Westfield Sport 1600i 1.6 Litre 2dr Car Review - March 2012

The cabin of the Westfield Sport is a lesson in simplicity. The rev counter and speedometer are located directly in front of the driver and the other dials and instruments are clustered on the central part of the dash. The driving position is good, with some forward and backward adjustment available, but the footwell feels poky.

This version is fitted with Ford’s 1.6-litre 4 cylinder 16 valve petrol engine which produces 135bhp and 142lb-ft of mid range torque which propels the lightweight Westfield at a cracking pace and on to a top speed of 125mph. A five-speed manual gearbox is fitted as standard.

The overall ride is surprisingly comfortable, with the Westfield’s suspension dealing well with bumps and uneven surfaces. Its handling is very competent and inspires confidence with its impressive cornering ability with loads of grip.

There’s little refinement to be found in the Westfield, but after all, it’s the kind of car you buy to enjoy hearing the roaring exhaust note and rushing wind in your face, not cruise around in cosseted comfort.

Like others of the ilk, the Westfield is stripped down to the absolute essentials, which doesn’t leave much room for styling or aerodynamics. You get a minimalist fibreglass body which covers the chassis and engine, and four wheels covered by bicycle -type mudguards.

The whole idea of the Westfield is to keep weight down, performance up, and everything else as simple as possible, so equipment is kept to the operational essentials. A hood and side-screens are included as standard and you can specify extras such as sports seats £608, an engine immobiliser £265, leather trim or certain chrome details, but that’s about it.

The Westfield was never designed with practicality in mind. There is some limited space directly behind the seats, but that’s it basically. If you are planning to go cross country in it, then you’ll be tanking up frequently thanks to the rather small fuel tank capacity of only 27-litres.

The Westfield has been crash-tested to prove its strength in an accident, and although it comes with study roll-over hoops, it doesn’t come with any of the normal airbags or anti-lock braking systems you might be used to. Security equipment is not considered as essential – so there is none as standard.

All the mechanical components used in the Westfield Sport are covered by warranty, as they are all from proprietary sources, and most have been well tried and tested over the years in other mainstream cars. The glassfibre body is well finished, but the finishing detail throughout the car is not as good as your run of the mill small family car.

The Westfield comes with a one-year unlimited mileage warranty, and regular servicing is recommended every 6,000 miles.

The Westfield Sport is the type of car you buy for the thrill of driving it – not because it’s good value for money. If you really want one – the only real decision is which engine to get with it.

Although the price of £17,950 might seem a bit on the steep side when you compare it next to a typical family car, the Westfield will have you grinning from ear to ear like few cars can do – and that’s hard to put a price on.

Residual values are better than you might think, as Westfields are always in demand and something of a novelty.