Javillac
At the beginning of the decade of In the seventies the world saw a new type of automobile appear on the market; the superminis. These cars were compact cars that employed the front-engine, front-wheel drive configuration that the British Mini had popularized in 1959, and some of the most iconic models to follow this formula were the Fiat 127 and Renault 5.
In 1976, Ford introduces the Fiesta, a three-door compact that was launched to compete in this lucrative segment. The fever for cars of this type had also moved to the United States, a country that was looking for low-consumption vehicles. while trying to cope with the devastating oil crisis that turned American industry upside down.
In this market, utility vehicles such as the Honda Civic, Volkswagen Rabbit and even the aforementioned Renault 5, which received the name Renault LeCar in America, were already being marketed in large numbers. Ford then decided to sell the Fiesta in the US market and began marketing units manufactured in Germany for the 1978 season., with the first cars arriving in the fall of 1977.
FIESTA FANTASY: A PROTOTYPE WITH SIX CONFIGURATIONS
Ford had already experimented with the idea of a model with interchangeable body parts that would allow the car to be transformed depending on the situation, a quite ingenious and novel concept. In 1976 they presented the Ford Prima, a curious prototype that could become a three-door hatchback, a pickup truck or a small station wagon.
Shortly after the Ford Fiesta began to be sold in America, after making the necessary modifications to comply with United States safety regulations that included larger bumpers and round headlights, The brand decided to present a prototype similar in concept to the Ford Prima, but based on this small compact.
The resulting vehicle was named Ford Fiesta Fantasy, and could be converted into all the bodies of the aforementioned Prima, adding the attractive configuration as a convertible.. The Fiesta had been well received by the public, but its sales volume was insignificant compared to other alternatives in the same segment. Lewis Veraldi, who at that time was the brand's head of development, even said about the prototype that its production was viable and that it would generate interest in affordable, economical and versatile cars.
“By swapping out easy-to-install modules in the rear section of the vehicle, the Fantasy could be converted from a two-seat station wagon to a two-seat sports coupe, a 2+2 hardtop convertible, a 2+2 softtop or a station wagon. for 4 passengers”
Finally, The project did not get the green light, and in 1981 the Ford Fiesta would be replaced in the United States by the new Escort. a car that the brand had developed with a global sales approach in mind. It could be said that nothing remained of this interesting idea, but at the end of the eighties Nissan launched the EXA which had interchangeable body parts, while Mercedes-Benz presented the VRC prototypes of a very similar conception in the late 1990s.
Images: Ford, Nissan, Mercedes-Benz
