Indholdsfortegnelse for May/June 2020 i Fast Ford

INTRO WELCOME TO THE MAY/JUNE ISSUE! - Jamie King - Editor Wow. What happened? Four weeks ago I was sat here writing the ed's intro page for the April issue and we were all looking forward to the longer days, warmer weather and forthcoming show season. Back then, phrases like 'self-isolation' and 'social-distancing' didn't exist. Fast forward less than a month and the whole world is gripped by a deadly pandemic. So, first and foremost I'd like to wish each and every one of you the very best of health; times like these really do have a stark way of refocussing the important priorities in life. That said, I'm sure (like me!) you've had enough of all the doom and gloom and are ready for some Blue Oval based escapism?…

WHAT'S NEW DRIVEN FIESTA ST PERFORMANCE EDITION We get behind the wheel of the latest limited-edition hot-hatch from Ford Words and photos JASON DODD Ford introduced the new Performance Edition to the awesome Mk8 Fiesta range last year, and due to the limited number (just 600 examples being built) and incredibly high demand, getting a press car to test drive has proved tricky. But you guys will, understandably, be keen to hear our thoughts on what it’s like to drive, and how it compares to the stock Fiesta Mk8 ST. Don’t worry, though, we heard you. So we came up with a slightly unorthodox plan to get behind the wheel of the latest hot-hatch to bear the Fiesta name – we just borrowed one! Yep, that’s right: someone was…

ESCORT COSWORTH HIDDEN DEPTHS Now you see it, now you… still see it. Ali McMillan’s unique take on the camo concept is a cunning smokescreen, because hiding within the colourful disguise is a true-blue race car Words DAN BEVIS Photos ADE BRANNAN Camouflage is a tricky business. On the face of it, it should be relatively simple: the first image that springs to mind is army fatigues in randomly-placed patches of green, brown and 50 shades of beige, to allow a soldier to neatly blend into their bushy surroundings, perhaps with a twig or two taped to the head for good measure. Or perhaps various gradations of sand might be employed for desert combat. And look at the humble chameleon – hiding in plain sight is simple if you’re able…

JASON MUSTANG V8 LAST OUTING Before the country was gripped by coronavirus, Jason made full use of the spring weather and enjoyed a morning out in the Mustang for what could turn out to be the last outing for a while… QUICK SPEC 5.0-litre Mustang GT • Steeda axle-back exhaust • Steeda induction kit • RTR diffuser • Steeda H-pipe• MAP remap • Steeda IRS bushes • Carbon fibre deck lid • Steeda lowering springs• Steeda engine brace and K-brace • Velgen VF5 alloys• Steeda discs and Hawk pads As we started to creep out of winter and slowly headed towards the show season I found myself booked up with photography jobs almost every weekend from spring through to the end of summer. These various jobs were set to include…

EBC BRAKES’ MK7 FIESTA ST WHAT’S STOPPING YOU? The upgrades to EBC Brakes’s Fiesta ST project car begin. What’s getting some attention first? The brakes, of course! As well as some sticky Michelin tyres… QUICK SPEC EBC Yellowstuff pads, EBC USR discs, EBC stainless brake lines In case you missed our introduction in the April issue of Fast Ford, we’re EBC Brakes – a proudly UK-based company that’s one of the largest names in the aftermarket braking industry right now. We’ve embarked on a mission throughout 2020 to develop the ultimate fast-road/track day hot hatch in the form of our recently-purchased Mk7 Fiesta ST, with a little help from some of the most respected names in the tuning world. With the car collected and back at the Centre of Excellence…

BUYER’S GUIDE SAPPHIRE COSWORTH RWD BUYER’S GUIDE SAPPHIRE COSWORTH RWD Once mocked for its ‘taxi’ four-dour bodyshell and entry-level price tag, today the RWD Sapphire RS Cosworth is just as sought-after as any of its big-wing cousins… Words DAN WILLIAMSON Photos GERARD HUGHES “The Sapphire was Ford’s BMW-bashing executive express, incorporating all of the whale-tail’s mechanical mastery in a sedate-looking, saloon-car package” L airy tail slides. Genuine 150mph performance. An (almost) affordable price tag and the most iconic badge in Blue Oval history. Only one car can fit the bill. That car is the rear-wheel-drive Sierra Sapphire RS Cosworth. After years in the shadow of its bewinged predecessor and all-wheel-drive successor, the original Sapphire has finally settled on its status as better to drive than both yet half the…

