FORD Ka 1997-2008 Photos, engines & full specs

Ford managed to build three cars on the same platform, and all of them were successful in their categories: the Fiesta, the Puma and the Ka. That was their marketing team's way to say, "Mission accomplished."

In 1996, Ford introduced the Ka as a small city vehicle. It was offered in one trim level, with one engine and a bubble-like design theme that made its customers smile when they were driving it: the Ka. At least, the carmaker didn't offer them in only one color.

"Ask me any color, but it has to be black," said Henry Ford when his company introduced the Model-T on the market because black was the fastest drying paint. It was one of his ways to speed-up the production line. In the late '90s, Ford built a car with just a few options to make the cars faster and easier to deliver to its customers. It didn't paint the bumpers and left them black. Thus, the repair costs were smaller, and they were relatively safe from trade paint with other vehicles or parking neighbors.

The designers continued the new-edge language inside the vehicle. They combined the curved lines and sharp angles on the instrument cluster and the dashboard. Thus, the exterior matched the interior. There were just a few options to choose from, but the AC, power-windows, stereo-cassette, and power-steering were fitted as standard.

Its only mistake was the engine, which was based on the Endura-E unit built since the '50s on the Ford Anglia. That mistake was fixed in 2002 when Ford introduced a new version with a similar displacement, but a completely new design.