One could make a case that right around 1980, say ’78-82, represented an intermission of sorts for the Malaise Era. Power was down while gas prices and interest rates soared, but creativity was in the air. Rather than just cranking down the compression ratios and cranking up the rearend gearing, automakers were looking for solutions.
GM’s cars got smaller and diesel or 4-6-8 powered while Ford and Chrysler made big pushes with captive imports and compact front-drivers. Ford’s Fox platform and Toyota’s 4x4s and Supra were born then. The AMC Eagle? 1979.
Reagan’s 80s brought a recovering economy, cheaper fuel and deregulation; all of which contributed to an era of complacency reaching through the Clinton administration. Rewinding to more desperate but interesting times, Ford had a plan to get the most out of their Spanish-built Fiesta (way to go on the name there, guys): the Fiesta Fantasy Concept. The Fiesta Fantasy used a collection of interchangeable tops to transmorph it into a two door wagon, convertible, coupe, 2+2 hardtop and (you guessed it) a Fiestachero. While the logistics of storing a number of top configurations might have complicated things, the reconfigurability (which is in fact, a word) of the platform would’ve made it a champion of doing more with less. In case the watermarks didn’t tip you off, images courtesy of fiesta-mk1.co.uk with a hat tip to new Fiestanaut and commenter Drew S.
While the logistics of managing 5 different tops might’ve complicated the ownership experience, the reconfigurability (which is, in fact, a real word) of the platform would’ve produced a winner in the doing more with less category. Besides, imagine any of these done up in tidy autocross-ready spec.