1988 Ford FIESTA XR2

The vehicle has clearly had an awful lot of time and money invested in it, and it looks as good – and drives as well – as any we’ve seen. In fact, better; someone has judiciously and carefully upgraded and improved it over the years. The result is a discreetly effective car that drives just like the chaps at Dagenham intended, only better.

The gloss black coachwork is in very good condition with ripple-free flanks and no marks, scratches or other issues. Our assessment of the paintwork leads us to believe that it has almost certainly been the subject of a high-quality respray in the recent past.

It is ready to drive and show without the need for the new owner to invest any more time or money in rectifying its cosmetic appearance.

The bright red leather seats are clearly not original, but they do look fabulous and suit the car so well that they make you wonder why Ford didn’t offer them as an option. Luxury upgrades like this are in the style of a Wood and Pickett Mini, (or an Aston Martin Cygnet, for those of more tender years…), and are a well-trodden path - and one that works very well here.

There is some scuffing on some of the hard plastic surfaces and the parcel shelf has been fitted with two large speakers. A fastidious owner would want to replace both, but the good news is that secondhand replacements should be readily available through the usual sources.

Other than that, the interior is in fine fettle and has stood up very well.

The performance that’s available from this lovely little hot hatch leads us to think that the engine has been lightly tuned at some stage in its life. Again, sadly, no paperwork exists to support this.

The gearbox is as lovely to use now as it was back-in-the-day, and while the brakes work as they should, bringing the car the a halt in a straight line, they do demonstrate just how far brake technology has come in in the past three decades!

The details of what has been done to the car over the years are sketchy; there is a fair quantity of paperwork with the car but not as much as the work would warrant, or we would like, come to that. 

Accordingly, we would invite prospective bidders to view and drive the car for themselves to see first-hand just how well the work had been carried out.

This is not a matching-numbers, museum-quality, one-owner-from-new Ford Fiesta XR2, but then it doesn’t have a matching-numbers, museum-quality, one-owner-from-new price tag, either, giving the Ford enthusiast the chance to enter classic hot hatchback ownership at a very affordable price point.

The car could then be used ‘as is’ on road and track, or carefully restored to original condition as and when funds and time allow. No matter which route is taken, we’d expect you to have many, many years of fun in what should almost certainly be a depreciation-proof vehicle.

The vehicle can be viewed in Upminister, Essex, use the 'Contact Seller' button to arrange.