Ford Fiesta ST review (29/05/2013)

THE Ford Fiesta has been with us for my motoring life and its sporty versions for nearly as long. Many people think 1981’s XR2 was the original sporting Fiesta, but that was 1980’s 1.3-litre Sport, the first Fiesta hot-hatch. My friend and former colleague, Kevin Mills, owned one and loaned it to me so I could cover a county championship game between Muskerry and Millstreet, in Ballyvourney.

I don’t recall him repeating the offer. I’d say that poor car got a tanning going to Ballyvourney. It was great fun to drive, though.

I drove the second-generation XR2i in 1989, when Ford launched the car in Northern Ireland. It was an over-night in Belfast followed by a return trip to Bushmills (which was the start of my love affair with that town’s most famous product) through the fantastic Glens of Antrim. The only downside for Ford was that an otherwise successful launch was tarnished by breakdowns — including the car I was driving.