Shit(e) Ford Special Editions 1990 to 1999

[Hendry]

This was when the RS brand was moving away from its true motorsport roots into the styling brand it is now...

 

Isnt it the ST thats happened with? with these ST-Line models and so on, anytime an RS is launched its always the highest power, most sporty model in the range, just need to look at the mk2/3 Focus RS for that. 

 

Im not saying they didnt use the RS name for styling lines in the 90s but they still produced high power and performance RS models too, and maybe RS styling kits sold cars to people who couldnt afford to buy, run or insure proper RS stuff, in a way its good for marketing because they might start off with a 1.4 LX but aspire to an RS and when they are older and earning more money they might just spunk the huge amount for an RS model. 

[Rod/b]

My sister had one of Escort Dash cabrios, on the staff scheme. It was fairly dire.

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

 

 

Electric windows, sure, but all his time travel gizmos are gone. Is aircon and a CD player really so exotic you'd trade a time machine for them?

[darkfour]

From this side of the pond, the 1990 Mustang 7-Up special edition

 

[andy18s]

RS styling kits sold cars to people who couldnt afford to buy, run or insure proper RS stuff, in a way its good for marketing because they might start off with a 1.4 LX but aspire to an RS and when they are older and earning more money they might just spunk the huge amount for an RS model.

This^^

In the late 60s and 70s the RS brand was all about the motorsport

Building the cars to win at pretty much every discipline they tried,then toning them down to sell to Joe Public

The 80s took on a more financial success story rather than the actual racing side of things with cars like the Sierra Cosworth being referred to as a "halo" car to aspire to

[twosmoke300]

Not a special edition but when did you last see a fiesta courier van about ? Served my time when these were current but I'm guessing they have all dissolved by now

[Split_Pin]

Actually now that you mention it, I saw an X Reg Sad face Courier on the M876 about a month ago. It was registered at the local People's (or was it still Millars then - Hendry?) too and I nearly broke my neck looking at it as it overtook me. I must add I was only tootling along at 60 odd as I always do in the Megane.

[Pillock]

Not saying they sold out on the RS brand, but I distinctly remember having an RS Accessories brochure in the mid 80s which featured a Granada 1.8GL wearing the full plastic kit... Front lower bumper skirt, rear bumper, side skirts, boot spoiler and the ever-present RS 7-spokes. Oh and an RS Steering wheel just like all rally drivers use.

 

With all that added plastic, it probably struggled to move at all.

[D Spares & Tyres]

Not really a special edition as such but I quite like what they do to the car and its very unusual to see a video about a manufacturer encouraging modifying your car, but then it was massive in the 90s i suppose.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lhrs1AR19jE

I recognise the number plate on that. I had a Fiesta H***KOO. Back when mk3 s were relatively new. Rescued it from a scrapyard and retailed it. It had been hiabed but repaired it easy enough. Anyway, I digress. Was KOO a plate that Ford used on others? Did I have a famous Fester?

[Hendry]

Not a special edition but when did you last see a fiesta courier van about ? Served my time when these were current but I'm guessing they have all dissolved by now

 

Strathford by Andy Campbell, on Flickr

 

That was the last Fiesta Courier Id seen. There was a Y reg one used as a delivery van for the local roll shop who used to deliver the mechanics breakfasts in the morning when i worked for Arnold Clark, but that wouldve been about 2007. That X plate was in a breakers in 2011 I think.

 

Of course Ford have started using the Courier nameplate again, only its now a Transit Courier, which is slightly smaller than a Transit Connect so probably fills the Escort/Astra van size of the market, and you can still get current Fiestas as vans. 

 

Actually now that you mention it, I saw an X Reg Sad face Courier on the M876 about a month ago. It was registered at the local People's (or was it still Millars then - Hendry?) too and I nearly broke my neck looking at it as it overtook me. I must add I was only tootling along at 60 odd as I always do in the Megane.

 

Places outsite Strathclyde arent my area of expertise for dealerships Iain but ill have an educated guess and say I think Millars were taken over around 1997 if my memory serves me correctly on what I read about it.

 

EDIT: Peoples accounts at companies house say it was 06/04/1998, for a not insignificant amount of £2.2m 

 

X reg wouldnt be a sad face though would it, sadface was mk4 Fiesta front end, X would surely be mk5 Fiesta front which was more smiley faced. 

 

I recognise the number plate on that. I had a Fiesta H***KOO. Back when mk3 s were relatively new. Rescued it from a scrapyard and retailed it. It had been hiabed but repaired it easy enough. Anyway, I digress. Was KOO a plate that Ford used on others? Did I have a famous Fester?

 

OO was Chelmsford, so probably your Fiesta was just registered by Ford whos HQ was Essex, couldve been someones company car scheme car, ex daily rental, or any one of a number of things that would mean it was registered in the area Fords HQ was, bet there would be many thousands of Fords with that plate at the time.

 

Im more interested as to how a relatively new car ended up in a scrapyard if it wasnt that fucked it couldnt be sold on again? Usually even stolen recovered or lightly damaged write offs were sold as repairable salvage rather than scrapped. 

