A pristine 1981 Ford Fiesta Supersport, once £4,000 new, is now listed at £18,000. Restored to near-showroom condition, it’s hailed as the finest example on the market.

Classic Ford Fiesta from 1980s which cost £4,000 now for sale for over four times as much

A pristine 1981 Ford Fiesta Supersport, once £4,000 new, is now listed at £18,000. Restored to near-showroom condition, it’s hailed as the finest example on the market.

A Ford Fiesta from the 1980s which cost £4,000 is now for sale – for over four times that.

The modest, red 1981 Supersport is now going for £18,000.

It is described as the finest example currently available of the now rare model.

Despite its name, it can only do a top whack of 99mph and dawdles from 0-60mph in 11.8 seconds.

The Fiesta Supersport was a limited edition model using the 1300 Sport as a base coupled with extras from the Series-X accessories catalogue.

It was aimed purely at the UK market to test the demand for a sporty Fiesta.

All 3,000 were quickly sold and the following XR2 was quickly ‘signed off’ with production beginning a few months later.

The Supersport was available in three colours; Diamond White, Strato Silver and Sunburst Red with Black, as reported by Luxury Auto News.

It was equipped with the Series-X body kit which included wheel arch extensions, a lower boot spoiler and a front splitter as later featured on the XR2 model as well as the popular 13″ RS 4-spoke alloy wheels.

The square headlights were retained from the standard models but supplemented with a pair of round driving lamps.

The car was also fitted with special bodyside stripe tape which came in either red or grey and a black window surround.

Interiors were in either a red or grey chevron patterned centre with Savannah bolsters and were unique to the model.

Its listing states: “We are pleased to present this stunning Ford Fiesta Supersport finished in Sunburst Red which was first registered on 31st August 1981.

“It’s a left-hand drive and we understand that it was imported to the UK in 2018.

“Indicating 48,592 miles it’s in simply remarkable condition throughout, as good underneath as it is on top and has patently been restored to a concours/showroom level with incredible attention to detail and factory specification.

“The Sunburst paintwork is exceptional, the interior has been superbly retrimmed and finished and the engine bay looks crisp and tidy.

“It sits on a matching set of Yokohama tyres and is supplied with MOTs going back to 2018 and the current one is valid until July 2025.

“There is no supporting restoration paperwork with the car, however, that probably doesn’t matter when every nook and cranny on the car looks ‘factory-fresh’.

“These are now rare cars.

“If you have a Ford Collection, chances are it will not include a Fiesta Supersport, so this is an opportunity to purchase probably the finest example currently on the market.”