Ford Puma (coupé)

Lore & Background

The Ford Puma program began in 1993 when Ford CEO Jacques Nasser and design director Claude Lobo discussed a 2+2 coupé based on the Fiesta chassis. All development used the Paintbox CAD system, enabling 2D and 3D modelling. The first design iteration, the Lynx concept car, appeared at the 1996 Geneva Motor Show, and the production car launched at the 1997 Geneva Motor Show.

The Puma was available with four engine options: 1.4-litre (1997–2000), 1.6-litre (2000–2001), 1.7-litre VCT (used only in the Puma), and a Tickford-tuned 1.7-litre VCT (used only in the Ford Racing Puma). All engines were Ford's 16-valve Sigma units branded as Zetec-SE. The 1.7-litre engines used Nikasil cylinder plating, requiring 5W30 semisynthetic oil. Rough-machined cylinder blocks were shipped from Ford's Valencia plant to Yamaha in Japan for Nikasil coating, then returned to Cologne for assembly. All 1.7-litre Pumas had low-speed traction control and antilock brakes; ABS was optional on the 1.4-litre model.

Special editions for the UK included the Millennium (Zinc Yellow, Alchemy Blue leather, 1,000 units), Black (Panther Black, Midnight Black leather, 1,600 units), and Thunder (Moondust Silver or Magnum Grey, Midnight Black leather, 2,000 units). The Ford Racing Puma, originally the Puma ST160 Concept shown at the 1999 Geneva Motor Show, was a strictly limited run of 500 units, all painted Imperial Blue. It featured wider aluminium front and steel rear overhangs, a front splitter, 17-inch MiM Speedline alloys, Alcon 4-piston front brakes, and suspension developed by Ford's Boreham specialist division with input from Stig Blomqvist.

Reader's Guide

The Ford Puma's significance lies in its role as a distinctive, sporty coupé derived from the mass-market Fiesta, and in the extreme, low-volume Racing Puma that directly transferred rally and race technology to a road car. The standard Puma offered a unique 1.7-litre engine co-developed with Yamaha, a stiffer suspension, wider track, and close-ratio gearbox that set it apart from its hatchback donor. The Racing Puma, built by Tickford in Daventry, was intended to showcase Ford's competition know-how, with a strengthened gearbox, optional limited-slip differential, and braking performance capable of 1.1g deceleration. Despite its high price (£23,000) and limited sales—fewer than half of the 500 units sold directly to customers—the Racing Puma has maintained increased value due to its rarity. The standard Puma's production of approximately 133,000 units and its subsequent decline in UK registrations to 7,493 by Q3 2023 reflect its transition from a common sight to a collector's item. The special editions—Millennium, Black, and Thunder—further illustrate Ford's strategy of creating limited-run variants to sustain interest during the model's short lifecycle.

Did You Know?

• The 1.7-litre VCT engine was used only in the Ford Puma.
• The Ford Racing Puma's Alcon brakes can achieve 1.1g of braking force in the dry, compared to 0.7g for the standard Puma.
• Only 500 Ford Racing Pumas were produced, all painted Imperial Blue, a colour also used on the Ford Escort Cosworth and Mk.1 Ford Focus RS.