[Split_Pin]

Would anybody like to see any more of this 1994 pack that was sent to my mum from Millars of Falkirk? . It's the be-all and end-all of shite Ford Special Editions of 1994! Includes £500 cash back vouchers in a Fiesta or Escort. Think I'm a bit late!

[Felly Magic]

Get them scanned in

[BorniteIdentity]

BUMP

 

Has anyone got a Sierra Azura / Run Out Model brochure they could scan or sell to me?

 

I really enjoyed seeing the video Hendry (RIP) posted above. Just wondered if anyone could help; Flickr seems to have nothing.

[matt79]

Bournite, I think I have a full range 'Cars' brochure from late 1992 / early 1993 that covers the Sierra range (just before the Mondeo was launched) not sure it would specifically cover the Azure model though.....

 

I will dig it out if youre interested?

[BorniteIdentity]

Bournite, I think I have a full range 'Cars' brochure from late 1992 / early 1993 that covers the Sierra range (just before the Mondeo was launched) not sure it would specifically cover the Azure model though.....

 

I will dig it out if youre interested?

That’d be magic!

[RoadworkUK]

Alas, the Azure won't be in the range brochure. Special eds did occasionally show up in '80s issues, but Ford oddly changed its policy around 1991, it seems. Pretty sure the Sapphire 2000E was one of the last ones.

 

I think I have the separate leaflet, though. I'll find it and give it a scan.

[Shirley Knott]

Does anyone remember the Fiesta Azura? Im sure it was effectively a base model, priced around £5995 and the advert had people cutting the car into pieces to see what had been removed in order for the car to be so cheap (as in like not features/spec, more components) and has them cutting and grinding the car, clearly they knew thats what mk3 Fiestas would need to go through when they aged.

 

 

Yup, I learned to drive in my old man's MK3 Fiesta Azura.

 

It was a 1.8 na diesel and iirc the Azura badge on the tailgate had a kind of holagram effect? It had keep fit windows, no pas and used to eat its way through front tyres at an alarming rate.

[andy18s]

My last Sierra was a 1.6 ohc Azura.

4dr Sapphire in white with matching bumpers and that small but neat rear spoiler

Electric front windows/central locking but that was it on the luxury side

Died after being driven a good few hundred motorway miles with a broken spark plug.

The bore wash was enough to kill compression on that cylinder and as the engines were shooting up in price as the rally boys were buying all in sight,the car got scrapped

K328AUX....

Still have the factory blacked out rear lights and number plate surround here, cos Cosworth innit....

[sierraman]

Yeah a I’ve seen few of the late Sapphires had the 1.6 pinto in them as opposed to the CVH CFI.

[pandamonium]

I had the Ford top trump cards, with all the dismal models too, like the mk3 fiesta 1.8d,but also the sporty ones, like the escort Rs Cosworth.

Wish I'd kept them!

[pandamonium]

[RoadworkUK]

Alas, the Azure won't be in the range brochure. Special eds did occasionally show up in '80s issues, but Ford oddly changed its policy around 1991, it seems. Pretty sure the Sapphire 2000E was one of the last ones.

 

I think I have the separate leaflet, though. I'll find it and give it a scan.

 

Aaaand... I can't find it. I conducted an exhaustive search of the Ford section of my library, but it's proving elusive. I'm sure I have it somewhere, but until it surfaces, I must sheepishly hand the baton to whoever can come up with the goods.

[BorniteIdentity]

My last Sierra was a 1.6 ohc Azura.

4dr Sapphire in white with matching bumpers and that small but neat rear spoiler

Electric front windows/central locking but that was it on the luxury side

Exactly the car that has sparked this. A white Sapphire with pintosaurus in run out flavour.

[stuboy]

any one got any sales pics of a mk4 ford escort ghia 'fire fly' do not get confused with a fiesta firefly.

[Eyersey1234]

On 8/9/2017 at 3:18 PM, Hendry said:

Does anyone remember the Fiesta Azura? Im sure it was effectively a base model, priced around £5995 and the advert had people cutting the car into pieces to see what had been removed in order for the car to be so cheap (as in like not features/spec, more components) and has them cutting and grinding the car, clearly they knew thats what mk3 Fiestas would need to go through when they aged. 

 

Heres a video of 3 in 1, Fiesta Mistral, Sapphire and Equipe. The Sapphire surely looks the best value? Mistral seems to be a sunroof and a spoiler, the Sapphire gets a passenger airbag, central locking and electric front windows, while the Equipe gets a 1.3 engine and Power steering.

 

Wonder if any Fiesta was available as standard with spoiler, sunroof, passenger airbag, central locking, electric front windows, power steering and the 1.3 for more power than the 1.0/1.1, although the 1.4 would probably have been my choice.

 

 

Sorry for the thread bump but my stepdad had a Fiesta Azura in the late 90s early 2000s. My grandparents had a Fiesta Equipe which became my first car. 

I think the Azura was a povo spec run out special edition as ours was registered late 95 just before the sad face Mk4 came out.