23 Aug 01
Prices: £150-£1500
Engines: Mk 1 - 1598cc, 84bhp, four cylinders; Mk 2 - 1597cc, 95bhp, four cylinders
Check for: Ownership history, accident damage, rust, overheating, XR2 lookalikes, worn suspension and brakes, tired engines, overall abuse
Many drivers' first hot-hatch purchase, the venerable Fiesta XR2 is a much-loved, much-tuned, much-hammered and much-crashed tiny tearaway. In fact, if it hadn't been for the superior Peugeot 205GTI (see separate page) it would have defined the hot-hatch genre. Fact is, boys of all ages didn't care that the 205 had sharper handling, more agile suspension, more precise steering and more power - the XR2 looked good, stormed away from the traffic lights and lent itself well to tweaking, bodykitting and otherwise accessorising.
The first, Mk 1 based XR2 followed on from the 1300 Supersport model and was, quite frankly, pretty crude. It joined the Fiesta range in December 1981. Developed by Ford's Special Vehicle Engineering (SVE) unit at Dunton, it had a 1598 cc engine (84 bhp), uprated suspension and lowered chassis, a wider track, spoilers, 'pepperpot' alloy wheels with low-profile tyres, front foglamps, flared wheel-arches, sports instruments and ventilated front disc brakes, and it brought a touch of glamour into the range in the run-up to the Mk 2's launch. The Mk 2 was a little more refined both to look at and to ride in, with more aerodynamic styling and better soundproofing, and had its power upped to a useful 95 bhp.
It's easier to find a decent Mk 2 than Mk 1, by sheer virtue of the number originally sold, although there's loads of very rough ones around. But they're easy to work on, restore, botch or nurture - you pays yer money and takes yer chance.
Links:
Fiesta 25th Anniversary: Tribute to a nation's favourite
Guide to checking out a used car
Mug's guide to tuning: More bhp for your bucks
