[tharian]

When I first had a look at the thread title, I thought it was an old review and someone adding a message which bumped it up.

You are one lucky guy Aravind. To land a job at Ford and then find this beauty there, it is like a wish or dream for me.

The 1.6s in Blue was and is my all time favourite car. I fell more in love with it after I bought my 1.2 Figo. I could only imagine how a S with its stiffer springs and bigger tires would feel and I wanted it even more.
I missed an oppurtunity of buying a second well maintained S a year back since I would loose a lot on selling my Figo and needed to add a lot more to buy the S which I could not afford.

I am still looking for a well maintained one and when I read your thread, I wish I was you man!
The last option for me would be to find a 1.6 engine, probably in CBE and plonk it in my Figo and make the first Figo 1.6S!

I am glad you did not have to spend a huge amount to get it back to new. Enjoy it to the fullest and pamper it as much as you can, after all it is the last S ever.

Regards

[arjun_crsce]

Being owner of a fiesta i can just say one thing awesome.

I know people would say a hell lot of things
old car, ford come on why ford and what not.

but i don't give a damn to what people say when you can pin it to the curve at 100, that is where you can see the others in the mirror.

but anyways congrats on buying the last of mohinicans

[Maxwell Arthur]

Congrats Arvind. The car looks awesome. I have seen many 1.6s in Chennai and mostly they do not drive slow. They always try to race against other cars on the road. I have not driven one so I do not know how it feels to be behind one of those machines.

Your post does explain the amount of love and passion you have for the car. Proud of you.

Always wear a seat belt and drive safe.

[mkpiyengar]

Congrats Arvind !!

Kudos to you to follow your heart when you had a chance !! For a moment i thought you missed your chance due to risk and bought a Punto instead. It is a nice car no doubt but the Fiesta is another league all together.

I still have the Aquamarine Fiesta S poster kept under the glass on my desk.
Even after years, it still has not lost the charm.

Enjoy your drive !!

Cheers!!
MKP

[Srinidhi]

Congrats Aravind!

I also own a 1.6S in white avatar but like others said, Aquarius Blue was my favorite color as well. By the time I decided to buy one, ford stopped manufacturing it. It took me nearly three years to find a pre-worshiped one and I must say I am lucky to find one which was in an immaculate condition. Like you there was a time when I almost bought clxi classic but somehow, it did not appeal to me and dropped the decision and I am glad I did

Enjoy your ride and be safe!

-Nidhi

[reddream]

What a beautiful write up Aravind, enjoyed reading it to the core.

I too have a Fiesta Diesel and even after 5 years of owning it I just fall in love everytime I drive it. I get to drive many cars (mostly Laura, new City) which are bigger and posher, but nothing thrills me the way the Fiesta does. I just love the way the seat holds you, the always quick and sharp steering, the feedback I get from the brakes, the short throw gearbox, the silky revving engine and the way the car mocks you when you turn at your limit.

I frequently drive up the Yellagiri hills and in the night the road is yours (need not worry much about the opposite traffic until you see the lights). Since, I know each and every corner I dont have surprises in mid corner. It has been a while since I got to drive just with my wife (no kids to disturb) and promised her that if she hears any squeal from the tyre I will stop the time trail. I had been compensating my lack of road time with PS3 / GT5 with 1000s of laps. So, started the hill climb and was constantly increasing the pace. By the time I was in the mid way of the hill (where the hairpins are added with more open radius corners) I was riding at my new pace (faster than any time before) and still the car was not even squealing (again text book driving, turn point set, one steering input, etc), I was amazed at how much this car can test you. The last section of the hill there are fast corners and I was just driving over the pace I wanted to and still no squeal... I couldnt sleep that night, I wanted to just sleep inside the car... I just love it.

Next time I want to record the hill climb with a nice camera.

BTW, I had changed the tyres to Bridgestone (some sport series, cant remember) and didnt like the feedback like MRF stock tyres, though it offered better comfort, more grip and lesser sound. So, got the MRF tyres for the front tyres and loving it.

[Sheel]

Congratulations! While I am yet to drive a Fiesta 1.6S, but have exploited the (almost) same chassis & it would be electric if the engine was right, which the 1.6S is

Keep her in good nick & please flood the thread with pictures. We won't mind one bit :-)

Originally Posted by reddream

and still the car was not even squealing (again text book driving, turn point set, one steering input, etc),

Man, how accurate you are. I don't know why my Car doesn't squeal & that too on stock tires. I take a corner at 70, get all stiffed up thinking that Fish! I think I overcooked the corner & the Car smirks back with precise turn-in & no squeal. No drama. Egging me to go harder. But sense prevails & I don't try much. Maybe with better tires...

In comparison on the same road, the other Car's tire squeal can be heard at least 300mtrs away & swear on God, I am not kidding.

