[Healeys] Healey Fiesta

Peter Dzwig pdzwig at summaventures.com
Tue Dec 1 03:30:27 MST 2020 

I had never noticed that "Escort by Healey", despite having the book
from 2002!

If it is the car that is illustrated at the top of the right hand page,
it would appear to be a forerunner of the Escort MkIII and the
performance variants (XR3i, RS1600i, RS1700T etc) that were produced
from the late '70s to early '80s.

A very interesting footnote - and link to two lines of very successful
rally cars: the Big Healeys and the Ford Escorts. Wouldn't it be
interesting to know what Ford's brief to the Healeys was.

Interesting that Bill says that it was a commission from Ford of
America. As far as I am aware the MkIII Escort and its variants didn't
go on sale in the US. Is that right? Maybe a corporate-sponsored design
study.

Peter

On 30/11/2020 21:05, Reinhart Rosner wrote:
> Kees,
> 
> I suppose you are right. A short look in Bill Emerson's, The Healey Book did show me that there was only one prototype built. 
> 
> Interesting: On the two pages about the Healey Fiesta Bill did write about an "Escort by Healey" too and there is a picture of postcard produced by Ford of America as the only known proof. Bill ends here: "Where is it now?"
> 
> Regards
> 
> Reinhart
> 
> 
> Reinhart Rosner
> 55 100 BN 1 225615
> Vienna - Austria
> 
> 
> -----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
> Von: Healeys [mailto:healeys-bounces at autox.team.net] Im Auftrag von Kees Oudesluijs
> Gesendet: Montag, 30. November 2020 19:09
> An: pdzwig at summaventures.com; healeys at autox.team.net
> Betreff: Re: [Healeys] Healey Fiesta
> 
> Peter,
> 
> AFAIAA there was only one built.
> 
> Kees Oudesluijs
> 
> 
> 
> Op 30-11-2020 om 18:26 schreef Peter Dzwig:
>> Kees,
>>
>> Thanks. Do you mean that the car I linked to is the *unique* car? Didn't
>> realise that it was quite that unusual.
>>
>>
>> Peter
>>
>> On 30/11/2020 10:35, Kees Oudesluijs via Healeys wrote:
>>> These two cars are totally different and cannot be compared. The rwd
>>> Sunbeam/Talbot Lotus was developed from the Sunbeam Ti as a pure rally
>>> beast with the Vauxhall slant 4 derived 2.2 ltr Lotus 911 engine (an
>>> enlarged 907) and was very successful at that. Around 250hp in rally
>>> trim and 160hp in standard road trim. They are a hoot to drive thanks to
>>> the high power/low torque engine, the low weight and the short wheel base.
>>>
>>> The US spec fwd Ford Fiesta was just jazzed up slightly with some small
>>> engine (80hp) and bodywork mods. Healey had very little to do with the
>>> car, he just lend his name for well needed cash. Only one was made
>>> versus around 2500 of the Sunbeam/Talbot Lotus cars.
>>>
>>> Kees Oudesluijs
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Op 30-11-2020 om 10:59 schreef Peter Dzwig via Healeys:
>>>> I think of the H-F as an oddity and of historic interest because it was
>>>> the last car that the Healeys made (but a shame, perhaps, that it was a
>>>> Ford!). I have no recollection of its handling.
>>>>
>>>> Although I too never drove a Healey Fiesta, a friend had a Sunbeam
>>>> Talbot Lotus which was a very similar car in concept (fast hatchback
>>>> worked on by a well-known sports car company) with great performance as
>>>> I recall and good handling. It was a model of what a car might be that
>>>> in its turn led to things like the VW Golf GTi, whatever you think of
>>>> them.
>>>>
>>>> Regards,
>>>>
>>>> Peter
>>>>
>>>> On 30/11/2020 04:36, Jean Caron wrote:
>>>>> Chris,
>>>>>
>>>>> I certainly do not see the Healey 100 in the same light as an A90
>>>>> convertible, completely different bodies, but I agree very similar
>>>>> engine. As far as the Fiesta is concerned, I am just wondering why,
>>>>> other than money, would DMH align himself with a Ford product that, at
>>>>> the time, was just an econobox, and not a very good one at that. As Rick
