The Ford Ka hot hatch!

Hot hatches, we all love them and we’ve all wanted to own them at some point in our lives. Modern versions have four-wheel drive, ballistic horse-power and can cost more than a new Porsche. However, this article has been written to try and expose an unsung hero of the past which is all about lightness, lots of revs and pure handling joy - we bring you then, the Ford SportKa!

The original Ford Ka arrived on our shores way back in 1996 armed with a sparkling new chassis but a rather paltry 1.3 litre petrol engine pushing out a meagre 59 Break Horse Power (bhp). However, a several years later down the line came the Ka’s very grown up and immensely more powerful brother. In fact, so grown up that the SportKa provided you with a 16 litre 8 valve 4 cylinder engine which produced 93 bhp and an impressive top speed of 108mph.



It took Ford a whole seven years to realise the potential of slotting the Ka with a much more powerful engine. They also went on to give it a more rigid suspension while tweaking the steering and gearbox. The SportKa weighs just 490 kilos which means it handles like an absolute wasp! The steering is really communicative and because there’s only 93 bhp from a 1.6 litre engine you can drive it pretty much flat-out everywhere you go – which is exactly what a hot hatch like this should deliver.



Practicality also shines through as having such a small engine also means it’s cheaper to insure and easier to fix if anything goes wrong. Its small size means that you can park it almost anywhere and you’ll be extremely surprised what you can fit in the boot.

The stats:
Name: Ford SportKa
Years on sale: 2003 - 2008
Price on DesperateSeller.co.uk: £500 - £3000
Owner rating: 4.2 out of 5

We’d argue that the Ford SportKa is a hot hatch for the masses. In fact, it’s such a fixture of British life that on his 17th birthday after passing his test current England captain Wayne Rooney was given one while learning his trade at Everton. Barring any Liverpool supporters, if that’s not enough to convince you then nothing will.



Feel free to search our database of used Ford SportKa cars for sale by clicking here.