Just outside baggage claim, a lovely blonde haired lady holding a sign with the Ford emblem greeted me with a Southern drawl. Moments later I was helped into a well-appointed Lincoln Navigator with two other press people; one my age, one of the normal press age. Both were dressed casually. 

I loosened my tie. Several miles later we arrived at a building that appeared to be a former car dealership of sorts. Outside shiny new Ford Fiestas lined both sides of the parking lot, continuing out of sight behind the building. I stuffed my digital camera and audio recorder into my Dockers. 

Inside it was not a Dockers affair, although it could have been; a presentation area was set against the main wall with a giant video screen backing it and a bold puple-esque Fiesta off to the right. In front of all this were a section of glass lunch tables. On the far wall, a buffet of catering wrapped around a series of tables piled high with gourmet foods. Several Fiestas sat around the room with Ford personnel close by ready to talk about the car. 

Surveying the room between bites of salmon, pork, and a delightful vegetable quiche medley, the press crowd appeared to be… normal people, dressed plainly. Most weren’t much older than I. There were a few older faces here and there, but they were largely outnumbered by millennial-types up to younger generation X-ers and.. 

Was that a pirate? Long black hair spilled out from beneath a red bandana, his shirt was unbuttoned nearly to his naval before it disappeared beneath the belt-less divide of his tight black jeans. He was missing one of his front teeth. He had his own cameraman. 

Before this could sink in the presentation began*. Several Ford people spoke about the business behind the Fiesta and the car itself. Having caught a late flight I kept stuffing my face and attempted to jot down a few notes here and there. Here’s what I came back with:

-Power Shift Trans= 40mpg
-Available exterior graphics from dealers
-Highly customizable interior colors
-112hp/112lb-ft torque
-? Tech same as on Mustang
-6 Speed auto uses economy of a manual
-Drift/Pull cancellation
-Active nibble cancellation
-Target= millenials, downsizers, baby boomers, import owners. 
-$13,995 –4Dr, $15,795 4Dr (Starting)**

…The pork was phenomenal. I crammed the last piece into my mouth as the presentation ended and the press crowd emptied out into the parking lot to claim Fiestas in teams of two. On the way out the door we were handed a sheet explaining what a TSD (Time, Speed, Distance) rally was and a sheet with directions to Byington Winery nearly fifty miles away. The winners would receive a free weekend stay at a rally school on the East coast. 

Around the back of the lot behind the building a man was yelling for a partner:

“And I’d like to win!” he boomed through a cupped hand.

Bingo. I walked over and introduced myself. 

“You’re not camera shy are you?” He asked. 

I said I wasn’t, but thought again as I noticed he was attaching a camera to the inside of the car aimed at the driver’s seat. This guy was a professional, an Internet professional. He had a scar on his forehead from a rally event. He had driven in many rally events. This was going to be fun. 

Stay tuned.

*More on the pirate soon to come. 
**These specifications are non-official, official specifications to come.

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