The Ford Ka is a neatly packaged, if seemingly disposable little car. They appear to rust so quickly, I think the numbers of first generation cars will dwindle in the next decade.
So, while there still are common Ka:s, let’s take a look at this sportier version, aptly named the SportKa. There was also a droptop version, named the StreetKa. Being able to take either for a spin would definitely be interesting.
The SportKa and StreetKa had a 1.6-litre, 93-horsepower engine instead of the old 1.3-litre pushrod unit in the RegularKa. The bulky wheels make the “sharp egg” styling of the car really stand out, and I definitely like the way it looks. I just don’t really like the way it rusts, and the fenders and door corners display some rot on this 2005 car. One place where rust will start peeking as well are the tops of the plastic wheelarch-bumper-combinations.
Weekend Edition – Helsinki Street Sightings: Ford SportKa
By Antti Kautonen
May 23, 2015
By Antti Kautonen
The resident Finn of Hooniverse. Owns old Peugeots and whatnot, writes long thinkpieces on unloved cars. These two facts might be related.
Another odd car (see the Hyundai coupe), but it’s also kind of cute. We never got these in the US, but I remember reading about these in British magazines. Is that a parking ticket underneath the windshield wiper?
I think it’s a parking permit, and it’s inside the car.
That seems to be a Helsinki area resident parking permit.
I always thought they actually went and redesigned the front lights for StreetKa, but in this picture it seems front fenders just cover the lower corners.
SportKa commercials were a bit, odd.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLdcGSRHaaY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dzi_8Rscfs
How “sporty” could a Ka possibly get?
There are people who have tried…
Lacking in power but the mk4/5 (depending on how you count things) fiesta chassis that underpins these things is great. I used to have a Fiesta of a similar era with the Yamaha designed 1.25 engine and I would describe the way it drove as “decaf Peugeot 205 GTI”, Really great ride and handling for a wee car. I can only imagine a car with shorter overhangs and a 1.6 to be even more fun, shame the KA only ever seemed to get archaic engines rather than the newer “Zetec” stuff. Problem with these, Fiestas and the similar Puma coupe is they rust like crazy. Ford were one of the last manufacturers in europe to take rust protection seriously, even Fiat had sorted out galvanized bodies by that era.
When these first came out I thought they were cool and edgy, but I don’t think the styling has aged well at all.