CONTACTLESS CLEANING HOW TO CONTACTLESS CLEANING Autoglym’s new range of contactless car care products not only takes the elbow grease out of washing your car but it’s safer to protect against inflicting scratches and swirl marks too. We try them out on a rather dirty Mustang… Words & Photos PAUL COWLAND Ah, more time with the family. It’s what many of us have dreamed about enjoying for years. But now that you’re a few weeks into social-distancing, the reality has probably hit home, so to speak. The kids are burning off excess energy in your immediate vicinity and you’ve run out of box sets to binge on. But while you can’t quite muster enough motivation to tackle the last bit of decorating, the thought of escaping outside into the fresh…

MK3 ESCORT HYBRID HERO Thanks to a bizarre Eighties’ tie-up between Ford and VW in South America, Daniel Ayto created one of the most radical, yet surprisingly straightforward, conversions on a Mk3 Escort Words MARC STRETTON Photos MATT RICHARDSON We love a bit of sideways thinking to come up with an unusual twist on a fast Ford. Take Daniel Ayto’s impressively executed Mk3 Escort pictured here. Whoever would have thought about sticking a VW Audi Group engine in an Eighties’ Escort? Well, to be fair, before Daniel created his RS-look, Audi A3-engined street screamer, Ford did. It’s a little-known fact that Escorts in Brazil had been running around with VAG eight-valve motors for decades. But Daniel took that thought, made his research, amplified the idea to 20-valve turbo mode, and…

FIESTA ST SWEET SPOT It’s not always more power that makes a better car. Sean Carr turned things down a little to create this 267bhp B-road blaster, and is infinitely happier with the results… Words and photos JON CASS Sean Carr has always been a hot hatch kinda guy, preferring the thrill of a B-road blast to a refined lazy cruiser or land yacht with all the mod cons. He’s also been an avid fan of the Blue Oval badge for as long as he can remember, so there’s little surprise he bagged this well-sorted Mk7 Fiesta ST with carefully chosen upgrades. “My first car was also a Fiesta, but it was a much slower Mk3 1.1-litre,” Sean remembers. “Back then, performance mods weren’t financially viable, but I treated it…

NEWS See what’s going down in the world of fast Fords... M-SPORT TAKES MEXICO PODIUM We’re going to hear a lot of motorsport talk this year involving the words ‘Ford’, ‘rally’ and ‘Mexico’, given that it’s the fiftieth anniversary of the Escort whitewash at the 1970 London-Mexico World Cup Rally. And rather fittingly, at this year’s Rally Mexico in March, we once again saw Ford drivers picking up points. Specifically, it was the M-Sport Ford World Rally Team doing the business, with Teemu Suninen and Jarmo Lehtinen shooting for the podium in their WRC Fiesta. Following an intense battle for second place with reigning World Champion Ott Tänak, Suninen more than held his own through the final stages and was on course to keep the Estonian at bay… before picking…

MK3 FIESTA HOME-BUILT HYPERCAR Someonephone –V battery powered hybrids are old hat. If you want to go really fast, a Fiesta/ VW hybrid is the way forward! Words BEN BIRCH Photos ADE BRANNAN When it comes to fast Fords, one of the key appeals is their blue-collar performance credentials. A bit of tuning here, some tweaking there, and our beloved hatches and saloons have been able to take on more exotic marques on the road and track for the past 50 years. But if Cosworths are known as the supercar for the working class, what do we call a Mk3 Fiesta capable of outrunning every single one of the fastest production cars in the world today? For once we are stuck for words, so we ask owner-creator and all-round nice…

DAN FOCUS ST3 STOCKPILING ST S While the Fondeo is away with Direnza undergoing hardware upgrades in readiness of a power increase, Dan’s been out panic-buying ST170s… QUICK SPEC Peron / AET Motorsport stage one remap • Steeda cold air inlet system • H&R 25mm lowering springs • Steeda short-shifter and bracket • Powerflex Handling Kit • H&R 20mm wheel spacers • Focus RS Brembo callipers • EBC USR discs • EBC Bluestuff front pads/Yellowstuff rear pads • EBC braided brake lines • Direnza MVT intercooler and hard pipes • Direnza sports cat • Direnza intake scoop Coronavirus curfews are hitting us hard. We’re self-isolating; locking ourselves away; unable to visit our friends and loved ones. Well, those of us with more than half a brain, anyway. We all saw…

