Andrew Scott

Production of the popular Ford Fiesta is expected to cease next year after 45 Years . What does this mean to those who love and cherish their Fiestas?

Plumber Andrew Scott was both delighted and surprised to be gifted a 1980 model of his favourite car.

It came from a grateful woman whose toilet he had just fixed.

A lifelong Ford Fiesta fan, Mr Scott, 56, from Cambridge, is proud to show off The Blue Fiesta 1. 1L.

" I've always had a soft spot for a Fiesta, " he says.

" The person whose house I was working at, I did a job for them - I repaired their toilet and she gave me The Car .

" She just wanted to get rid of it. "

Mr Scott's 1980 model, given to him in 2006, was built before The Days of padded steering wheels and electric windows, but it does still have a working push-button radio.

The Blue Fiesta 1. 1L is one of four models he owns, including an XR2.

" It's just reliving a bit of my youth, " he says.

And that is especially the case about his sporty XR2, bought in 2007 for £2,000 and likely now to be worth significantly more.

The First car he drove after passing his test was his mum's Fiesta, but he says: " I grew up with the excitement of thinking about having a hot hatch, especially the XR2.

" I hankered after one. "

His white F-reg model is in its " totally original condition".

Although he has no intention of selling, he says: " I've seen a couple go through auction pushing £20,000 or just over - and they weren't as original as this.

" It's demand, isn't it? If someone wants one they're going to pay The Money , I suppose. "

He still keeps cassettes in his XR2, including music by Earth, Wind and Fire, and ABC.

There is an old copy of a Now That's What I call Music cassette as well.

" How sad am I?" he jokes.

Announcing The End of the Fiesta in a video posted on Ford's Twitter account, The Company said " its job was done".

Production of The Car is expected to cease by mid-2023.

George Watson, chairman of the Fiesta Club of Great Britain - of which Mr Scott is a member - is not surprised by the popularity of The Car .

The fan club, based in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, has about 300 members across the UK.

" My dad actually got one of The First Fiestas off the production line, as a salesman, " he recalls.

" I've been around Fords all my life.

" The Car I passed my driving test in was a Fiesta.

" I'll never forget - it was a D-reg MK2 XR2 in rosso red. It was like the rounder version of the original Fiesta. . but it was a sports model with all the alloy wheels and the body kit.

" I've lost count of how many Fiestas we've had between me and my dad and we've still got two at the moment. "

His latest acquisition is a burgundy 1989 H-registration Fiesta.

" It's a little 1. 1LX which I picked up from a lovely young lady - well she was 95 - and just decided to give up driving and she wanted The Car to go to a good home, " he says.

Both he and Mr Scott say they are sad to hear the news that there will be no more new Fiestas.

" The Fiesta still has a big following and is still a very popular car - 100% it'll be missed, " Mr Scott says.

Mr Watson agrees: " To be honest, the Fiesta itself is still a really popular small family vehicle, if you've got a couple of kids and you don't want anything really too big, and obviously as a first vehicle it's the ideal car.

" It will be sad to see it go because it's been such a best-seller. "

Last month, the Fiesta was still the sixth best-selling new car in the UK with 4,570 registrations, according to the latest data from industry body.

Source of news: bbc.com