- by Brian Byrne
56 Irish have a Desire named StreetKa
18 March 2003: Some 56 firm Irish orders have been made for the sexy new StreetKa, which goes on sale here next month in two specification levels, with a starting price of E25,695.
And in a situation where demand is expected to outstrip supply for the Pininfarina-manufactured little roadster, Ford of Ireland boss Eddie Murphy said today that he believes they'll sell around 100 in Ireland this year.
The StreetKa is the first sub-B roadster to wear the Ford badge, and is powered by a new 95PS 1.6-litre engine that brings the car from standstill to 100 km/h in 12 seconds. Fuel consumption of 36mpg is achievable.
Though the lineage to the diminutive Ford mini is unmistakable, the StreetKa has a character all of its own, with its 2-seater format, sports seats, leathered steering wheel and funky roll bars.
The 'luxury' spec version comes with full leather trim, heated seats and aircon, and sells in Ireland at E28,395.
The original concept was a design exercise by Ghia and was revealed at the 2000 Turin Motor Show, and bringing it to market reflects a current Ford philosophy to expand its development of derivative products.
The production version was unveiled at the 2002 Paris show, in the company - very briefly - of singer and actress Kylie Minogue, who exemplified the target market of the 'sex in the city' 30-somethings, for whom the term 'fashionistas' has been coined.
The car also starred with Minogue as the sponsor of her 2002 European 'Fever' concert tour.
The StreetKa will be offered with two trim options. The first has seats and door panels trimmed with ‘Twill’, a black tweed-effect fabric exclusive to the roadster; seat inserts are trimmed in black as on the Focus ST170.
The upgraded sports-style seats are made of a more supportive construction and are positioned lower than in the original car for more of a sportscar feel.
Alternatively, customers can choose the leather option which will feature heated leather seats with matching door panels in a choice of four colours to complement the exterior hues: Ebony, Parchment, Saddle (tan) and eye-catching Infra Red.
The seven-step manual top-down operation takes under 7 seconds for one person, compared to an average of 25 seconds for powered systems in other cabrios.
Because the folding roof mechanism is located where the second row of seats would be in a normal Ka, there's a reasonably substantial boot area, which Ford says 'passes the golf clubs test'.
At the safety level, ABS is standard, as are dual airbags. Reinforced side box members compensate for the fore-aft stiffness lost by the lack of a roof on the vehicle, and the steel rollover hoops behind each occupant are an integral part of the car's structure.
There have been changes to the underpinnings, with a wider track and lower, stiffer suspension, that is much less inclined to roll than the original hatchback. Larger 16-inch tyres make the most of the roadholding potential of the Streetka's setup.
Considerable thought has been given to the NVH characteristics of the car, with, for example, a new 'hydromount' engine mount developed specifically for the engine and of a similar design to that used in the Focus. A sound barrier material set between the luggage compartment and the roof-storage area cuts down on road noise coming through the rear wheel arches.
Finally, the StreetKa is not a 'chopped' version of the original Ka, but one which has been engineered from the ground up specifically as a roadster. While a number of metal pressings are supplied by Ford from the main Ka plant at Valencia in Spain, Pininfarina produce or source the others. The car is finished by hand.
©2003 irishcar.com