Faults:

Nothing of importance. The engine tappets must be manually adjusted (obvious maintenance for an engine designed in 1966); otherwise the car is faultless!

General Comments:

For a car that weighs about 1000kg, it is pretty quick, having a 3 litre engine (although this engine is VERY heavy, weighing about 200kgs!).

Handling as if on rails using STANDARD suspension and wheels. Can do 230km/h, and I have tested this with GPS!

In 1999 I totalled the car, having fallen asleep at the wheel after more than 48 hours of non-stop work. I hit a ditch coming off the highway. The car is built like a tank, and I have to thank it for saving my life! The car appeared crushed, but the safety cell did its job and I managed to walk away from the accident with a slight scratch on my head.

The vehicle is undergoing a lengthy restoration after many years searching for a suitable replacement body. The engine, gearbox, interior and bootlid/wing all survived on the original car, and will be mounted into the replacement body.

Faults:

Not much, I service it myself as I am a student and can't afford a dealer. The only thing is that it may be a bit heavy on alternators, probably due to the high revving 4-spd gearbox (I've replaced 2 so far). I've just replaced the rear driveshafts and wheel bearings, front suspension rubbers and had the front disks skimmed.

General Comments:

My car has just done 250 000Km, it was possibly the first Sierra 1600 to come to South Africa, all the parts are still marked Ford England, later models had Ford South Africa markings on certain locally made parts.The car has been in my family since it was purchased. It is overall a cheap to run student's car, and is very handy to take on camping trips with the fold down seats at the back - not like the other Beetles, Minis and other small student's cars.