VA12513 Corgi Vanguards Ford Fiesta MkI 1.3 Ghia, Signal Yellow

The Fiesta was launched in mainland Europe in September 1976, shortly after Ford’s new purpose-built factory near Valencia, Spain, had started producing the company’s first front-wheel drive car. UK buyers had to wait until January 1977 before they could order it in right-hand drive, by which time production had commenced at Ford’s Dagenham plant in Essex. 

The Fiesta modelled was built at Dagenham in June 1977, after being ordered from Ford dealer Perrys, Finchley, and was registered in August. Ghias were often in metallic colours, but this customer specified a yellow exterior with a black interior and Ghia alloys and spotlights, both optional extras. He also had it Ziebart rust-protected.

The car was exported to Malta immediately, then returned and sold to a new owner by the same branch of Perrys in November 1979. He kept it until April 2023, covering just over 40,000 miles, but ceased to use the car just after it had been serviced in 2008. It was exhumed from its garage by a dealer in early April 2023 and shortly afterwards was bought by Dorset-based Ford collector and enthusiast Bruce Di Mario, who’d seen it advertised. 

Bruce was amazed by its originality and perfect interior; it even still featured its original lockable under-luggage compartment storage. He had fitted a new front wing to repair its only corrosion and had it resprayed so the exterior was as good as the interior.

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