Corgi 1/43 VA12508A Ford Fiesta XR2, Black, RHD

The Fiesta was initially only available in Europe with engines smaller than 1.3 litres. However, because it had always been envisaged to be Ford’s first ‘global’ car, the 1.6-litre ‘Kent’ engine had been part of the car’s engineering design specification from the start as the 1.3-litre car was just too slow for the US market. Ford’s Dunton-based ‘Special Vehicle Engineering’ exploited this to create a fun pocket-rocket using a European version of the larger engine fitted with a performance cam and dual-choke Weber DFT carburettor. They also lowered the car by 25mm, stiffened up the suspension, added vented front disc brakes and low profile Pirelli P6 tyres on Wolfrace Sonic alloys.