1987 Ford Fiesta XR2

‘F813 LNO’, a 1987 Ford Fiesta XR2, represents one of the most accessible routes into the world of 1980s hot-hatchbacks, a category that doesn’t only mark the point in time at which performance became accessible to everyman, it’s also one of the fastest growing sectors of the classic car market.

And few cars will be more accessible than this particular example; offered with no reserve and a very reasonable estimate, this “super entry-level” hot-hatch would be ideal for “someone wanting a car that would benefit from a little more TLC.”

These are the words of our hard-nosed assessor, a man with ice-cold petrol running through his veins who’s looked at, and dismissed, more cars that we’ve had Double Sausage and Egg McMuffins.

Which means if he’s excited, you probably should be too.

Painted in the ever-popular and iconic Diamond White, this XR2 has clearly received some paint in the past, which is par for the course with a car that’s rapidly closing in on its 40th birthday.

Because it’s had new metal too including front wings, rear wheelarches, a boot floor and a pair of sills, all of which have been fitted by the seller in the past four years.

The result is a smart looking example of a car that’s just starting to get its second wind after a couple of decades of being underappreciated.

The iconic Pepperpot alloy wheels, without which no XR2 looks right, are in fine fettle too. Free of scuffs, scrapes and other kerbing damage, they’re fitted with matching 185/60R13 Nexen tyres that were fitted within the seller’s tenure.

We will never get tired of telling you that experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly.

Because it’s a car from the eighties the Fiesta’s got a smoked glass sunroof too, plus front spotlights that sit above a very good front bumper. In fact, all the exterior plastic and rubber looks to be in a decent shape, although the rubber seals around the sunroof and front windows could do with cleaning as they’ve started to grow some moss in them.

The decals and the lamp lenses are all bright and free of damage, and the factory-fitted wraparound rear spoiler is also present and correct.

As for faults, the nearside rear lamp lens has some microcracks from sun-damaged. Given it’s etched with a different registration number, replacing it isn’t going to involve any loss of originality as it’s clearly been changed at least once already. (The offside is still good.)

The door mirrors aren’t to the same high standard as everything else either, and there are minor scrapes to the offside front wheelarch trim as well as evidence of filler on the sills.

The Shadow Monaco trim, which replaced Rainbow as the trim shortly before this car was built, is still in fine order and the fact we can lead with the news that the base of the driver’s seat is a little rumpled tells you just how good it all is.

Because, incredibly, there are no holes, tears, or rubbing marks on the fabric, even on the outer edge of the driver’s seat. You know, the area that always has a hole in it.

The rest of the cabin is equally impressive with good door cards, decent switchgear and controls, and a taut headlining.

The boot well contains a full-size spare wheel. This is in a poor condition and will need refurbishing and a new tyre fitting but, by way of compensation, lifting it out shows only solid and well-painted metal underneath thanks to the new floor the seller installed.

Cosmetically, the parcel shelf is a little bowed but at least it has been spared the indignity of being cut to fit inappropriately large speakers.

More pressing is the instrument panel, which has been modified with a faux carbonfibre backing. Not a huge issue in itself but given the condition of the actual panel we can see the new owner might like to source a better replacement.

A large penny washer has been used to secure the top of the dashboard too, and while this isn’t easy to see, once you’ve spotted it you can’t help but notice it.

It’s much the same with the rear seatbelts, which have rusty buckles. Some of the trim panels have warped a little, too. None of these are urgent, or even important, but given how good everything else is they do tend to stick out.

As for actual faults, the seller tells us that he hasn’t got around to connecting the rear wiper or the heated rear window element, nor the in-dash radio.

That’s the bad news. The good news is that the headunit looks like it’s still the original, although it is missing the dashboard-mounted joystick that is the fader control.

As you can see, it starts well and makes all the right noises when it’s provoked. The exhaust note is especially pleasing, and we can imagine there’s fun to be had hooning through a tunnel with the windows down.

But, it doesn’t always fire evenly on all four cylinders, so perhaps a tune-up is in order?

Bar the Motorcraft sticker, which would be easy to remove, the engine bay has been left largely as Ford intended. This is nice to see because a car’s value is always higher when it is still to factory specification.

The underside has been cleaned, repaired, and then re-protected with a combination of white paint for the floorpan and black paint for things like the suspension components.

The Fiesta has an interesting back-story – and when we say “interesting”, we mean in the good way.

You see, the car’s previous owner bought the Fiesta from his brother in 1993 intending to restore it. He took it off the road in 2007/08, presumably to make a start on it, but never got around to doing much other than stripping it down – and we’ve all been there…

He eventually conceded defeat and sold it to the seller as a project in 2021. This marks the point the restoration started in earnest, culminating in the car you see before you today.

He clearly did a good job because the Fiesta’s MoT certificate, which is valid until October 2025, was issued with no advisories.

A man for whom the doing is more satisfying than the driving, he’s shaken it down over a couple of hundred miles to ensure it’s running and driving as it should before he puts it up for sale.

The recent Vehicle History Check is clear but, sadly, other paperwork is minimal. There’s a stamped service history booklet, some old MoT certificates, and a V5C registration certificate but that’s your lot.

NB: The eagle-eyed among you will have noticed a discrepancy in the mileage recorded on the two MoT tests in August and October of last year.

This is due to a failed speedometer, which was temporarily replaced with a donor unit while he rectified the problem. Once he’d got it working correctly, he reinstalled the original before the re-test.

With a guide price of between £8,000 and £12,000, we think this lovely little Fiesta XR2 offers good value – and not just because of the qualities this particular example has.

Because where big brother leads, younger siblings tend to follow and cars like the Sierra Cosworth and Escort XR3i have already taken off: Quentin Willson has just reviewed his last decade’s ‘Smart Buys’ recommendations in Classics Cars’ magazine and found the XR3i Cabriolet has increased by a whopping 47.4% since 2022 – and you’ll pay £50,000 and rising to get your hands on a decent three-door Sierra Cosworth these days.

Of course, the XR2’s future financial performance is nothing more than idle speculation on our part, but this one is being sold with no reserve, so it’s going to go to a new home as soon as the first bid has been made.

So, if an Ford Fiesta XR2 has on your Bucket List for a while, now might be a good time to have a cheeky punt.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at Bonhams|Cars Online HQ. Viewings are STRICTLY BY APPOINTMENT and we are open weekdays between 10am - 12pm or 2pm - 4pm. To make a booking, please use the ‘Enquire About This Vehicle’ button on the listing. Feel free to ask any questions, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.