Ford Only Has To Bring Back One Car, And It's The Damn Puma

"Blake Noble" (no-bull) 03/03/2014 at 12:30 • Filed to: Bring It Back!, Ford Puma

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Some people yearn for Ford to build cars like the old Galaxie 500 or Gran Torino again. After all, what is there to hate about a ginormous American rear-drive car with a big V8 out front? Because those vintage Fords are so likeable, it's understandable that someone would want them to brew up a new one.

But, as much I might like the idea of a new big rear-drive car from Ford myself, I'd honestly rather see them bring back a car from their more recent history; a car that seems to be undeservingly forgotten about. Everyone, meet the Puma.

If you live in Europe, there's a likely chance you've ran into a Ford Puma at some point, so you're probably already aware of it. However, if you're like me and you live in the United States, you've probably never seen one in person before. That's because when Ford introduced the Puma right before the turn of the century, it decided that We The People were too consumed with buying four wheel drive sumo wrestlers to enjoy a small and cheap two-door sports car, so you Europeans got all the spoils. Again.

So, you might be wondering, why do I pine for the return of a car never sold in the US that I've only seen through the internet and !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! ? Good question. Let me begin answering that by first reminding you of what the Puma was, since it's probably crossed your mind as often as swine flu and Jason Biggs' career after American Pie.

The Puma was based on the fourth-generation Ford Fiesta that debuted for 1995. By looking at it, though, you'd never be able to tell. What Ford did first to turn the Fiesta into the Puma was take almost everything other than the Fiesta's floorpan and dashboard, crumple it up and just throw it in the nearest waste bin. After that, they started the rebuilding process.

The Puma had not one, but four different bespoke four-cylinder engines all tuned by Yamaha. The only transmission you could hook one of them up to was a no-nonsense five-speed manual, so if you couldn't suck it up and learn to use that third pedal, you had to stay home and hope you could find a shred of your manhood in your wife's purse somewhere between the Revlon and Juicy Fruit. The suspension was honed for more spirited driving and it was all wrapped up in sleek feline-like styling cues befitting of the name tacked to the b-pillars.

The end result was the younger, scantily clad blonde sister to the homely "my mother doesn't want me dating until I'm older" brunette. And while a stripper Puma would cost almost double that of a basic Fiesta, it was still affordable (from what I understand; I'm not wading through all of that inflation and exchange rate bullshit right now) and one also could argue it was almost twice the car.

!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! before they began kenneling racing drivers, calling it "a serious driver's car." I'll take his word for it. The ingredients label listed above and the fact that this car offered "only the basics" certainly seems to support that notion.

Then there was the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! where Ford performed an act of pure witchcraft and resurrected Steve McQueen. And there was also the Racing model with its insane flared wheel openings and grip oozing out out every exterior orifice thanks to yet another redesigned suspension from Ford Racing Europe. The Puma even had a bonafide rally pedigree.

Starting to understand why I want this car to come back now? One of the Detroit auto giants needs to build a cheap, small sports car. Sure, Ford also has the Mustang, but its a larger car that fulfills a slightly different niche, and I think a new Puma would carry the same levels of cool without carrying all of the mullet-and-Budweiser-garnished baggage.

Unlike the Gran Torino, Ford has the means to properly build it again. After all, they still make the Fiesta. I also have reason to think it would cost less than the Mustang if it were built, since a base model Fiesta only stickers for around $14,000 and Ford wouldn't have to bother with shipping engines to Yamaha since their Ecoboost engines are already great as is.

Could you imagine a new Puma in ST form? Don't tell me that wouldn't be something special. And since most European Fords are sold Stateside these days, there's a very likely chance we'd get in on the fun this time. Bring back the Puma, Ford.

Blake Noble manages !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , which you can find on Twitter !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . In less than a decade, he's owned more than a handful of derelict and less-than-devine automobiles, including two barely functional Camaros and an '80s Buick having a post-midlife crisis. That is, really, in no way impressive and is just plain sad, you're right. All hate mail, tips, and kudos can be sent to theignitionist@gmail.com. Thanks so much for reading!

