This Ford Fiesta XR2 auction result is an interesting one, not least because of what appeared on the paperwork.
The 1984 XR2 went under the hammer at Anglia Car Auctions with its registration history showing just one registered keeper from new.
For an early Mk2 XR2 that’s now more than 40 years old, that’s quite a thing to see.
But how much would bidders think it was worth?
Registered in August 1984, this is an early example of the second-generation Fiesta XR2.
Under the bonnet is the familiar 1597cc engine coupled to a manual gearbox, while its odometer was showing 87,297 miles when it arrived at Anglia Car Auctions.
ACA described the car as a rare, early and highly presentable example.
There are some interesting details inside, too, including the early-shape headrests, while an overhead console from a later specification car has also been fitted.
But perhaps the detail that immediately grabs your attention is the registration history.
The car’s records showed one registered keeper from new.
It’s important to phrase that correctly.
A registration record tells us about the registered keeper rather than necessarily providing a complete account of where a car has physically been throughout its life.
What we can say is that, despite more than four decades passing since the XR2 was registered, another keeper hadn’t subsequently been recorded.
That’s unusual enough to make this particular car stand out.
There was some useful paperwork accompanying the Fiesta as well.
Its history file contained receipts for parts and maintenance from the 1990s, together with old tax discs and various MoT certificates from the 1980s and 1990s.
Those MoTs stretch all the way back to the XR2’s first test in 1987.
Its most recent inspection was passed without advisories and expired in 2025. As the Fiesta now qualifies as a historic vehicle, it is exempt from mandatory MoT testing.
There was no V5C accompanying the car at auction, so its next owner would need to apply to the DVLA for a replacement.
Anglia Car Auctions placed an estimate of £12,000-£14,000 on the Fiesta.
And when it reached the rostrum, there wasn’t an enormous amount of hanging around.
The bids trickled in at a fairly brisk pace as the figure gradually climbed.
The question was whether the registration history and presentation of this early XR2 would be enough to push it beyond the guide.
We filmed the auction, so have a figure in mind before watching:
The bidding eventually stopped at £15,000.
With buyer’s premium added, Anglia Car Auctions records the final result as £16,200.
That means the hammer price itself was £1,000 above the top of ACA’s £12,000-£14,000 estimate.
Not a bad result for an XR2 that was approaching its 42nd birthday.
There was a time when an XR2 was simply an affordable hot hatch.
Plenty were driven hard, modified, damaged, stolen or simply used until they were no longer economically worth repairing.
Surviving cars are now a very different proposition.
For enthusiasts who remember the 1980s hot-hatch era, an early Mk2 XR2 has enormous nostalgic appeal – and cars retaining interesting history inevitably stand out.
This one wasn’t presented as some untouched museum piece, nor would we suggest that a single registered keeper automatically tells the complete story of a car’s life.
But combine that registration record with history stretching back to its first MoT in 1987 and you have an XR2 that’s certainly interesting.
At £15,000 before fees, somebody clearly wanted this Fiesta.
The question is whether you would have gone with them.
Would the one-registered-keeper history make it more desirable to you, or would you judge it purely on the condition of the car itself?
Either way, the result provides another useful snapshot of where the market currently sits for desirable 1980s fast Fords.
You can see the original auction listing and photographs on the Anglia Car Auctions website:
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