The Ford Fiesta, the best-selling car in the UK ever, has officially turned 40 years old after the first model rolled off the line all the way back in 1976.
For nearly two decades now, the Fiesta has led the small car market in the UK and has remained unchallenged as Britain’s best-selling car since 2009 when it stole the title from the Ford Focus.
To date, 4,339,149 Fiestas have been sold here in the UK alone, officially surpassing the Escort as the best-selling car in Britain ever and more than one in 20 cars sold in the country wears a Fiesta badge.
Best-selling car in Britain ever
The first Fiesta began production at Ford’s factory in Valencia in 1976, with the car envisioned as a small and frugal vehicle to tap into shifting markets in the wake of the 1973 oil crisis.
Designed as “the most outstanding small car the world had ever seen”, the Mk1 Fiesta was an instant success with more than a million models sold within the first three years alone.
The Mk2 followed in 1980 with a minor update that didn’t shake up the winning formula too much, along with a variety of special editions which included the Fiesta Firefly, Holiday and Olympus Sport.
History of the Ford Fiesta
By 1989 the Mk3 had been introduced, and it was followed by the Mk4 in 1994, which was the best-selling car in the UK between 1996 and 1998, but which was the only Fiesta with no sporty variant.
Ford introduced a fifth-generation Fiesta in 1999 although it was more of a facelift than a truly new model, but the next and most significant change was the introduction of Mk6 in 2002.
Although the Mk6 was announced on April Fool’s Day, the car proved to be no joke with its grown-up appearance, equipment list and a new sales approach which saw it aggressively pitched to a global market.
New Fiesta due in 2017
In 2008, Ford introduced the latest and arguably greatest Fiesta, the current Mk7 which introduced modern conveniences like electric power steering and an infotainment system to the platform.
The car’s entire genre shifted upmarket, and the Mk7 has also spawned several successful motorsports variants and the multi-award winning, critically acclaimed Fiesta ST.
Although Ford will be looking back with dewy eyes on its best-selling car upon its 40th birthday, it’ll also be looking ahead as a new generation version of the Fiesta is due to be introduced next year.