Joe_Limon > Blake Noble 03/03/2014 at 12:37

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Ford did sell the Puma in North America, I used to own one, it was badged as a Mercury Cougar and was hella cheap. It also rode like shit, it was good at pot holes specifically because the suspension wouldn't allow the wheel to fall into the hole. Further, if I approached my driveway too slow, one wheel would lift and I would lose all traction. And then there was the alternator which was prone to breaking... Why? Because it was continously being sprayed by puddles being located under the engine, and above the driveshaft/exhaust.... Yes replacing them was a chore to say the least.

GhostZ > Blake Noble 03/03/2014 at 12:39

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Blake Noble > Joe_Limon 03/03/2014 at 12:39

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Actually, the Mercury Cougar and Ford Puma were totally unrelated. The Cougar was a larger car based on the Mondeo chassis, whereas the Puma was based on the Fiesta.

They did, however, sell the Cougar in Europe as the Ford Cougar to replace the old Probe.

Blake Noble > GhostZ 03/03/2014 at 12:40

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There's another bad kitty.

JR1 > Blake Noble 03/03/2014 at 12:41

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It really is a wonderful idea but here are you main problems:

Now I can see Chrysler perhaps doing something with the Dart but then Fiat would be worried it would kill 500 sales.

Tyler's SVT Focus Hates Him > Blake Noble 03/03/2014 at 12:41

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Bring back the Racing Puma too!

CobraJoe > Blake Noble 03/03/2014 at 12:42

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Should Ford bring back a small sports car based on the Fiesta?

Sure, why not.

Should it be the only car they bring back from the past Euro roots? Hell no.

Now would be a perfect time to bring a small RWD 2+2 to the market.

It probably wouldn't be too hard either, there are AWD versions of the Focus, so tweaking the engine bay to allow for longitudinal engine would be the only major development. And sure, it would cut into the Mustang's sales a bit, but so would the competition.

Blake Noble > JR1 03/03/2014 at 12:43

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Volkswagen parks the Scirocco next to the Golf GTi in their showrooms. ;-)

The only reason why VW won't sell it here is because they're idiots.

Blake Noble > Tyler's SVT Focus Hates Him 03/03/2014 at 12:45

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Can I get a "hell yeah!" here?

JR1 > Blake Noble 03/03/2014 at 12:45

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I also personally think it would kill sales of the GTi.

GhostZ > Blake Noble 03/03/2014 at 12:45

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The FORD PUMA: JENNIFER ANISTON ON WHEELS.

Because you own a walkman, still watch Friends reruns, and still can't understand what the Matrix was about. You recommend the Atkin's diet to your friends, and you will fight with them to the death to prove that Radiohead is the best goddamn band in the whole universe.

You own a Gateway computer and use Yahoo as your primary search engine on Internet Explorer. You play space cadet pinball at work because your own home computer still runs windows '98. Everything is made of beige plastic .

You have a fuzzy steering wheel cover and things that are "candy colored" make you excited. Your daughters are given Lisa Frank fuzzy color-by-numbers pictures for christmas.

Tyler's SVT Focus Hates Him > Blake Noble 03/03/2014 at 12:48

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Hell(a) yeah!

Blake Noble > CobraJoe 03/03/2014 at 12:50

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While I'd like to see Ford (or GM or Chrysler) roll out a serious FR-S competitor, I think a new Puma is as close as we'd get. It's a cheaper investment than adapting the Focus platform to go rear-drive.

GhostZ > Blake Noble 03/03/2014 at 12:53

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The V6 mustang is a FR-S competitor. It's about the same price and has a trade-off in smiles for outright performance.

Joe_Limon > Blake Noble 03/03/2014 at 12:53

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I don't see gm ford or chrysler making a frs competitor for the near future (at least not under their main brands) simply because at that price range, they would simply eat into pony car sales.

PJV > Blake Noble 03/03/2014 at 12:59

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I'm from Europe, I've driven a 1.7, 125 HP Puma many miles and I can confirm that is a fantastic car. Quick, agile, fun to drive and the engine ....wonderful! I remember comparing it to a motorcycle.

