In 2002, car production ceased at Ford’s Dagenham plant after some seventy years. It was a sad day in February of that year when the last Fiesta rolled off the assembly line. The plant has since downsized and now produces mainly engines, albeit to a high standard, but the glory days of the past, when proud men marked the entrance at one end and the family cars we grew up with appeared at the other. They are now just a remote memory.
I almost remember the launch of the Fiesta in 1976 when they introduced it to the world in the same way that proud parents can show off a new baby. There was some giggling at the time as the car shared its name with a certain men’s magazine that could easily claim to have been there first along with partner-in-crime Knave.
The Ford Fiesta was an instant hit, posting million-dollar sales in its first three years. The oil crisis had created a huge demand for smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles and the Fiesta entered this market easily with its smaller engine and cheaper operating costs. Several other manufacturers took the lead and launched their own similar small cars, giving rise to the term “Supermini” as a new take on the ubiquitous Mini. This had been around for many years, but the desire for something a little bigger became apparent.
The Fiesta enjoyed unrivaled sales until Austin Metro knocked it out of the number one sales position in 1981, though it remained a close second. The reliability and build quality of the Fiesta were of a high standard and many examples of the Fiesta Mark 1 were still going strong when the Mark 2 appeared in 1983. This version has special meaning to me as I used to own an XR2. My XR2 was a fairly late model, having gotten it in 1989, the year the Mark 3 came out. It was an “F” registration and was blue with black bumpers and trim.
I thought I was the deal in that car and though I shudder to admit it now I would race anything away from the lights and usually win. I was only 21 and insurance was a bit tricky even back then but it was worth it as the car was great. However, by today’s standards it wouldn’t go anywhere and as I recall it was stolen at least twice and I lose count of how many times someone tried to steal it.
I remember going to Devon at the weekend with a mate and a couple of girls who we were trying to impress and we ended up on a small ferry that just had a piece of chain at each end that closed after you’d driven. The trip was short, so he stayed in his car and waited for the grizzled old sailor to see him off at the other end. When it was my turn to leave, I forgot the car was in neutral and released the parking brake, causing us to nearly roll over the back into the harbor. There was a lot of screaming and I managed to compose myself since everyone was telling me that he was an idiot.
However, I loved that car and it was a sad day when I received a call from the police politely informing me that my car had been stolen and was currently burning on a local ball field. I even had to pay for the recovery of the burnt shell.
Fortunately, safety got a lot better in the 1990s, just like the Fiesta itself. The Mark 4 was a major redesign of previous models and the Mark 5, which appeared in 1999 and was built until 2002, was the last Fiesta to be built at Dagenham. This marked the end of an illustrious run of success that has continued to date with the new Mark 7 or fourth generation now being assembled in Germany. The Festival will always have a place in my memory and certainly for the proud workers of Dagenham.