Modifying your car is always a pleasure especially when you can do whatever you like, which is the case with the interior. As long as there’s a seat for the driver, you can pretty much do anything you like. Whether it’s a fully stripped out rally car look, or an ICE packed technological masterpiece you’re after, you can create what you like.
As Fiestas go the Si fared well when it came to interiors. The 16v version received the high backed winged seats as standard with a nice trim to go with it, along with the option of electric windows in the front. But some people want more.
Let’s talk seats. There’s a huge range of seats out there, from a leather Recaro reclining sports seat to a Corbeau full race FIA approved bucket seat, so decide what you like what you want to go for and shop around, sit in some and then install them. Ford gave the RS Fiestas full Recaro interiors, which are readily available from RS breakers or by searching on EBay you can find people selling them and they easily fit into an Si, or any other Fiesta. They are arguably better than the Si winged ones, but this is down to personal preference as is all choices of seating.
The Recaros tend to give a tighter fit and are deeper so you sit right in them, stopping any side to side movement when cornering. The Si winged ones, support your shoulders more and allow more breathing space and comfy on longer journeys, but don’t hug you as tight.
Expect to pay around £150-200 for a full Recaro interior second hand, and you’d be very lucky to find one unused. Bucket seats cost from as little as £90 for a clubman style one, to well over £500 for a full FIA approved WRC Kevlar seat with 6 point harness facility, but you could well deem this overkill.
If you’re after the rally look, then maybe you’d consider a roll cage. These tend to be either a show cage or a proper bolted or welded in cage. Many opt for a show cage, which provides no real protection when you crash, but does look shiny and pretty when you’re showing it to your mates in McDonalds car park.
Insurance companies often frown upon a full race cage, and ask why you need one in a road car, but if you want one and consider yourself safer with one, and then you’ll have to bite the bullet and hand over your money!
Of course as well as these things there’s smaller items which can be cheep to buy and really turn around an interior, such as gear knobs, steering wheels, pedal sets, handbrake handles, gauges and dials. Just enter your local Halfords and look at their range of interior items for sale, catering for most budgets and tastes. If you think standard is always best, and your car lacks something, chances are you can swap it for the better parts.
For example, the RS Turbo came with a leather steering wheel, so simply swap it for yours – bearing in mind the Si’s came with airbags, so you’ll lose this – but anything can be changed. Often people want to change their background on their dials, if you do too search for some Lockwood dials, or other such brands to change the colour from white, to blue, to pink, to green. Most people are offered something they’d like.
The Fiesta was first unleashed in 1989, so it was often look tiresome and dated inside. Some have completely taken out the Mk3 dash and replaces it with the later Mk4 or 5 dashes, which is much more modern and carries smoother lines, bringing the car more up to date.
This is by no means a five minute job, and requires lots of effort, time and sometimes some DIY to make it all fit relocating items and extending the loom to fit, but its certainly worth it and looks a treat.
Again stealing from the Mk4/5 again, door cards are a popular item to swap with the newer items being less dated and bringing something new into the car. Unless you swap the entire interior though it’s highly likely that they’ll need to be retrimmed, so take that into consideration when you plan your build.