HIGHLIGHTS
- Launch-spec 1993 Mondeo
- Astonishing main dealer history and ownership journal
- Original and unrestored condition
- Last owner since 1995
THE APPEAL
Introduced in 1993, Ford’s “World Car” received a sensational reception from the motoring media, setting new benchmarks in ride and handling and bringing the Blue Oval’s fleet special bang up-to-date.
It rapidly became a big seller, topping the company car sales charts for most of its seven-year life, with excellent space and passenger comfort, a gigantic boot and strong performance even in fleet favourite 1.8-litre form.
Of course, time has ravaged the numbers of surviving Mondeos, many of which had covered huge miles even by the time they were just three or four years old.
This one has had a more pampered life and is a rare very early survivor from the first year of production – and as the Mondeo celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, so does L858 RTR. Supplied to its first owner in August 1993 as one of the first new “L-reg” cars, the car changed hands two years later and was bought as an approved used car by a Ford employee. He owned the car until this year, always taking it to the supplying dealer for servicing and repair.
As a result, here is a 30-year-old car with an astonishing full main dealer service history, right up until its last service in July 2022, less than 300 miles ago. The service book contains 28 service stamps, all from Ford main dealers, and the paperwork journal that comes with the car is astonishing – even containing the original brochures and Mondeo adverts.
It’s a very tidy car that has never been restored, so has the odd sign of age, but comes with a recently passed MOT certificate valid until August 2024.
THE HISTORY AND PAPERWORK
- UK V5C – showing one previous owner
- Registered on August 6 1993 by Dibden Ford of Dibden Purlieu in the New Forest and supplied by them to the last owner as a used car in August 1995
- Recent new MOT valid through to August 22nd, 2024 – one advisory for a slight leak at the rear exhaust joint
- Original dealer rear plate and sticker
- Owners’ handbook and original book pack
- Service book with 28 MAIN DEALER stamps
- Invoices for every annual service, initially by Dibden Ford and later by Hendy Ford, which took over the Dibden franchise
- Original Mondeo brochure
- Genuine 1993 Mondeo print advert
- Past MOT certificates
- Two keys
THE INTERIOR
- Unusual toffee-coloured dash and door cards
- Cabin in excellent order, with very smart velour seats in very good condition and showing minimal wear
- Original Ford Keycode radio cassette in full working order
- Tailored Mondeo mats with Dibden Ford logo
- Excellent carpets, door cards and headlining
- Electric front windows
- Original jack and tools
- Spacious, tidy luggage area
- All controls and switches work as intended
- Power steering
- Central locking
THE EXTERIOR
- Rare and unusual Alberto Green metallic paint
- Completely original and with no major paintwork or accident repairs
- All panels are straight free of notable damage
- Some stone chips to leading edge of bonnet
- Good tyres all-round
- Original Mondeo wheel trims in excellent order
- Generally very good paint finish – polishes up well with no lacquer peel
- One small welded repair to offside rear sill and a tiny patch on bottom of OS/F front wing, carried out to a good standard and painted in the correct colour
- Small rust patch on OS/F front wing, under paint
- Some rust bubbles on OS/R door
- All exterior trim in good order
THE MECHANICS
- 1,796cc 4cyl OHC
- Five speed manual
- Drives superbly – smooth and responsive with no excessive smoke, excellent gear change and good brakes
- No untoward suspension noises
- Almost new cat-back exhaust
- Full main dealer service carried out in July 2022, less than 300 miles covered since
SUMMARY
Marking its 30th birthday this year, the original Mondeo was a game-changer for Ford. A car that was hugely well-received and is still well-respected today. You only have to look at prices of Cortinas and Sierras before it to see that the Mondeo will follow suit and we very much doubt there’s another example likely to hit the market with this incredible level of history – it’s a car that has been loved and cherished throughout its life and maintained regardless of cost, as the main dealer invoices illustrate – it was serviced annually for all of its life, often covering less than 500 miles between trips to the main dealership.
The astonishing history is a huge part of its appeal, as is the fact it’s a genuine launch-specification 1993 car.
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UK-registered cars and motorbikes on Car & Classic are run through an online HPI check. On the HPI report, this vehicle shows no insurance database markers for damage or theft. It is currently not covered by a finance agreement.
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