cage, and front and rear wheel arches and bumpers in composite. The fuel tank was a 55-litre capacity FIA ‘bag’ tank located beneath the rear floor. Wheels were Tarmac 7 x 17 in aluminium wheels or 6 x 15 in aluminium wheels for gravel. Style and advertising Stylistically, the Puma followed Ford's New Edge design strategy, as first seen in the 1996 Ford Ka. While not as controversial as the Ka when it first appeared, the Puma did achieve critical acclaim for its well-proportioned and cat-like design cues. The Puma was memorable for its pan-European launch campaign that featured Steve McQueen. The original United Kingdom television advertisement used clips from the movie Bullitt and cut McQueen into the modern setting of a Puma in San Francisco. In Q4 2004, Ford once again used the McQueen footage for the first 2005 Ford Mustang commercial in the United States. Both commercials were directed by British director Paul Street, and won many advertising industry awards, featuring in all-time top 10 ad charts. Discontinuation The Puma was only sold in Europe. Production ended in 2001, although sale of stock vehicles continued into 2002. Ford did not replace it with another small coupé, and instead introduced the Ford StreetKa, a two-seater convertible based on the Fiesta like the Puma was. The StreetKa also borrowed the Puma's transmission and suspension. There are 7,909 Ford Pumas (including cars declared as SORN) that remain registered with the DVLA in the UK as of Q3 2022. However, the name was revived by Ford as a crossover model in 2019. Awards 1997 – Named Top Gear'''s Car of the Year for "the incredible feeling and driving sensation." 1999 – Design Council Millennium Products award for "The first Ford in Britain designed solely on computer and in record time." 2001 – What Car?: Used Sports Car of the Year – Ford Puma 1.7 2004 – What Car?: Best Used Sporting Car of the Year Under £10,000 – Ford Puma 1.7 2011 – What Car?'': Best "Gem For Under £1,000" – Ford Puma 1.7 References External links ProjectPuma Ford Puma Owners and Enthusiasts Club Puma Conversion To AutoGrass Race Car Puma Web Puma Information site Pumapeople Pan-European Owners Club Puma Puma Coupés Rally cars Sport compact cars 2000s cars Cars introduced in 1997 Front-wheel-drive vehicles Hot hatches