Farmyard kitty
James further improves his Puma after a history lesson
Service due! Is it that time already? I’ve been putting a few miles on the Puma and although on paper it doesn’t need a service, an oil change seemed wise as the engine was reinstalled way back in October and I’ve piled on the miles since then. Having too much fun, you see. I don’t want to run it into the ground, but when the opportunity comes up and I am due to be somewhere with fun roads in the vicinity, the temptation to take the Puma is too much to resist. A recent trip to Sheffield meant a spin through the Peak District (PC, Spring 22) and most recently, I returned to my Gloucestershire hometown for the weekend. This usually means a dull trip down the A14, M6, M42 and M5… or a more enjoyable run down the Fosse Way. I took the latter route… in the Ford.
Fettling the feline
This came after a thorough inspection for rust (the Puma’s Achilles heel) and the realisation that I ought to start looking for spare parts… just in case. So many Pumas have been binned, it seems sensible to begin stashing components. I was then distracted by the acquisition of a new set of wheels. My car had the later alloys fitted – pleasant enough, but by 2001 Ford had pinched some pennies by discontinuing the original wheels meant for the car.
So, after swapping the tyres
PURRING over from the old alloys, the Puma now looked as was intended by designer Ian Callum. His ‘turbine’ wheels were inspired by his favourite Chevy muscle car.
Meantime, to resolve the distant knocking from the rear, I ordered a set of new bushes to replace the tired originals – it could only improve the Puma’s renowned handling further. While shopping for said bushes, I became engrossed in the online forum postings of fellow owners.
The late chassis genius, Richard Parry-jones, was responsible for Ford’s ‘50-metre test’, where a driver must notice supreme steering, throttle response and soundtrack before reaching
25mph. On that note, Parry-jones employed a musician to record the desired sound quality. This resulted in the mysterious plastic box bolted
‘The wheels were inspired by the designer’s favourite Chevy muscle car’
to the inside of the Puma’s bonnet. It had me scratching my head for weeks when I bought the car. Closer inspection revealed nothing more than a hollow box resting on top of the Puma’s
Yamaha cylinder head when the bonnet is shut. A fizzy sound resonates from within said box at around 3000rpm, exiting a hole in the back, which then enters the cabin. Only Ford would engineer a car to sound louder.
Homeward bound
I buzzed home to Wotton-under-edge, topping up at the town’s only filling station on arrival. Bear Street Garage is also a Ford dealer with a history. For me, it was the forecourt on which I handled my first petrol pump back in 1993. I present my Puma to proprietor and Escort MKII owner Graham Peake, who recalls selling them new. He also recalls the rust problems of Fords at the time and is surprised at the lack of rot on mine.
For Graham, 2022 marks 50 years since he began working at the premises. Originally built in 1906, by 1972 it was a Morris dealership – but when they pulled out a year later, it went blueoval. In 1982, Graham bought the place and continued to sell new Fords thereafter.
‘The first new model I sold in ’72 was to Peter at the newsagents – a manual Ford Consul in Daytona yellow. The second was a MKI Escort in Sahara beige with a brown vinyl roof,’ Graham remembered. These days, it’s all about the internet, so Graham’s staff are busy repairing and maintaining locals’ cars. ‘Our main problem is the size of our workshop. It’s built for vehicles of the last century and modern ones have grown!’
I turn to the Puma again, announcing to
Graham it’s my first ever Ford. He rolls his eyes, having spent the last five decades watching my dad – and later myself – wafting around town in our ‘funny French cars’. He says he didn’t sell many Pumas. ‘We sold more Streetkas at that
time, but around here most people wanted practical transport. That said, in August 1983, I sold 15 Xr3is in a week. People couldn’t get enough of them.’ With spares for Nineties Fords becoming increasingly difficult to find, despite their inevitable rise in value, I ask if Graham might have any leftover Puma parts. He nods to the workshop. ‘We might have the odd thing tucked away in there’. Looks like I’ll be booking the Puma in for some work soon, then…
■ james.walshe@practicalclassics.co.uk