Alex Unleashed on Cars- Ford Puma (Why there will never be another)
The original Ford Puma is a very interesting car. With humble Fiesta running gear and a small 1.7 litre engine, on paper it wasn’t going to be too much to squawk about especially compared to the exotic looking Alfa Romeo GTV and ballsy Nissan 200SX and yet it was a massive success. The Puma had been conceived as a driver’s car, manual only, low weight and a punchy but small engine meant it was agile and a hoot drive according to almost anyone who drove/owned one. What’s more, build quality was leaps and bounds ahead of other cars in the Ford range and the sleek New Edge styling gave it an almost spaceship like design, and above all else, it was good value, it was just as much fun as a Fiat Coupe or Nissan 200SX but at halve the price of either. Then in 1999 the Racing Puma was unveiled. Limited to 350 units it was a smash hit, featuring mild upgrades to the engine and suspension which only cemented how fun the car was. Nothing this side of a BMW M3 or Nissan Skyline was a...