With the ST badge adorning so many fast Fords over the past 25 years, it’s easy to forget sometimes just how popular and famous the old XRs were. Not as iconic (or as pricey) as the various RS Turbos and Cosworths of this world, they were for many what a Blue Oval performance flagship should be all about: quick, cheap, good-looking and fun to drive. Whether Fiesta XR2, Escort XR3 or Sierra XR4i, with carb or with injection for the smaller stuff, they put a lot of smiles on a lot of faces back in the day. Which is why they all remain so revered.
Problem being, of course, that fast and cheap way back when tended to finish up one way. The fast Fords were certainly not alone in this. When various pocket rockets had big smashes or major mechanical maladies and weren’t worth very much, they were immediately written off. There was no point saving cheap, plentiful cars. Obviously nobody predicted how far values might rise, but it’s still sad to see so few remaining.
This XR2 is one of the survivors, being auctioned on PH right now, and it looks an absolute gem. Your eyes don’t deceive you, the screen isn’t overly flattering - this Fiesta really does look 40 days old rather than 40 years. That’s thanks to an extensive restoration that’s taken place over the past few years, the car recovered from a garage back in 2018 and now brought back to its best. Indeed better than its best, because this particular XR2 is also hiding a few choice modifications.
We must talk about the exterior first, however. A bare metal respray was part of the recommissioning process, the flawlessly glossy black set off perfectly with the XR2 decals and iconic (refurbished) pepperpot wheels. All Mk1 Fiestas are sufficiently old now that you just don’t see them, let alone XR2s; to be presented with one this good can’t help but raise the spirits. Interestingly, the interior didn’t require any remedial work, as it has survived this long looking this good. Even the standard long-wave radio remains in place.
It’s under the bonnet though where things get interesting for this particular XR2. An invoice in the history folder shows almost £4,500 being spent rebuilding the carb-fed 1.6, now bored out to 1,665cc with new pistons, a new Piper cam, a lighter flywheel, rebuilt carb and gas-flowed head. The gearbox was also refreshed and rebuilt at the same time. It isn’t clear how much additional power the modifications have achieved, though clearly a lot has been invested in getting the best from the engine. With precious little use since the work, whoever’s lucky enough to get the Fiesta will have to continue the running in process.
With better brakes and Gaz suspension on top, here’s an XR2 that might be just as good as your memory says they all were. With so few left on the road but a keen following that shows no signs of diminishing - especially with the Fiesta now out of production - expect bidding to be enthusiastic. The auction is open till next Friday evening - and the Ford Fair is at Silverstone in August…
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