[devansn]

Originally Posted by aravind.anand

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you - BlueBolt, The last Samurai !

Very well written, straight from the heart! Thanks for this post, Aravind! Great photos too.

When was it that you took delivery of this car? If you don't mind, can you PM me the price of this? Very curious to know.

Congratulations! Please post a hell lot of photos - interiors too...

[IshaanIan]

Congratulations! I love this car too especially how Ford managed to turn what even I found boring and conservative (the original fiesta) into an absolute scorcher, One has to give the colour its due too You just made me reconsider the top contender on MY list too :P

[sandeepmohan]

A select few own this special one off Ford. Fewer knew something like the "S" even existed. Most folks looked at this car as a typical badge job we are used to seeing. I don't who was at Ford when they were planning this car. Who ever it was, Ford need to get that person back. The present line up is just boring.

I too had lined up for this car. Due to limited funds, I could not afford one. When I could, Ford had long stopped production of the "S".

I know of only two cars that were special and it really makes you wonder how the manufacturers even considered launching them. The Fiat Palio S10 and the Ford Fiesta S. Both these cars were known only to the folks who knew what they really were underneath.

I missed two great drivers cars. Its good to know you own one of them. Your narration was so clear about your love for cars, that I could picture every situation so clearly. The best part being the point where you moved your mouse to click on the email that said you won the bid. You never knew what that mail had in store until you highlighted it and that feeling is something few will ever experience.

[aravind.anand]

Originally Posted by aks_karthik

Congrats aravind.anand,
.......Any idea in Customizable ECM Tuning/Maps.

Thanks a lot karthik, I haven't thought much on the lines of ECM Tuning or Mapping, as I have very less knowledge there, do tell me more about it though.

Originally Posted by Percy N P

Congrats Aravind and wish you All the Best with your Blue Baby. I am so happy for you that you ultimately listened to your heart and went ahead and bought what you always wanted. Like they say some decisions are better taken from the heart. Reading through your post, it was very obvious what a petrolhead you are and always have been. Wish you many many miles of safe and happy motoring. Also do keep updating this thread with your ownership experience as time goes on.

Thank you Percy for your kind words, and I would also like to thank my dad here, who always has let me go by what my heart said I do intend to keep this thread completely alive with pictures and experiences with my BlueBolt.

Originally Posted by niranjanrvce

Congrats Aravind! Damn lucky to have a landed a Blue S this late with pretty much nil running. Perks of working for Ford eh?

So what is going into her? Start with a FFE and CAI? Ping if driving down to B'lore sometime and we can have 1.6 meet

Hi Niranjan, I hope you recollect this - While I was in the dilemma of going for the Fiesta 1.6 S or sticking to the Punto, I sent you private messages asking you about the Fiesta Petrol ( As you and I have the same cars in the garage - Fiesta and City! ) and you very promptly and patiently answered all my queries about the Car and the mod experiences. A big thanks to you and your thread, for helping me take my decision. And yes, time to think about FFE and CAI now, lets discuss in detail Niranjan.

Originally Posted by ghodlur

@Aravind,

Congratulation on the Acquarius Blue Fiesta....

So you said you bought it from Ford directly? Would Ford honour the warranty on the car assuming that it has exceeded the min & extended warranty period. What cost did you pay for the car? Hope you have taken care of the issues which had forced the car out of service.

Happy mile crunching and drive safely.

Hi Ghodlur, Thank you for your wishes. Ford clearly mentioned that the car would not be coverec under warranty ever before I bid for the car. I have painstakingly repaired every bit n piece to restore this beauty, but right now, I still have these things to be fixed -

> The driver side front power window is acting quirky and makes weird noises and movements while operation, needs replacement said the Service advisor, but I din't want to spend on it before attemting to fix.
> The mechanical locks on the door and the boot have gone kaput! I can access the car only with the remote now!
>The front windscreen has deep scratches, need to find a way to fix it / replace it.
>There are a few dents and scratches, need to get them fixed.

Originally Posted by reddream

What a beautiful write up Aravind, enjoyed reading it to the core.

I too have a Fiesta Diesel and even after 5 years of owning it I just fall in love everytime I drive it. I get to drive many cars (mostly Laura, new City) which are bigger and posher, but nothing thrills me the way the Fiesta does. I just love the way the seat holds you, the always quick and sharp steering, the feedback I get from the brakes, the short throw gearbox, the silky revving engine and the way the car mocks you when you turn at your limit.

Thanks a lot for your wishes Red Dream, and glad that you liked my posts. Yes the Fiesta is indeed brilliant at handling curvy roads. I think you would have read my post about the silly misjudgement I made, so no matter how good the car is, it would have a limit, better not to try and see the limit. So please continue enjoying your drives, albeit with a bit more precaution.

