Ford Festiva: A Brief History
For anyone who remembers the Ford Festiva, you either have bad knees, have reading glasses, or both. It’s a bit of a forgotten car in Ford’s back catalog, and it served as the company’s entry-level hatchback in various markets, including North America. The Festiva was sold in the U.S from mid-1986 to 1993.
The Festiva was actually developed by Mazda and originally intended for the Japanese market. Kia was then licensed to build it, naming it the Pride, and it was produced from 1987 to 2003. It was, by all means, an economy car and as basic as they came. As far as cheap runabouts go, it did the minimum of bringing people from point A to B. America only got the hatchback, but there were also sedan and wagon variations.
A Small Car Made Smaller
Subcompact cars have nothing on the Festiva in terms of dimensions. It was just 136.8 inches long, 63.2 inches wide, and 57.5 inches tall – a lot smaller than the defunct Mitsubishi Mirage. They really don’t make subcompact cars as they used to anymore. Still, there are those who think it was a tad too big, such as a certain fabricator who did something about it.
Tyler Fever is the design lead at Whistlindiesel, and if you’ve seen some of the cars built there, chances are Fever was responsible for them. His latest creation is a Festiva that’s been trimmed down to about half of its original width, giving it a very distinct appearance. Mind you, its length is the same as the standard car, giving it the best impression of a flounder and ramping up the comedy factor.
Tyler Fever/Instagram
Avoid Corners
You can probably tell that it won’t be made for enthusiastic driving. Truth be told, we’re already amused that it can take on a corner. Never mind that it handles it more gently than a first-time parent with a newborn, but it can turn nonetheless. We wouldn’t dare take that car out on a windy day, though.
We’re genuinely curious as to what’s under the hood, though. As tiny as the Festiva’s 1.3-liter engine was, it looks impossible to fit given its, er, diet. It does sound like it’s powered by a small electric motor, but there’s also a photo of it getting fueled up. Either way, we reckon it won’t have much horsepower for the sake of some directional stability.
Still, it looks like it’s a hoot to drive. If your idea of fun is not knowing if you’ll fall over on your sides at the slightest suggestion of a corner, then this will be an absolute blast behind the wheel.
Tyler Fever/Instagram
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