Negative points IMO : Ugly as sin, bad interior, bad brakes.

But yes, they should do it again.

Blake Noble > GhostZ 03/03/2014 at 13:05

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Maybe it's just me, but I don't think a sports car has to be an outright barn burner between traffic lights.

What I like so much about the FR-S is that it isn't all about straight line speed. It's an excellent car for exploring abandoned rural two lane highways and that's where I do a lot of driving. I'd rather have a sports car that can move swiftly through the turns than one that makes a Corvette owner fondle his already microscopic genitals.

I've driven a newer V6 Mustang and I think it lacks the handling prowess of the FR-S. It's still also a larger car and it feels like it too. Sure, it matches it in price and has more power, but I don't think that qualifies it as a direct competitor. It isn't apples for apples.

CobraJoe > Blake Noble 03/03/2014 at 13:11

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That's the kind of thinking that makes everything bland.

Sure, it's cheaper to build a "Fiesta Coupe". But will it be as much fun as an FRS? Probably not. Will it be cheaper to buy? Maybe, but probably not by much. The ST has a $21k starting price, that's within a stone's throw of the FRS. Would it be worth building? That's questionable. You might steal some sales away from other 2 door FWD options, but it'll still sell much less than the hatch or sedan, it'll still be an also-ran in any comparision, it'll still be forgotten in a few years (like the 2 door cobalt SS).

Now, make it RWD, and it's special. Everybody will be talking about it, why it's such a brilliant thing, why it's such a stupid move, why you should or shouldn't buy it over an FRS... So, even while it won't sell well, it will still gather attention and bring people into show rooms.

Garrett Davis > Tyler's SVT Focus Hates Him 03/03/2014 at 13:11

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That's fucking awesome!

Blake Noble > GhostZ 03/03/2014 at 14:35

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It's okay. I like Regular Car Reviews, too.

Rory > Joe_Limon 03/03/2014 at 15:02

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The Puma is a completely different car to the Cougar.

Joe_Limon > Rory 03/03/2014 at 15:20

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Figured that out now thanks

Svend > Blake Noble 03/04/2014 at 02:08

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The Puma was seen as what it was, a coupe version of the Ford Fiesta and coupe from Ford weren't doing all that well. From the early 90s we had the Ford Probe.

A god awful car (sure it had some fans), styling was all off and generally not good at all. Then there was the Ford Cougar.

The car looked all wrong and had nothing to make it appeal to a prospective buyer. Especially as the Peugeot 406 was around.

A Pininfarina designed beauty that seemed to tick all the boxes for a coupe, but bare in mind at the time the big thing was hot hatches, cheap little run-about-town cars that were given bigger engines, tweaked suspensions, front, side and rear skirts and larger alloy wheels. The coupe market was small and Ford at the time didn't really capture the market, it had its place with the likes of the Fiesta and the Escort but they were hatches.

Maxaxle > Blake Noble 03/05/2014 at 23:08

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All I see is Mercury Cougar and Hyundai Tiburon.

Maxaxle > Blake Noble 03/05/2014 at 23:08

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That's...decidedly boring.

Carlos Silva > Blake Noble 03/06/2014 at 08:59

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it had a Rival in that time, the Opel Tigra.

The puma was better mechanically, but to me the tigra was more good looking, reason why i own one and its my love.

KirkyV > JR1 03/06/2014 at 13:08

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It didn't stop them last time.

KirkyV > Blake Noble 03/06/2014 at 13:13

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I'd have a Puma, if they didn't cost significantly more than an equivalent Fiesta Zetec S to insure, and didn't rust like, well, a nineties Ford.

USA Puma > Blake Noble 12/12/2015 at 14:44

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Hi Blake. This is a great article. I am a Brit and grew up with the Puma around me. I’m actually coming to the states as a tourist for a while as bringing one with me as they are now so cheap, it’s more cost effective than a rental over a long period of time!

If you haven’t yet driven one and I visit wherever you are, you would be welcome to go for a road test.

Anyway, just wanted to say that I enjoyed your article.

Regards;

Chris Behan, Brighton UK