OK, so today’s burning question is, “Can an econobox be considered a survivor?” Usually, the term is used to describe a little old lady’s Buick LeSabre that has been gently used and only driven to church on Sunday. Or maybe, sadly, a muscle car bought by an enthusiastic lad who barely used it before getting an invitation to tour South Asia only to never return. Well, you get the idea. Today’s find is a 1978 Ford Fiesta and while not stated specifically in the listing as a “Survivor”, it could be considered to be worthy of that moniker. My initial answer is, I suppose (hedged on that one), and why not? Some, however, may disagree. With that thought, let’s check out this diminutive orange coupe. It’s located in Yucaipa, California and is available, here on eBay for a current bid of $3,250 with sixteen bids tendered so far.
A Fiesta is probably better known in Europe than it is on these shores, and this example, being a 1978 model, is a first-year U.S. variant. After three model years, the Fiesta departed the U.S., having been replaced by the Escort but it made a reappearance in later years. Considered at the time to be “A Masterpiece of European Engineering“, at least in Ford’s marketing material, this Fiesta doesn’t particularly look like a masterpiece of anything. Sure, it presents as original and unmodified, but it is, simply, what you see. That said, it’s not a bottom of the barrel trim level as this subcompact Ford is festooned with the “Decor” package which includes “Woodtone” appliques, a package tray, a fold-down rear seat, fully reclining front seats covered in and cloth-and-vinyl houndstooth upholstery. Those front seats, however, have made a run for the border as they are now adorned with Mexican blankets. The rest of the interior is fair, the door panels are warped but that’s a minor matter. A factory flip-up sunroof, all the rage of the late ’70s/early ’80s, was originally spec’d and from what can be seen, it doesn’t appear to leak. And that was the bane of most of these, be they original equipment or an aftermarket add-on. All-in-all, this Ford projects a minimalist environment. The seller adds, “The lights, horn, windshield wipers all work accordingly“.
Finished in Signal Orange, the exterior of this 63K mile example (not authenticated) still shows well. The finish isn’t faded and there’s no indication of rust/rot or crash damage. Even the black plastic bumper ends are still in place! The seller mentions that four new 12″ tires have been sourced – they’re probably a challenge to find these days, and the wheels are steel, and as is typically the case with economy cars of this era, are finished in argent. So, a box on wheels? I’d say so and I must admit that I like it – it’s a no-nonsense design that assures good driving visibility.
Speaking of driving, this smallest of Fords is powered by a 66 net HP, 1.6 liter, in-line, four-cylinder engine which, “turns over and runs by bottle-fed. It needs more work to be roadworthy, it needs exhaust and the clutch linkage hooked up. It rolls around easily…” OK, so running and driving isn’t this Fiesta’s forte. Interestingly, a four-speed manual transaxle, also known in some circles today as a millennial theft prevention device, was the only gearbox offered – can you imagine that arrangement in modern times?
So, what’s your vote, a survivor or something else? The fact that a Fiesta is an inexpensive subcompact should have no bearing on determining whether or not it can so qualify – though admittedly, a bare-bones economy car seems out of character for the application of that description. I’d say this example, with its essentially non-running engine and seats that appear to be all out of survivor skills misses the mark. But then again, what’s in a definition, right?
These were loved by many, cheap and somewhat reliable transportation. Could race anyone you wanted, they didn’t need to know. Yep might be considered slow but was fuel mileage and emissions were getting a lot of attention. This fit well sort of.
The first car I bought with my money…
Used, in 1986 paid $200 drove it for 6 years (replaced the transaxle once) it was way too much fun… When I inflated tires to 44psi I could get 40mpg.
Since I’ve had Datsun 510s, 914s, and 911s… I still miss this little car.
I regretted not buying one back in the day. To me, they seemed cheap and cheerful! And, best of all for someone who was already attracted to European cars, they combined Euro flair, nimbleness and utility with service (and, more important, PARTS) from my local Ford dealer.
If I remember correctly, these used the U.K. Ford “Kent” engine, which was quite happy to be worked over a bit for some added oomph. That was another attraction then, as I wasn’t quite as enthusiastic about the homegrown turbo kits that were getting popular in the late ’70s and early 80s.
This one looks a good starting point for someone with the time, patience and spare cash to give it a freshening-up. The problems the seller mentions could all be corrected fairly quickly. Absent major rot underneath, it could be a nice project.
