Fast Ford Spring 2020

INTRO WELCOME TO THE SPRING ISSUE! - Jamie King - Editor I remember, when I was growing up, Ford Escorts seemed to be everywhere. I mean, the older Mk1 and Mk2 models were getting on a bit even back then (but I still vividly remember watching plenty of Mk2s racing around the oval stock car tracks I was so fond of back then), but the Mk3s and Mk4s were commonplace, there were plenty of nearly-new Mk5s sat on car dealers' forecourts everywhere you looked, and you could even drive away from the local Ford garage in a shiny new Mk6 model. That doesn't feel like it was that long ago, but where did all those Escorts go? Of course, I do know the inconvenient truth – rusty scrapheaps or traded-in…

FIESTA ST GETTING INTO YOUR STRIDE Louis Thompson has owned and modified plenty of Fiestas in his time, and he’s combined all the lessons learnt to create the best yet; this beautifully aggressive, 300bhp-plus supercharged weapon… When the Mk6 Fiesta was launched back in 2005, it was seen as a huge step in the right direction for Ford. After a decade of mediocre warm hatches, with only a handful of exceptions such as the Racing Puma dripping through the mainstay of sensible motoring, here, finally, was a true hot hatch with the power and agility to match. Ford had returned to its days of dominating the streets with icons such as the XR2 and XR3i. 31-year-old Louis Thompson has been a big fan of the Mk6 Fiesta, and Fords in…

DRIVER SPEC LOUIS THOMPSON FIRST FORD Mk6 Fiesta Zetec S 3 FORDS IN YOUR DREAM GARAGE? Escort RS Cosworth, Mk1 Escort Mexico, Focus RS500 FAVOURITE THING ABOUT YOUR FORD? The supercharger! TRACK DAY OR SHOW & SHINE? Both SIERRA RS500 OR FOCUS RS500? Focus RS500 WRC OR BTCC? WRC LESSONS LEARNT FROM THIS PROJECT? Don’t scrimp on parts. If you want reliability buy new. You never know where they’ve been WHAT’S NEXT Oil cooler and rear roll cage THANKS Jamie at Jamsport, Dave at DMB for all the stickers, everyone on the forums for help/advice when I needed it, my neighbours and work colleagues for taking in boxes and boxes of parts over the last few months…

TECH SPEC FIESTA ST ENGINE 2.0-litre ST Duratec engine, Jamsport Stage 2.5 supercharger Kit, Rotrex C30 centrifugal supercharger, Pipercross air filter, Airtec intercooler, Auto Specialists inlet, oil cooler for the supercharger, 440cc injectors, 60mm throttle body, Milltek exhaust inc. EVO 2 manifold, mapped by Jamie at Jamsport, JS Performance power steering relocation kit, mountune short shifter, Magnecor HT leads, NGK spark plugs POWER 311bhp & 258lb.ft TRANSMISSION Rebuilt ST150 gearbox, Quaife ATB diff, Sachs Race Engineering 4-paddle clutch, TTV lightened flywheel SUSPENSION BC Racing BR-V2 coilovers with camber adjusters, Whiteline rear anti-roll bar, fully polybushed throughout, OMP front strut brace BRAKES Fronts: Focus ST170 300mm front brake upgrade with J-hook discs and Ferodo DS2500 pads. Rears: Focus ST170 280mm rear brake upgrade with J-hook discs and Ferodo DS2500 pads WHEELS…

WHAT'S NEW NEWS See what’s going down in the world of fast Fords... RECORD MONTE CARLO RESULT FOR M-SPORT January was an incredible month for the M-Sport Ford rally team, as they clocked up a record-breaking 250th consecutive FIA WRC points finish at Monte Carlo. This unprecedented streak started way back in 2002, when Carlos Sainz and Colin McRae piloted their Ford Focus RS WRCs to third and fourth places at the Monegasque event, and since then the team has secured manufacturer points at every event contested. “This is something I’m extremely proud of, and something that I don’t think will be beaten for a very long time, if ever!” said M-Sport Managing Director, Malcolm Wilson OBE. “It’s testament to the incredible team we have at Dovenby Hall – and…

NEWS IN BRIEF MACH-E RESERVATIONS OPEN The Mach-E First Edition has proved incredibly popular, and reservations are already full in the States – but punters looking at the Premium and GT are still able to stick their names on the list. So far, Carbonized Gray has been the most popular colour option (followed by Grabber Blue and Rapid Red); over 80% of buyers have opted for the extended-range battery option, and 55% ticked the box for all-wheel-drive. Interestingly, over a quarter of all reservations are in California. NEW PUMA ALREADY SCOOPING AWARDS The fresh new Puma has been quick to prove its worth in the crossover-SUV sector, already winning a major award in the form of the What Car? Car of the Year 2020. The judges were impressed by its…