Meet The Owner – Siôn Hudson and his 1980 Ford Fiesta 1100L

It is often the case that seemingly mundane versions of popular cars are of equal, or greater, interest than their more expensive brethren. In the early 1980s, the Fiesta S, Ghia and XR2 were far less commonly seen than the likes of Siôn Hudson’s L – the car from a time when “5 position reclining front seats”, “Sandford” fabric trim and “driver’s and passenger’s storage door bins” represented the pinnacle of luxury in the Elm Green housing estate.

The story of Ford’s ‘Project Bobcat’ is well-known, but looking at Siôn’s car, it is remarkable how well the styling created by Tom Tjaarda’s dates. It is quite hard to believe that manufacturing began as long ago as July 1976. British sales began on the 2nd of February 1977. Motor published on the 8th of March 1980 noted:

“In a little less than four years, over 1.5 million Fiestas have been built, which makes Ford’s first front wheel drive car its most successful model of all time. Last year only five cars (only two of them Fords) outsold the Fiesta in the UK, where it is the most popular hatchback by a huge margin.”

In fact, the first FWD Ford car was the 1962 Taunus P4, and the Brazilian Coercel of 1968 was the second, but the Fiesta certainly impacted the British car market. By the time Siôn’s example left the production line, its chief rivals were the Fiat 127, Honda Civic, Peugeot 104, Renault 5 and VW Polo, while Dagenham was more than aware of the imminent launch of the Austin Mini Metro.

And so, to tempt prospective Fiesta customers, the L’s specification included a driver’s door mirror and a “full width satin finish lower fascia panel applique”. By 2023 standards, this may not exactly appear as the lap of luxury, but in 1980, such features gave the L showroom appeal. They also distinguished it over the standard Fiesta, which even lacked a dipping rear-view mirror.

Production of the Fiesta Mk. I ended in August 1983, and Siôn only recently came by his L. He remarks:

“I bought it in March and it had essentially been off the road for at least 20 years prior to that. I’ve spent the last three months recommissioning it, with a complete replacement/overhaul of most major systems. I have a restoration series on my YouTube channel to document my work - Mk1 Ford Fiesta 1.1L Restoration Episode 10: IGNITION SYSTEM - YouTube”

Above all, the Hudson fleet of the Fiesta L, Vauxhall Astra 1200 S and Volvo 340s allows him to take a walk on the mild side. Here is a reminder of how Ford promoted it in 1980 – complete with the regulation Patrick Allen dramatic voice-over:

With Thanks To: Siôn Hudson