Crazy cars that nearly became the Ford Fiesta

Concept cars. Designers get to go a little off piste and predict the future. Over 40 years there have been some wacky ideas for how Britain's best-selling car could look - and some that, decades on, still influence what we drive today.

1 - Ole!

Corrida is Spanish for “bullfight” and there is something of the matador's swagger to this 1976 concept. As well as gullwing doors, the Corrida had headlamp flaps, designed to be more aerodynamic, and help save the pennies on petrol.

2 - Zig and Zag.

Not the puppets made famous made famous on the Big Breakfast and Big Brother's Little Brother. The Fiesta Zig was a two-seat sports car and the Fiesta Zag was a small van - both conceived as part of a range of vehicles using the same body parts.

3 - More than a ceiling.

Only got one set of wheels? Want the neighbours to think you have four cars? The Prima concept, from 1976, could be converted into a pickup , coupe, estate or the two-door notchback pictured.

4 - Door to door delivery.

No. Your eyes do not deceive you. There really are two matching suitcases in the door. This 1980 concept was a "pocket" car. Its name? The Pockar of course!

5 - Cool car.

Looks like a normal car? Nearly. On one side of the 1989 Fiesta Urba concept only one door opens. And there was a fridge in the boot. Parking sensors pointed to the future.

6 - The daddy.

The Fiesta launched in 1976, but from 1972 Ford was working on its secret new car with the code name Bobcat. Pictured here are just two from a number of concepts.

7 - Multi-purpose vehicle.

Like the Prima from two years earlier, the Fiesta Fantasy, from 1978, was also a master of disguise. The pick-up could be transformed into a two-seat sports coupe. If you needed to carry more passengers it could also be transformed into an estate, a convertible, and a hardtop for four.

8 - Let's off-road!

The grandaddy of today's SUVs, the Fiesta Tuareg from 1979 was raised to overcome any rocks foolish enough to get in its way and featured rally-style fog lamps.

9 – Ready, Saetta, Go!

Remember the 2003 two-seater convertible Ford StreetKa? In 1996, Ford showed this open top concept for the first time, the Saetta.

10 - The Lynx effect.

Remember the Ford Puma? The much loved coupe that debuted in 1997 owes something to the futuristic Fiesta Lynx, first shown a year earlier, in 1996. A convertible with attitude.

11 - Make this now!

One of the most eye-catching concepts Ford has produced, the GTK concept first showed how a bigger Fiesta might look in 1979. The state-of-the-art Grand Touring Kombi had electric windows, an on-board computer and digital instruments.

12 - Are you looking at me?

The Fiesta concept that looked most likely to nick your dinner money. The 2002 RallyeConcept was designed to point the way to a future Fiesta rally car. Today, Fiestas typically account for up to half of World Rally championship entries.

13 - Smart, phone.

Less a crazy concept, more a shape of things to come from 2007 concept The Verve. Inspiration came in part from mobile phone design.

14 - Give me just a little bit more.

In 2004, it was 12 years since Ford had last launched an RS Fiesta model. The pumped up Fiesta RS Concept was expected to offer more than 180 PS, and cover 0-62 mph in around 7 seconds. In 2011, Ford showed the Fiesta ST concept, which was the precursor to the full production ST - with 182 PS and a sprint of 6.9 seconds. The new Fiesta ST200 ramps that up to 200 PS and 6.7 seconds.

15 – Here in my car.

Featuring a paintjob that any Gary Numan fan would have been proud of, this is the Ford Shuttler concept from 1981, with similar styling to the Ford Sierra family car revealed for the first time a year later.

16 - Open door policy.

It was its double opening sliding doors that made the B-MAX stand out when the concept was revealed in 2011. But would still be there on the full production version a year later? Oh yes.

17 - Lighting the way.

The exterior design of the Libre concept from 1998, influenced many later Ford models with teardrop shaped headlamps and a large lower front grille.

18 - Pushing the boat out.

Inspired by 1950s Italian sports cars, this is the 1983 Fiesta Barchetta concept. It sat atop the same 13-inch wheels as the sporty Fiesta XR2. Barchetta means "little boat" in Italian.

19 - All that jazz.

The 1990 Fiesta Bebop pickup concept is certainly a contender for best car name. It was also ahead of its time for modern compact SUVs.

Which is your favourite?