Gallery: Ford Fiesta through the years

1) The Ford Fiesta story starts back in 1976 - launching the same year as Concorde and tech giant Apple. Forty one years later, the Blue Oval has sold more than 17 million Fiestas around the globe and is about to launch the new eighth generation. Join us on a whistle-stop tour of the Fiesta through the ages… 2) As early as 1972, Ford was developing what went on to become the Fiesta. Dubbed Project Bobcat, it was designed to be a new Ford for global sale and was championed by the eponymous Blue Oval chairman Henry Ford II. The backdrop was the 1973 oil crisis, making small cars a vogueish priority. The project was approved in ’73, with a new 2.7 million square metre factory in Valencia, Spain built to produce it. These Spanish roots contributed to the alliterative, energetic name. 3) The first production Ford Fiestas rolled off the line in Saarlouis, Germany on 11 May 1976. The Mk1 is a petite, cleanly styled three-door that set the template for small Fords. And note what a different manufacturing landscape existed back in the 1970s: rather than one super-factory producing Fiestas for all, Ford split production between Valencia, Saarlouis and Dagenham. Local Fiestas for local folk. 4) This 1977 advert shows how the Blue Oval sold the Mk1 Fiesta. And just look at those prices! The boggo Fiesta started at £1856, rising through L (£2079) and Fiesta S (£2360) to the heady heights of the Ghia, which retailed at £2657. 5) The first UK Fiestas could hardly be called firecrackers. Engine power outputs were equally diminutive, with a choice of 40, 45 or 53bhp at launch. No wonder the slowest Fiesta could barely top 80mph - and the fastest S and Ghia versions, launched in 1977, boasted a 90mph v-max. This was the same year the Fiesta was exported to the US, as Americans (briefly) considered downsizing during the after-shocks of the oil crisis. 6) Hell, this was the 1970s. Of course they applied lashings of beige and orange and strange velour trim everywhere. This 1977 customised Ford Fiesta was a special, sadly, and not a trim level any Tom, Dick or Henry could order off-the-peg. Despite such crimes against good taste, the Fiesta scooped the British Design Council Efficiency Award in 1978 and was named Spain’s Car of the Year. 7) Ford knows a thing or two about special editions - and this was in evidence even with the early Mk1 Fiestas. Check out Exhibit A: the 1979 Sandpiper limited edition, resplendent in two-tone Roman Bronze over Solar Gold. You can almost hear Abba playing on the tinny, two-speaker wireless inside… 8) Happily, rather better taste soon took over. In 1981, Ford launched the first XR2, with a revved-up 1600cc four-cylinder engine, stiffened suspension and the grooviest bodykit yet seen on a small production Ford. Those perforated alloy wheels and spoilers created a modern icon. Tellingly, it was the first Fiesta to breach the 100mph threshold. 9) Recently departed James Bond ace Roger Moore was even coerced into some Ford Fiesta promotional stunts. He’s pictured here with a sweet, unadorned Mk1. 10) As the biggest seller in the UK, Ford has a long history of supplying Britain’s constabularies with panda cars. The Mk1 Fiesta is pictured here with the local Essex force, who used the supermini for crime-fighting in the home counties. You can see how thrilled the coppers look with their steeds. 11) Today’s Fiesta dwarfs the 1976 original. It’s not just a trick of the eye: today’s superminis are as big as cars from the class above, as the need for better packaging, more seats, safety equipment galore and extra equipment has inflated the footprint of modern cars. 12) It wasn’t long before Ford went busy with concept cars, exploring future directions for its big-selling, small car. The 1978 Ford Fiesta Tuareg concept car was a collaboration between the Blue Oval and Ghia in Turin. Its mission? To create a ‘practical, off-road, desert Fiesta.’ Named after the nomadic Saharan tribe decades before VW nabbed the name for its large SUV, the chunky Fiesta had 26in knobbly tyres, a 7in stretch in ride height and a split tailgate lined with corduroy matting. It never reached production… 13) Cabriolet concepts followed, but Ford never bit the brave pill and produced one. No mainstream brand has made the convertible supermini work, despite attempts with the Peugeot 205 soft-top and others. 14) Yes, this is a Ford Fiesta pick-up. Fashioned, again, by Ghia design studios in Italy, it was an exploration of how utilitarian the Fiesta concept could go. Unsurprisingly, the Ghia Fantasy Pick-up remained just that. 15) By now Fiesta sales were rocketing. The millionth was built in 1979 in Saarlouis and that figure had doubled by 1981. No wonder it was the best-selling car in its class in Britain and Germany during its first six years on sale… 16) The Mk2 Fiesta was born in 1983, with greater emphasis on aerodynamics. It was larger and came with 1.0, 1.1 and 1.3 petrol engines - or a 1.6 diesel. 17) The Mk2 segued into the Mk3 in 1989, becoming the first car with ABS anti-lock brakes. Ford marked the launch with the Goldener Vogel (golden bird) art installation atop the tower of a city museum in Cologne. It is unrecorded how many Fiestas its creator, the artist HA Schult, received by way of payment. 18) Business as usual with the go-faster Fiestas, by now firmly ensconced in the range. The XR2i added a new 1.6 twin cam, flared wheelarches and grippier tyres and chassis mods - while the 1990 Fiesta RS Turbo launched at the Turin motor show, sporting a Garrett turbo to lop a huge 1.6 seconds from the 0-62mph time. Shares in tyre makers everywhere leapt. 19) The Mk4 Fiesta landed in 1996, with rounder styling, oval grille and new (still familiar) 1.25, 1.4 and 1.6 petrol engines and a 1.8 diesel. Twin airbags were now standard. Sales continued to swell - this generation saw the 10 millionth Fiesta built. 20) Still the concepts kept coming: the 1998 Libre concept was another convertible Fiesta study which met a dead end. Is it just us, or can you see shades of StreetKa in there somewhere? New Edge was a’coming… 21) The Mk5 arrived in 1999, accompanied by the Ford Fiesta Sport at the IAA that autumn. It was a bit of a warm-up act to the Mk6, the properly new one at 2001’s Frankfurt show two years later. It came in 3dr and 5dr bodystyles, added a suite of new engines and Durashift EST robotised manual box. Of rather more interest was the Ford RallyeConcept shown at the NEC in Birmingham in 2002, capitalising on the Fiesta’s fun-to-drive foundation. This was the Richard Parry-Jones era, and even humdrum Fiestas fizzed with sharp steering, fun dynamics and (whisper it) lift-off oversteer. 22) Sales continued to prosper, as the Fiesta mixed everyday pricing with increasingly attractive designs and fun, accessible dynamics. The Mk7 continued this trend, with a more rounded shape, a new focus on appealing to more female buyers with what design chief Martin Smith dubbed ‘sprinty’ styling and the now expected sharp handling. 23) It was no surprise the Mk7 Fiesta continued to dominate the UK sales charts, overtaking Focus to hog the #1 bestseller’s position for most of its life. 24) Ford showed the new Mk8 Fiesta at a special event in Germany ahead of the Geneva motor show, where it confirmed a much wider remit. As well as three- and five-door hatchbacks, this time there’ll be a posher Vignale edition to eat in to Mini and DS sales, as well as a tougher, rougher Active model to lend a hint of SUV ruggedness to active lifestyle minded buyers. Maybe that Tuareg concept car back in the 1970s wasn’t so silly after all… 25) Here’s to the next chapter. We really hope they don’t muck up the formula that’s been so successful for so long. If they can tackle the Fiesta’s weak points - a cheap ’n’ cheerful cabin, lower perceived quality than rivals, weak residuals and yesteryear connectivity - but keep the democratic positioning, slick styling and fun-to-drive vibe, they could be on to a winner. We’ll know for sure in summer 2017 when we drive the new Fiesta.