My late entry into the hot-hatch field was in 1989 with a Pug 205 GTI 1.9l with 130bhp, went like stink! I was considered a bit of a traitor as this part of Essex was “Ford” country (Dagenham, Dunton, Basildon, Warley etc.) at the time.
Had one too but could only afford the 1.6 205GTI same year as yours in black. Lovely car with great performance and handling.
Both great cars! Mine was “Cherry” red!
The urban myth(?) was that the 1.6l with 115bhp was the direct rival to the XR2i whilst the 1.9l with it’s 130bhp was built to take the “King of Hot Hatches” title away from the VW Golf GTI.
As I recall, the Pugs walked over the GTis in terms of pointability and sheer “cock-a-rear” mechanical grip.
I had a few pax laps years back in friend’s Pug 1.9 at Knockhill, in a mix of standard-ish Dubs & fast Fords.
He being an experienced track-hand…he ran circles aorund them over 15 laps and we finished pretty much a lap ahead. Mostly standard cooking stuff.
Perhaps a lot had to do with the driver.
Sorry Joju, should have said “Enjoy the little beauty”!!!
Cheers countryboy i intend to, its great to hear old stories of past cars, i have always been a classic ford man had lots from cortinas to mexicos , i think this is the most modern i have had
Awesome new car mate! I’ve always been a lover of old Fords, was brought up on them during nthe 70’s and 80’s. Had my share of Mk3 Cortinas, Mk2 and 3 excorts along with mk5 aqnd 6 escorts, and inbetween a mk1 and mk2 fiesta. That XR3i looks mint, although thed front pass wing doesnt seem to line up nwith the door (probably just the photo or angle it was taken at). You’re onto a winner either way as the old Fords are where the money is in the classic/modern classic car world. Would love to see more pics of the car mate, including the inrerior if you have any? Would be a lovely nostalgic trip down memory lane!
damn now I want an lod ford again! Got a row off my mrs for looking at mk3 cortinas on ebay last week! lol
hi chilax , yer the wing is not perfect but it was done before i got it and to be fair it does look worse than it really is ,
i will get more pics up soon , thanks for the comments though, old fords now seem to be better than money in the bank but thats not why i bought it, its just great to own
I owned a 1985 XR3i, bought it at 18 months old, and kept it for about 3 years.
A great car, one that I always refer back to, maybe becuase I was young, had no real comittments (kids).
Then one day a little commitment arrived, the wife stopped working, and such a lavish life style could no longer be afforded,
Besides, we now needed 4 doors.
So I sold it and bought an Orion Ghia.
The Orion was never as desirable as the XR3i, but it was cheaper on the insurance and ran the same engine etc.
It was my little compromise.
I had an Orion Ghia auto in the mid 80’s, not exciting but comfortable, practical and reliable, as well as being my daily commute took me on many camping/hill-walking holidays in the Lake District/Highlands & Islands/Southern Ireland/France/Northern Spain. It had a sticker a the top of the windscreen that proudly declared “Built in West Germany” in order to show that it was better quality than a Dagenham Dustbin!