About Ford StreetKa
Ford introduced the Ka as a cute little car for the European market in 1996. While its design was the main trigger, the blue-oval brand dared more and introduced a roadster version in 2003.
In a period when Ford didn't have any attractive-looking vehicles on the European market, it decided that it was time for a change and introduced the StreetKa. While it was based on the SportKa, the open-top roadster was designed for entertaining city use.
The little roadster might have had the Ford badge on it, but Pininfarina made the styling and the bodywork. Its rounded lines and the angular, vertical headlights enhanced the look of the little roadster. On the downside, the retractable roof was manually activated and required the driver to step down from the car. It was an inconvenient action that dropped its sales a bit.
Inside, the dashboard was similar to the one found in the regular Ka, and it looked far from the external look. It still kept the same rounded lines, but the stereo's angular look and the bulky ventilation knobs spoiled the pleasure. The car offered room for two, and a pair of safety roll-bars behind the seats filled the passenger compartment.
Ford installed the 1.6-liter engine from the SportKa version, which was more powerful than the tiny 1.2-liter from the regular Ka. It was mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox, and there was no automatic option.