THE PERFECT SUMMER FORD – THE FIESTA FLY

In the summer of 1981, there were various ways to prove your essential hipness to the neighbours. A Sony C7 video in the living room was one sign, as was a Soda Stream in the kitchen – and a Ford Fiesta Fly on the driveway.

The winter of 1981 saw Jeff Smith and David McMullan of the Kent firm Crayford Engineering begin two convertible projects that would hopefully appeal to the motorist on a limited budget. The former worked on a soft-top Austin Mini Metro, and the latter worked on the Fly, a drophead version of the Fiesta Mk.1. https://www.crayfordconvertibleclub.com/ explains:

The Fly had a welded-up, closed boot, making it light and strong, all cuts were rust proofed and covered with a plastic sill so the car required no repainting. They even planned (against normal policy) to use second hand base cars to enable them to build a convertible for under £4,000 (based on a used car worth £2,500), they even planned to hold off-the-peg cars in stock.

Employing used instead of new Fiestas also meant Crayford avoided heavy Type Approval costs. They further promised the owner a “Sportscar’ Flat Deck’ - all side windows can be lowered or removed” and a “unique” simplified hood lowering mechanism.

Crayford estimated the conversion time at 10 working days. In the summer, McMullan planned to charge £1,590, reduced to £1,475 between October and March. If the customer wished for a hood colour other than black, Crayford would need 20 days and charge an extra £81.55. A tonneau cover was a useful optional extra. As for the name, a Fly was originally a 19th-century lightweight carriage.

On the 22nd of August 1981, the Sevenoaks Chronicle had the splendidly awful headline: “This new Fly aims to ‘buzz’ the Germans!”. The actual story was

Crayford displaying the Fiesta Convertible at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Uwe Bahnsen, the Vice President of Design for Ford of Europe, told the press: “We shall be watching the public reaction to it with interest”.

Autocar reported from the NEC in 1982: “The pretty little “flat top” Fiesta Fly is making its show debut; this is a neat, simple convertible conversion which costs only £1,599 with VAT”. In October of that year, Crayford sold the design to the “Coachworks Division of F.English Limited, who have the exclusive world manufacturing rights and 60 years of experience in coachwork craftsmanship”. The Poole firm was also the UK’s largest Ford dealer at the time.

Some 30 Flys seem to have departed Crayford’s Westerham works, all based on the entry-level Popular or the 1.1 or 1.3L. One sales challenge was that in February 1982, Talbot launched the Samba Cabriolet, with UK sales commencing in the autumn of that year. But the Fly did alert motorists and Ford to the potential of a reasonably priced four-seater convertible; the Escort Cabriolet made its bow in 1983.

This 957cc Diamond White 1980 example is one of the few surviving Crayford-built Flys. It will be sold by Iconic Auctioneers at the Silverstone Festival 2025 on the 24th of August - https://www.iconicauctioneers.com. And to own such a car 44 years ago would be as fashionable as playing Adam and The Ants’ Kings of the Wild Frontier album on your Sanyo Music Centre.

With thanks to https://www.iconicauctioneers.com. for his time. With thanks to https://www.iconicauctioneers.com.for permission to use the images in this blog.