Ghia Saetta

Car Review by Paul Negyesi

Edge-design and Ford 2000 - two keywords which buzz inside Ford circles these days. Ford 2000 is a very ambitious and complex programme which will reshape the structure from Ford ground-up. One of the aims is to create niche models on mainstream platforms and sell them in smaller quantities. Edge design debuted on last years' Ford GT90 and also appeared on Lincoln Sentinel and now here's the latest car which look sharp: the Ghia Saetta, recently premiered in Turin.

It's based on the soon-to-come Ka the city-car of Ford. The body structure, the headlights, most of the doors are shared. The engine is also the smae: 60bhp 1.3-litre Endura-E from the Fiesta. The windscreen has been chopped, the nose has been slightly altered, the roof transformed radically. The central roof rib increases the structural rigidity and also serves as a roll bar.
Inside the bright metallic blue appears on the leather-covered seats and doors. Elsewhere grey rubber and silver mouldings create a sporty atmosphere. There are no immediate plans regarding the future of the Saetta. The Ka will debut in Paris, this autumn and maybe until that Ford management will decide whether a Fiesta-based coupé (Puma) and a Ka-based barchetta (Saetta) will not be too close competitors?