Fast Ford November 2018

INTRO WELCOME TO THE NOVEMBER ISSUE! Well, that summer went quickly! I know we've enjoyed some of the best weather a UK summer has ever offered over the past few months, and that it's lasted much longer than we ever expected – so really we shouldn't have anything to complain about – but a little part of me can't help but feel sad that another summer show season is drawing to a close. At the risk of sounding like a character from Game of Thrones, 'Winter is coming...' But, before those dark nights do finally descend upon us and everyone starts banging on about Christmas, there are still a couple of shows and meets left to cram in to 2018. As I type this, we're just about to load everything…

RS TURBO PLAYING IT DOWN This RS Turbo has the spec to chase bigger bhp figures, but instead Aston Bennett has used those upgrades to create a 220bhp B-road blaster that he can drive hard every single day! Words DAN BEVIS / Photos ADE BRANNAN Imagine you’re a tiger, casually ambling across the Savannah and scoping out the prey, when all of a sudden everything goes dark and you find yourself lying in the belly of a deep pit, a smug-faced poacher pointing his rifle at you from above. Sub-optimal, no? A loss of focus and suddenly the game’s up. Such tiger traps also exist when it comes to modifying cars; indeed there are two main holes that it’s easy to fall into. One is to build a car to…

TECH SPEC RS TURBO ENGINE 1.6-litre CVH, rebuilt S1 bottom end, Turbo Technics Stage 2 turbo, Airtec alloy radiator, front-mount intercooler and custom mounted/ducted aux rad, HD bearings, ARP rod studs, new 0.5mm Mahle pistons, custom crank trigger setup using modified Sierra lower cover, late-spec port-matched head, Newman PH2 cam kit with solid followers and TIMESERTed rocker studs, vernier pulley, custom alloy rocker cover and modified Sierra upper cambelt cover, custom intake manifold, Bosch TMAP sensor, Bosch green giant injectors, Cosworth throttle body/IACV (for ALS), loom stripped back and relocated, scratch-built power harness and engine loom for Omex 600 with battery tidy, smoothed slam panel, custom hidden oil separator/breather tank, custom exhaust with centre box and dummy rear box POWER 220bhp (estimate at 18psi on Omex – previously made 197bhp,…

DRIVER SPEC ASTON BENNETT AGE 29 JOB Sales/service/repair/ import of American trucks and muscle cars FIRST FORD ’90-spec EFI XR3i BEST MODIFICATION Probably the front tie bar conversion, it’s the most noticeable difference FAVOURITE FORD SHOW OR EVENT? Classic Ford Show, for the atmosphere TRACK DAY OR SHOW & SHINE? This car would be show and shine as it wasn’t intended for track, but I prefer a track day to standing looking at my cars! LESSONS LEARNT FROM THIS PROJECT? If you want something doing right, learn to do it yourself! Enjoy the build process. And old loom tape is too sticky WHAT’S NEXT Possibly something American. I might need to move the Escort on to make room for a C5 Corvette and get to work on that… THANKS “Gaz…

WHAT'S NEW NEWS See what’s going down in the world of fast Fords... RS WINS IN BTCC! For the first time since the days of the mighty Sierra Cosworth RS500s, a Ford RS is once again winning races in the British Touring Car Championship. The weather may have brought mixed fortunes for the BTCC pack at Knockhill, but by the end of the weekend all eyes were on Team Shredded Wheat Racing with Gallagher, as they brought home the first BTCC victory for an RS-badged car since Robb Gravett won Round 13 of the 1990 BTCC season. Saving the best until last during a frenetic weekend of racing, Tom Chilton claimed a maiden race win of the season for the Motorbase-run squad, with a commanding lights-to-flag drive in the final…

NEWS IN BRIEF FORD GT IN PODIUM FINISH AT SILVERSTONE The Six Hours of Silverstone is an endurance race that’s been running since the 1970s (originally as the 1000km of Silverstone). A Ford GT took a podium finish at this year’s running: the Ford Chip Ganassi Racing team had a gruelling race, ultimately finishing in third and seventh places. Despite fighting back from a chaotic start to first and second place in the early stages of the race, the #67 Ford GT of Andy Priaulx and Harry Tincknell had to fight back all over again in the latter half of the race – they impressively recovered to third place, taking their first podium finish of the season. POWER GAINS FOR GALAXY AND S-MAX Petrolhead parents rejoice, as Ford’s key people-carriers…