Many classics are only on the road thanks to having escaped some form of ‘near disaster’ at some point in their existence. This timewarp 1978 Mk1 Fiesta, with only 141 miles on the clock, thought it had seen its end after 39 years of faithful service as a museum exhibit in London. Starring within the Glimpses of Medical History gallery in the city’s Science Museum, this immaculate Ford helped showcase the assistive technology used to help the elderly get in and out of a car. Before taking on its role as an educational tool, the humble three-door Fiesta was never even registered by its dealership before it went to the Science Museum.
Happily resident among the medical displays between 1980-2017, the Fiesta’s quiet existence became threatened when the museum decided to undertake major refurbishment, including the installation of new freight lifts with narrower doors. Classics from the 1970s may be far smaller than their modern equivalents but it seems not small enough. Despite being the lowest mileage Mk1 in existence, the Fiesta faced the possibility of being cut-up in-order to be removed from the building.
Thankfully an insightful employee, Darren Wisdom, intervened by constructing a special jig that allowed the near-perfect hatchback to be rotated and safely deposited at ground level. That same heroism from Wisdom continued with work carried out on the cooling system, brakes and gearbox, which allowed the Ford to finally pass its first MOT test in April 2018, some 40 years after manufacture. Medal for Mr Wisdom anyone? Completely original, this rare low-mileage survivor now joins the first online auction by H & H Classics on Saturday February 2, where it is expected to fetch between £6500-£8500 ($8400-$11,000).
Images courtesy of H&H Classics
