Now is the time to buy a Ford Racing Puma

The Ford Puma wasn’t always a somewhat controversial-looking crossover. Back in the Nineties it was a little Fiesta-based coupe. Designed by Ian Callum long before he started doing Jags, it was masses of fun to drive and had a clever 1.7-litre engine from Yamaha. Nowadays you can pick one up for comfortably under £1,000 (so long as you don’t mind being able to basically see through the rear arches). And you should, because they’re ace.

This, though, is the most ace. The Ford Racing Puma – a limited-edition special with Tickford bodywork, a lightly modified engine and even better handling than standard. Ford initially planned to build 1,000, but only ended up producing half that. And at £23,000 new back in 1999, £10,000 more than a regular Puma, it struggled to sell even those.

Today FRPs are an appreciating classic (that said, even good originals seem to be on the way up). When our full review was written just months ago, you could get one for £6,000 or £7,000, but now it’s more like £10,000, £15,000 or even £20,000. And they’re not cheap to maintain, either – the car’s rarity means parts can be hard to come by, and often demand a premium. Fixing the FRP’s well documented rust issues could, for example, cost you as much as £5,000 if you go for proper bits.

There aren’t many for sale at a time, but those that are usually look pretty well maintained. The cheapest we could find on a quick trawl through the classifieds was up for £9,000. Looks in decent fettle, though the owner admits it’s had some work done. There’s a few up for around £15,000, then a couple of really mint ones for £20,000 and up. That’s Fiesta ST money.

Tempted? We certainly are. Buy now before the money starts getting silly – Sierra Cosworth, we’re looking at you…