A couple came in to our showroom this morning to take a look at a New Fiesta. As as is usually the case, they were visibly impressed, as are most people the first time they see the car in the flesh.

It got me thinking about the first time Ford’s new baby, The Fiesta, landed in British showrooms back in February 1977.

Did it have the same impact on the public then as the new model does now?

Baring in mind that back then, the basic model had rubber mats instead of carpeting, no heated rear window, a button on the floor you had to push with your foot in order to work the windscreen washers and believe it or not, only one sunvisor!

Power assisted steering, air conditioning, anti lock braking, compact disc audio would have been the stuff of science fiction on smaller cars and don’t even mention Bluetooth, MP3 or USB!!!

At the time, the smart lines of the new Ford left the likes of Fiat’s 127 and the Renault 5 in the shade. Take a look at today’s version and we really are a world away from back then.