>>>>> Neville indicated, apparently it was a quick little car, I certainly
>>>>> never drove it, basically read the articles about it, first in Road &
>>>>> Track magazine.
>>>>>
>>>>> Its rarity is not in question, I guess, for me it is so totally
>>>>> different that what we were used to see from the Healey family,
>>>>> especially being associated with a Ford product. At that time, the
>>>>> Japanese cars, such as the Datsun, Toyota and Honda were far better cars
>>>>> in that same configuration of models that to me, it would have better
>>>>> suited their image. I am glad someone likes it.
>>>>>
>>>>> Cheers,
>>>>>
>>>>>   
>>>>> Jean
>>>>>
>>>>>   
>>>>> Sent from Mail <https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=550986> for
>>>>> Windows 10
>>>>>
>>>>>   
>>>>> *From: *Chris Dimmock <mailto:austin.healey at gmail.com>
>>>>> *Sent: *November 29, 2020 12:28 AM
>>>>> *To: *Jean Caron <mailto:vintage_roadster_restoration at hotmail.com>
>>>>> *Cc: *pdzwig at summaventures.com <mailto:pdzwig at summaventures.com>;
>>>>> healeys <mailto:Healeys at autox.team.net>
>>>>> *Subject: *Re: [Healeys] Healey Fiesta
>>>>>
>>>>>   
>>>>> Jean, Isn’t that the same as some non Healey journalist describing the
>>>>> Healey 100 as a “modified Austin a90 convertible, which was a pretty
>>>>> lousy car in its day”?
>>>>>
>>>>> The Healey Fiesta Is part of the DHMCo history. And as such, deserves
>>>>> some respect from Healey enthusiasts.
>>>>>
>>>>> Sincerely.
>>>>>
>>>>> Chris
>>>>>
>>>>>   
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>       On 29 Nov 2020, at 5:13 am, Jean Caron via Healeys
>>>>>       <healeys at autox.team.net> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>       
>>>>>
>>>>>       In the end, no matter how many badges there are on it
>>>>> identifying it
>>>>>       as a Healey Fiesta, it is still just a modified Ford Fiesta, which
>>>>>       was a pretty lousy car in its day.
>>>>>
>>>>>       
>>>>>       Jean
>>>>>
>>>>>       
>>>>>       Sent from Mail
>>>>>      
>>>>> <https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgo.microsoft.com%2Ffwlink%2F%3FLinkId%3D550986&data=04%7C01%7C%7C236e46b8af8a4ea7ffc608d8942ff4c1%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637422280970842374%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=t7474dUGguiZ98GkTB9T5p6ZTd%2FI4bdsuLO6dGiIYmg%3D&reserved=0>
>>>>>
>>>>>       for Windows 10
>>>>>
>>>>>       
>>>>>       *From: *Peter Dzwig via Healeys <mailto:healeys at autox.team.net>
>>>>>       *Sent: *November 28, 2020 11:30 AM
>>>>>       *To: *'healeys' <mailto:healeys at autox.team.net>
>>>>>       *Subject: *[Healeys] Healey Fiesta
>>>>>
>>>>>       
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>       NFI, just thought some of you might like to see this rarity:
>>>>>
>>>>>      
>>>>> <https://nam01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.classicmobilia.com%2Fshowroom%2F11446137-healey-fiesta-coupe%2F&data=04%7C01%7C%7C8480b8854faa44e346ac08d893c33c6c%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637421814023471459%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=XL3mvjIrVd1rpUXHS1Eaa1qHeH1LyG8JbXIMiSMNGjk%3D&reserved=0
>>>>>
>>>>>      
>>>>> <https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.classicmobilia.com%2Fshowroom%2F11446137-healey-fiesta-coupe%2F&data=04%7C01%7C%7C236e46b8af8a4ea7ffc608d8942ff4c1%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637422280970852372%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=sW%2BvR9fFhp3dFON9BFTi5zBUTWIL2prooIE%2FtD02udI%3D&reserved=0>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>       Peter
>>>>>       --
>>>>>
>>>>>       Dr. Peter Dzwig
>>>>>
>>>>>       
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>>>>>   
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-- 

Dr. Peter Dzwig

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