Originally Posted by Sheel

Congratulations! While I am yet to drive a Fiesta 1.6S, but have exploited the (almost) same chassis & it would be electric if the engine was right, which the 1.6S is

Keep her in good nick & please flood the thread with pictures. We won't mind one bit :-)

Thanks for your wishes Sheel. I would definitely keep bombarding this thread with pictures, whenever I have the opportunity

Originally Posted by devansn

Very well written, straight from the heart! Thanks for this post, Aravind! Great photos too.

When was it that you took delivery of this car? If you don't mind, can you PM me the price of this? Very curious to know.

Congratulations! Please post a hell lot of photos - interiors too...

Thank you for the wishes Devan. I paid the DD for the car, exactly a year ago - 7th May 2012! And took delivery on 15th May ( that is when the DD processing was over and I did few trials to get the car moving, before towing it out! )

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

Congratulations! I love this car too especially how Ford managed to turn what even I found boring and conservative (the original fiesta) into an absolute scorcher, One has to give the colour its due too You just made me reconsider the top contender on MY list too :P

Thank you Ishaan. Exactly! the Fiesta wasn't even in my radar when it was launched, I was always in favour for the 110 bhp Verna CRDi before they came up with this hooligan of a car and stole my heart!

Truly heart felt thanks to each and every one of you, for having taken time out, to go through my extra long posts and being so generously kind with me. I am very touched and humbled by your wishes and words.

[1100D]

What a dream ownership!

When I first saw the thread title, was a little amused by association of the word "Samurai" with a Blue Oval car. But reading through it, could relate to it every bit.

I have a feeling that you would probably have won the bid at 1 lakh less too, given that the car was not running. But then, you never know, someone else would have thought like you did. In the end, you calculated your bid beforehand and so it should be good value, as this car is priceless.

[aravind.anand]

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

A select few own this special one off Ford. Fewer knew something like the "S" even existed....
I know of only two cars that were special and it really makes you wonder how the manufacturers even considered launching them. The Fiat Palio S10 and the Ford Fiesta S. Both these cars were known only to the folks who knew what they really were underneath.

Yes Sandeep, even last week when I took my car for installing sun films, many at the shop referred to my car as the 'New Fiesta!' Such is the awareness about the S! People are able to relate the colour blue, but not the car itself

Correct me if I am wrong here, but I thought the Palio S10 was a regular 1.6 Palio with yellow paint job and Sachin's signature on it, did it have other enhancements like the Fiesta Sport too?

And you forgot to mention the Skoda Octavia ( not Laura ) VRs ?! That is another spectacular car that could have been bought with 12L in its heydays.

Originally Posted by 1100D

What a dream ownership!

When I first saw the thread title, was a little amused by association of the word "Samurai" with a Blue Oval car. But reading through it, could relate to it every bit.

I have a feeling that you would probably have won the bid at 1 lakh less too, given that the car was not running. But then, you never know, someone else would have thought like you did. In the end, you calculated your bid beforehand and so it should be good value, as this car is priceless.

Thanks a lot 1100D. And yes, I initially made a bid and dropped it in the box. But that night I really wasn't comfortable and couldn't sleep, as I felt insecure about that bidding amount, so I revised the amount and made a higher bid for the same car, again the next day!

And the second time I was confident, especially because nobody who was looking to buy 'a car' would make a beeline for this car, when there were better condition SXi variants and Diesels for sale along with this S

[niranjanrvce]

Originally Posted by aravind.anand

Hi Niranjan, I hope you recollect this - While I was in the dilemma of going for the Fiesta 1.6 S or sticking to the Punto, I sent you private messages asking you about the Fiesta Petrol ( As you and I have the same cars in the garage - Fiesta and City! ) and you very promptly and patiently answered all my queries about the Car and the mod experiences. A big thanks to you and your thread, for helping me take my decision. And yes, time to think about FFE and CAI now, lets discuss in detail Niranjan.

Yes I remember ,glad to gave been of any help at all mate, gladder still that you took the plunge with the S! Lot of mod options out there - FFE+CAI+remap should take you to 20%+ gains easily. I am more than happy with this setup on mine now. Take it step by step and you will enjoy the car and the mods as you learn her intricacies better each day.

Only one heads up on exhaust mods though - be extra careful where the FFE pipe is welded on to the underbody. The underbody sheet metal on the Fiesta is not thick everywhere so welding to it at the wrong place will cause issues later.

Cheers and enjoy one of the most beautiful cars ever sold here!

[vnabhi]

@aravind.anand--congratulations and welcome to the 1.6 club. I'd have bought the 1.6 S for sure if it were around at the time I bought the 1.6 sxi. And by the way, the interior trim of the older sxi model is way better than the new one's.

Take good care of your baby and you will be one of the guys who owns a rare classic in a few years, just like the 1.6 ST Palio owners.