Rusty But Trusty

Thanks to its looking much like a VW Rabbit, this car has appealed to me for a long time. I like the simple design, and I like the promise of European handling in a small car that’s pretty common, has great parts availability, and is frequently modified for sporting events. Unfortunately, all US-market Fiestas were sold here from 1978 – 1980 and are therefore not smog-exempt, so you’re still in for that. Unfortunately, the Fiesta was at that point replaced by the Escort. Which would you rather have – a car named after a party, or one named after a high-class lady of the sort accompanying certain politicians?

Surprisingly, there are a fair amount of these cars out there on the market if you’re willing to travel a bit. This 1978 Ford Fiesta S in Las Vegas, listed on the dealer’s website as well as a couple of other sites, looks like a pretty tidy example. It does seem to have some minor dents from storage, as well as a missing outer door handle and inner door panel, but other things point to it having had fairly light usage.

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