Fiesta Pickup 1978

[Friday yet?]

From my Retiree Newsletter..... Blast from the past....


Fiesta Concept Pickup Turns Car into ‘Fantasy’ Vehicle




Dec-01-2022

While the Ford Fiesta was only offered as one vehicle type during its short time in the United States, a transforming Fiesta concept created to celebrate the company’s 75th anniversary showed what could have been.
The subcompact was available to customers in the United States from 1978 to 1980 and again from 2010 to 2019. The celebratory concept vehicle, Fiesta Fantasy, was created in 1978 by the Dearborn-based Advanced Vehicles Development Group. It was based on a standard Fiesta and was a featured model at Ford’s auto show displays throughout the year. The functional show vehicle could be easily transformed from a pickup truck with a soft tonneau cover into four different cars: a sports coupe, 2+2 hard top and soft top convertible, or station wagon.
The car was intended to show how Ford could meet the demand for versatile, economical and fuel-efficient vehicles. The Fantasy was preceded on the show circuit by the Prima, Ford’s first multi-purpose vehicle, in 1976. The car was converted using steel tops, whereas Fantasy used fiberglass. Prima also lacked a convertible option.
Other than the change in configurations, the Fantasy maintained the original dimensions and parts of the German-built Fiesta. A removable glass and aluminum bulkhead divided the cabin of the Fantasy’s pickup variant from the cargo area, while its fiberglass top clamped onto the sides of the pickup box to create the other cars.
Fiesta Fantasy was introduced at the New England Auto Show in Boston and joined Ford’s auto show displays at later events. The Fiesta was also the basis for another 2+2 sports coupe concept: the aluminum-bodied Corrida, which featured top-hinged gull-wing doors along with black and red metallic paint. The car also featured a modular dashboard and electronic headlamp flaps for improved aerodynamics.
Several other Fiesta-related one-offs were created by the European-based Ghia design studio in the 1980s, followed by another Fiesta-based pickup: BeBop, in 1990. The truck for adventure-seekers was equipped to carry outdoor gear such as surfboards and mountain bikes and was outfitted with spoilers and a rollbar. Further Fiesta creations from the Ghia projects were followed by the Ford Libre Concept in 1998, an open-topped sports car with rear-hinged doors, and the Fiesta RS Concept from 2004, an extreme performance car with a rally-inspired chassis and body modifications.
Though the Fiesta’s production run in the U.S. was short-lived, production continued in Europe. Ford recently announced it would cease production of Fiesta next summer. Click here to read more about the car’s two production runs in the U.S.

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7/7

You are currently on slide Slide 7 of 7,

Really cool! Thanks for sharing that.

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[rydfree]

Is it my monitor, or is that one seriously white white girl? Almost whiter than my ranger.

The 5th pic especially...can't tell if she just crawled out of a coffin, or she's the Joker in drag.

That's a seriously weird observation.

 

[9zero1790]

I don't know, I drove this and still got married.

ahh but you got the bright red with alloy wheels and optional roof rack and rear window louvers... thats a ride that says to a woman, "this mans moving up the pay grade ladder!"

 

[IdahoRanger]

ahh but you got the bright red with alloy wheels and optional roof rack and rear window louvers... thats a ride that says to a woman, "this mans moving up the pay grade ladder!"

Damn right and she has stuck with me for 42 years.

P.S. those ski racks got a lot of use.

 

[got3fords]

That's a seriously weird observation.

Agreed! I don't get the really white observation. Plus the pics are really old and poor quality.

 

[Dereku]

Is it my monitor, or is that one seriously white white girl? Almost whiter than my ranger.

The 5th pic especially...can't tell if she just crawled out of a coffin, or she's the Joker in drag.

First time seeing one?

 

[AzScorpion]

That's a seriously weird observation.

Agreed! I don't get the really white observation. Plus the pics are really old and poor quality.

First time seeing one?

I'm guessing he's commenting on the first girl who is very pale white, like no tan color at all. But that's common for most red heads and strawberry blondes and I don't think he was referring to anything else. She is very pale, like a ghost. lol ?

 

[Sanctus Rimor]

I'm guessing he's commenting on the first girl who is very pale white, like no tan color at all. But that's common for most red heads and strawberry blondes and I don't think he was referring to anything else. She is very pale, like a ghost. lol ?

Yeah. Looks she face planted in a pile of white powder.

 

[subquark]

Is it my monitor, or is that one seriously white white girl? Almost whiter than my ranger.

The 5th pic especially...can't tell if she just crawled out of a coffin, or she's the Joker in drag.

Goth chix dig crazy cars?

 

[Skit hjälm]

Don't forget Toyota Publica. I expect other Japanese manufacturers made pickup version of at least one of their sedans models.
When I lived in Ivory Coast we had a Toyota Publica. I think Mazda made a similar truck too.

Did Subaru Brat copy that or the other way around ?

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