite of the new American small cars, the foreigners kept coming, particularly the wave of fuel- and space-efficient front-drive models such as the Honda Civic and Volkswagen Rabbit. Ford decided it had to respond in kind.
Since the late 1960s, Ford management had been considering a new 鈥渨orld car,鈥� kind of a modern Model T. The 1973 oil crisis provided the impetus to proceed, and the decision to build a 鈥渂aby Ford鈥� came in December 1973.
Ford of Europe, formed when Ford鈥檚 German and English subsidiaries joined in 1967, was given the job of creating the new subcompact under the code name Bobcat. It would be an international development, using components from many European countries including France, Ireland, England and Germany.
This ambitious undertaking resulted in an all-new vehicle and a 鈥済reen field鈥� plant in Spain. It involved the expenditure of more than $1 billion US, Ford鈥檚 biggest investment ever for its smallest car ever.
Noting the popularity of the Civic and Golf (Rabbit in North America), Ford鈥檚 international design team followed the same formula. The result was a two-door, front-wheel-drive, unit-construction hatchback with distinctly Volkswagen styling influences.
Rather than develop a new engine, Ford used a modified version of its English 鈥淜ent鈥� overhead-valve, in-line four found in such cars as Capris, Cortinas and Pintos. It sturdiness had been well demonstrated in road cars and Formula Ford racing.
Mounted transversely, it drove the front wheels through a four-speed all-synchromesh manual transaxle with equal-length halfshafts to counteract torque steer. Radial tires were fitted, and brakes were power-assisted front discs and rear drums. Suspension was front MacPerson struts and a beam axle with trailing arms and coil springs at the rear.
The little Ford was named the Fiesta, chosen from several by Henry Ford II himself. Since the name had previously been used by Oldsmobile in the 1950s, Henry called GM chairman Tom Murphy and got his personal permission to use it.
Fiesta production began in mid-1976, and it would be built in three counties: England, Germany and Spain. After a record-breaking year in Europe, where it sold better than any new car ever produced there, the Fiesta made its way to North America in the spring of 1977. It came in four time levels: Standard, Decor, Sport and Ghia.
Although 208 millimetres shorter than the Rabbit, and with 112 mm less wheelbase, the Ford Fiesta offered surprisingly good interior space for four adults in an overall package only 3,734 mm long.
With its sturdy if somewhat loud 66-horsepower Kent four pushing a sprightly 826 kilograms, the Fiesta was surprisingly spirited. Car and Driver reported zero to 100 km/h in 10.4 seconds and a quarter-mile sprint of 18 seconds. Top speed was 156 km/h. It was the fastest in a comparison test of seven economy cars in the hotly contested CAFE-driven market segment.
They found its ride quality wasn鈥檛 up to the standard of the other small cars. Also, during vigorous track manoeuvres, the front suspension developed several degrees of positive camber, causing 鈥渁 terminal case of pigeon toes.鈥�
While it was popular in North America, the Fiesta was only a stopgap car for the Ford Motor Co. To the disappointment of many fans, it was imported for three model years only 鈥� 1978, 鈥�79 and 鈥�80 鈥� until Ford could get its new domestic front-drive Escort ready.
The Fiesta continued to be built in Europe and enjoy popularity there long after it was initially withdrawn from North America. Ford Motor Co. still offers a Fiesta subcompact today (though not for much longer).
The Escort was bigger, but to many it lacked the spirit and character of the little Fiesta. Although sold here for only three years, this sturdy hatchback left good memories as a quick, economical and fun-to-drive car.