We bought the first one the dealer in Cleburn, TX, ever had. Bright red. Aluminum wheels. A/C. Black interior. Wing windows, which were an option. The brake pads that came on it lasted less than 10,000 miles. Never got over 35 mpg. Fun to drive. Had to replace the water pump 3 times, and the heater controls once. Traded it for a 1982 Pontiac Phoenix, which was, oddly enough, a much better car, although it was also bright red and a hatchback.
I think he’s asking too much for a non-running car. Still, these cars take well to engine mods and can be a hoot to drive!
These were pretty good cars for the time and did well side by side with Rabbits
This goes to show how odd my taste are. This in my Holy Grail list , right there with a Austin Healey 100/6 , Morris Minor travler 65 Mustang Fastback. Thing is , in my neck of the woods , the mk I Fiesta is impossible to find. Not seen one in the flesh in decades.
My Dad had one of these. Basically the same package as this one. Dad’s was a maroon color. I learned to drive with it and it really was fun to drive. It desperately could have used a/c though. Tennessee in the summer is warm and humid, and the 2 window 60 mph cooling is not the best. LOL! Interesting fact regarding the sunroof. The car came with 2 roof panels, the glass one you see in these pics and a painted metal one. Dad used the metal one in the summer to cut down on the heat a bit, and the glass one the rest of the year. Thanks for sharing this one. Great memory for me!
The development of the Fiesta was probably the largest and most expensive car project undertaken by Ford up to the time. More than one billion dollars was spent from 1972 thru 1976 (at the time dollars, not inflation corrected dollars) developing the car and building the plants to produce the car. One billion in 1976 is more than 5 billion today. It was a totally new car and the first ‘world’ car by Ford since the model T. Though not popular in the USA, it is one of the all-time bestselling car models.
“ Never got over 35 mpg.” At the time,1978, the CAFE standard for cars was 18 mpg and most car manufacturers were saying it near impossible to achieve.
It was rated at 45 mpg, however. But the testing in those days was less than sparkling.
I bought a ’79 Sport model new.It got
25 mpg around town,& 35 on the highway,
without even trying.
I once drove it from Visalia to Sacramento,
taking it easy,& it got 53!
Probably the best car I’ve ever owned.
1st & 2nd gen did not come with 2 xtra doors.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Fiesta
The current one ONLY comes with 2 xtra doors, as of recently.
& of course it’s only avail overseas.
Have you guys seen the legroom in the back of modern 4 door subcompacts? – the rear drive Pinto had a LOT more – go figure.
It depends on the model, a modern Fiesta is basically a four-door coupe. A Honda Fit on the other hand feels fully twice as roomy on the same footprint.
I like them, dunno why, they just look fun, not fast but zippy…I’d buy it just cause…
Here in the Uk these fetch good money esp the XR 2& supersport version.
I learnt to drive in an 82 version in 1984.
These were neat little cars. Drove a couple of them brand new and liked it. Seem to recall either Car and Driver or R&T tested it, and said it was Ford’s attempt to produce a “world” car that could compete with the Rabbit.
A nursery school classmate’s mother in the early 80s had a orange one like this. She liked it so much the only one in good shape north of the upstate NY border was a red one in Canada and they had that till it died then got a maroon omni.
I’ve never met a dissatisfied owner or former owner of one, and it was quite highly praised by the buff books. Price did them in, the $/DM relationship meant these cost more than a Fairmont which was a decent value proposition when there was a gas crunch and Ford’s domestic small car was the hoary Pinto, but once the (Detroit) Escort came on stream for ’81 there was no reason to bring in any more Fiestas which would’ve still been pricier than what was, in Europe, the next model up.
Ford Fiasco. I couldnt get a starter for one of these in the 70’s. Another Mutt that used an english Ford engine. Parts extremely hard to get even back then. Now if you wanted to repower it , thats another story. If I saw one of these in person, I’d run, Forrest, run. Good luck and happy motoring.
Cheers
GPC
Many times the problem was just the starter solenoid contacts.
So, you could not even find a starter rebuilder back then? Back then i had alternator & starter rebuild shops ez to find – today, i can’t even find a machine shop in my very congested area!
But i do see 2 of 3 remanned starters avail now on Rockauto for this car model that for all intents & purposes virtually does not exist anymore in the USA! …
https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/ford,1978,fiesta,1.6l+98cid+l4,1128271,electrical,starter+motor,4152
But try to find a pair of non rusty front bumper brackets that hold up the VERY heavy front endura bumper on a ’70-3 firebird, much less new ones.
