Photo: Instagram | automotive.diffusion
As many petrolheads remember, the original Ford Puma was not a crossover, but a small three-door coupe produced in Europe between 1997 and 2002.
The model was made at the Cologne factory, in Germany, and was designed by Ian Callum, whose work comprises the Aston Martin Vanquish, DB9, Jaguar F-Type, XF, C-X75, Ford Escort Cosworth, and RS2000, among others.
Beneath the skin lies the Ford B platform, which tied it mechanically to the fourth-gen Fiesta. The engines lineup comprised the 1.4-, 1.6-, and 1.7-liter units mated to a five-speed manual transmission, with up to 155 ps (153 hp/114 kW) and 162 Nm (119 lb-ft) of torque in the most agile offering, which took a little under 8 seconds from 0 to 62 mph (0-100 kph), maxing out at 126 mph (203 kph).
The original Puma was discontinued in 2002, and until 2019, the moniker wasn’t used at all by the Blue Oval. For the revival, Ford chose a crossover body style, of subcompact proportions, because these sell like hotcakes in Europe. The high-rider is built on the B-car platform, the same one used on the seventh-gen Fiesta, and it comes to life in Romania. There are several powertrain options available, and in the top guise, it is quite fast. The Ford Puma ST uses a 1.5-liter three-pot, with 197 hp (200 ps/147 kW) and 236 lb-ft (320 Nm), dealing with the 0-62 mph (0-100 kph) acceleration in 6.7 seconds, and topping out at 137 mph (220 kph).
Now, while the modern-day Puma may be superior to its indirect predecessor that shares its name, it is still a crossover, and not a coupe. Therefore, some are not fans of the way they used the moniker, but it can always be worse, like naming something a Mustang that’s not a Mustang (ahem, Mach-E). And if you ever wondered what a possible Puma revival that stays true to the original would have looked like, then you’ll have to check out the renderings shared on social media yesterday by automotive.diffusion. You can find them in our gallery above, imagining the car in several hues, dressed in different attire.
Overall, it mixes the design of the original Puma with that of the crossover, with a curvaceous styling that still makes it instantly recognizable as a Ford. There is some plastic cladding for a more utilitarian stance on one of the digital illustrations, whereas others have a focus on performance, in what would have been a true ST (or perhaps even an RS – one can only dream, right?) model. Call us fans of the overall design if you will, but this would have made more justice to the nameplate, even if it wouldn’t have been a moneymaker for the company. But would you have bought one if they made it?
Beneath the skin lies the Ford B platform, which tied it mechanically to the fourth-gen Fiesta. The engines lineup comprised the 1.4-, 1.6-, and 1.7-liter units mated to a five-speed manual transmission, with up to 155 ps (153 hp/114 kW) and 162 Nm (119 lb-ft) of torque in the most agile offering, which took a little under 8 seconds from 0 to 62 mph (0-100 kph), maxing out at 126 mph (203 kph).
The original Puma was discontinued in 2002, and until 2019, the moniker wasn’t used at all by the Blue Oval. For the revival, Ford chose a crossover body style, of subcompact proportions, because these sell like hotcakes in Europe. The high-rider is built on the B-car platform, the same one used on the seventh-gen Fiesta, and it comes to life in Romania. There are several powertrain options available, and in the top guise, it is quite fast. The Ford Puma ST uses a 1.5-liter three-pot, with 197 hp (200 ps/147 kW) and 236 lb-ft (320 Nm), dealing with the 0-62 mph (0-100 kph) acceleration in 6.7 seconds, and topping out at 137 mph (220 kph).
Now, while the modern-day Puma may be superior to its indirect predecessor that shares its name, it is still a crossover, and not a coupe. Therefore, some are not fans of the way they used the moniker, but it can always be worse, like naming something a Mustang that’s not a Mustang (ahem, Mach-E). And if you ever wondered what a possible Puma revival that stays true to the original would have looked like, then you’ll have to check out the renderings shared on social media yesterday by automotive.diffusion. You can find them in our gallery above, imagining the car in several hues, dressed in different attire.
Overall, it mixes the design of the original Puma with that of the crossover, with a curvaceous styling that still makes it instantly recognizable as a Ford. There is some plastic cladding for a more utilitarian stance on one of the digital illustrations, whereas others have a focus on performance, in what would have been a true ST (or perhaps even an RS – one can only dream, right?) model. Call us fans of the overall design if you will, but this would have made more justice to the nameplate, even if it wouldn’t have been a moneymaker for the company. But would you have bought one if they made it?
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