My Mom freshly a divorced college student with a 1978 Thunderbird she inherited from my Grandmother traded my Aunt for a bright yellow 1979 Fiesta in 1980 and it wasn’t a great car. I don’t think she had it very long and something happened with the fuel system that was pretty costly to repair, she accepted a job about 80 miles from where we lived and she was worried if the car would make it and would borrow a friends Datsun which had a lot more miles on it than the Fiesta to go out of town. She didn’t trust it for it being a fairly new car. In 1984 she traded it in on a new Chevy S-10 and some older couple stopped at the dealership and bought it on the spot not caring it had issues to tow behind their motorhome, they left in the Fiesta before Mom had finished signing all the paperwork on the new truck. I don’t remember what they paid for it but my Mom thought they were nuts.
A modern day Fiesta ST drivetrain swap would make that a fun little sleeper!
Liked these a lot, even if they were a bit willowy overall. Like they said, it’s fun to drive a fast car fast, but, even more fun to drive a slow car fast! Ask me, they certainly cooperated in that regard!
Had one of these back in the day, great car! Would own one again and a local get around car and get away from the spy…computer.
While being poor and in college, the generator went, could not afford a new one, thus had to pull it out and get it rebuilt. I drove the car for a week with no generator in it, charged the battery every night for a week….You did what you had to do back then.
Like the Chevy “Chevette”, the “Fiesta” was trash then, it’s trash now.
I new someone who owned a ‘Chevette’. He told me it was basically trash too.
I bought a used ’78 Sport. We drove it for four years. Drove from eastern PA to Mexico City with our two toddlers, a roof cargo carrier, and crammed with our personal effects, tools, and spare parts, since none were available in Mexico. We drove all over that country for a year, and had many offers to buy it, since it was different from the VW Golf so popular there. Drove it back home and sold it later. It was fun to drive, no major problems,
but leaked a lot of oil. Good memories!
Had 2 of these bought used. Death traps, but peppy and fun! Mine ate brakes too. I think one had AC…
Being a Fiesta is irrelevant. That it doesn’t run and the interior is failing kicks out of the survivor category.
Real close though.
Put 145,000 miles on one. Piston ring land broke so I put 4 std piston kits in it and drove it another 40 K miles. Gave it to brother-in-law and he put another 30 K on it till he hit a deer . Scrapped it and the engine laid in the shed for 10 years till a gent I worked with needed an engine for one. Gave him the old engine and he drove it for over 2 years back and forth to work. The top of the cowl rotted out and the brakes were a constant problem in rust prone Atlantic Canada. Was a darn good car. Hammered the heck out of it and was fun to drive
I owned 2 of these back in the 80s. Great car. E105 Ford motor (fantastic). 40 mpg every tank. I may have to buy this one.
To answer your question, any car can be a survivor, depending on your definition of survivor. But that’s a whole other subject. Is this one a survivor?
It could be. To me it depends on how much is still factory original after it’s been fixed and is safely back on the road.
Tempting! I owned a 78, it was light green, and a hoot to drive. It was my airport car for 6 years. Never let me down, I taught a few neighborhood kids to drive a stick. If it was running, I would be bidding. GLWTA
I had a silver 79 with a GIHA package it was a fun little car eventually started to get a puff of blue smoke out the tail pipe when sitting in traffic so I sold it for $900 bucks
The Fiesta. The love of UK driving schools. I learnt and passed by driving test in Fiestas – learnt in a 1977 MkI and two weeks before my test, my instructor got a brand new MkII. Great little cars!
wow, i do not see these in minnesota any more! i see front seat has sun rot. but looks great to have. there was one in the family and on every turn the floor moved and it did not stay in family very long becouse of this.
I can’t recall the last time I saw one of these for sale or on the road. I had a 1978 model Ghia edition. The Ghia had ac, sunroof, cargo cover and much nicer seats. I didn’t have it super long as I was in my stupid teenage/early 20’s years and went though different cars at that time. Horse playing in the parking lot after work one day and discovered if you drop the clutch in reverse it launches like a muscle car with incredible grip; almost went through the windshield the first time. All my my friends were impressed with this car trick :). I never got over 30mpg but with only a 4 speed seemed the norm.
Man what a Jewel, I bought a new one back in 80 was signal orange too what a hoot to scoot around town in. Was great on fuel but regrettably not a chick magnet. But I remember they thought it was a cute car.
Like the orange. If I could find an orange 82 to 83 escort or lynx, I’d I’d prob pick it up. I would call it a survivor and try to preserve it, despite its pedestrian and humble intentions