#PRINTMYFORD See your very own fast Ford in full printed glory! Ever wanted to see your car appear in all its glory in the printed pages of a Ford tuning magazine? Well, if so, all you need to do is ask! Simply email us, or post a picture of your car on our Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram pages and add the hashtag ‘#printmyford’, and each month we’ll choose our favourites and print them in this aptly named feature. Alternatively, drop us an email with a couple of pics, a full spec list of any mods and upgrades, and a few details about your time with the car to fastford.ed@kelsey.co.uk with the subject heading ‘print my ford’ and we’ll pick our favourites for a slightly more detailed review each month too.…

ALL ABOUT AERODYNAMICS How air flows under or over your car is critical for both its performance and safety. So, let’s take a closer look at the key principles of aerodynamics... Words JAMIE & RICH WHITE Photos VARIOUS We’ve all seen race cars and seriously quick performance road cars draped in fancy carbon fibre aerodynamic aids, but far from just giving the car an aggressive get-out-of-my-way appearance they are there to do a specific job. And that job is to direct air into places you want it and divert it away from areas you don’t. In doing so you can actually use the pressure of the air as you drive through it to gain performance and safety advantages. Get it wrong, and all you will do is increase your car’s…

WHAT'S NEW NEW STUFF The latest gear on the Blue Oval scene MOUNTUNE M330 – MK4 FOCUS ST FLASH £599 The M330 package is the only aftermarket flash available for the Mk4 Focus ST so far, and being a mountune product you know it’s going to be world-class. Building on the success of the M235 and M335 packages for the Mk8 Fiesta ST, this all-new upgrade for the Mk4 Focus offers impressive gains over stock – we’re talking an extra 50PS and 95Nm, all of which has been engineered for usability and an OEM-like feel. This isn’t like an old-school peaky or boosty map, this is specifically designed to behave just like the stock car, only with much more urgency and superior in-gear grunt. Users can also take advantage of…

THE GROUP S RS200 When Group B rallying was cancelled, plans were drafted for a new Group S category. Sadly, those plans never materialised but Ford’s chief rally engineer, John Wheeler, was determined to make the Group S RS200 a reality – so built one of his own. Here it is… Words and photos ROBB PRITCHARD After spending two-and-a-half years developing the ill-fated rear-wheel-drive Mk3 Escort-based RS1700T, Ford was a little late to the Group B party with the sublime RS200 in the mid 1980s. Debuted on the 1986 Swedish Rally (where Stig Blomqvist recorded a third-place finish in what would be the RS200’s best result in world rallying), it was considered technologically superior to many of its rivals. But the short development phase meant – at world…

FAST FLEET Check out what’s been going on with our projects this month… DAN SIERRA COSSIE If it was called the Sierra ST170, Dan might show the Cossie some more love. For now, it patiently waits to be finished. MOTORBASE FOCUS BTCC CARS The new cars are finished and have been testing with great results. But the 2020 season start has now been delayed. PAUL RS500 RACE CAR While locked in the workshop in self-isolation, Paul now has the time to get the Caltex car finished ready for the summer ahead. DAN FOCUS ST250 The Fondeo is at Direnza having new goodies fitted. But while he was there, Dan has bought yet another bloody ST170! ADE SAPPHIRE COSWORTH The YB was running... And now it's not. More checks to the…

MOTORBASE FOCUS BTCC TESTING TIMES After completing the build of the new Mk4 Focus ST BTCC car, the Motorbase team enjoyed a positive test at Media Day… just before the whole series was put on hold It’s been a challenging few weeks for us all, and our thoughts are with all those affected by the current coronavirus situation. But, trying to escape from all that for a brief moment, we’re here to talk about cars. And with a busy few weeks in completing the builds of cars one and two (the third new Mk4 for Andy Neate is nearly finished too), some shakedown time, followed by the official BTCC test day at Silverstone on what was supposed to be Media Day, we’ve got quite a lot to talk about. Sadly,…

TECH BASICS INTERCOOLERS TECH BASICS INTERCOOLERS An essential upgrade for turbocharged cars looking to increase performance or add reliability, but what really is an intercooler? And how does it work? Words SIMON HOLMES Intercoolers are fitted only to turbo and supercharged cars, although not all forced-induction engines feature one. The intercooler’s primary role is to reduce the temperature of the compressed air (often referred to as boost pressure) created by the turbo or supercharger before it enters the engine. This is because when air is compressed very quickly, it is also heated. Although compressed air/boost pressure is good for an engine, heat is not. The main concern here is that cylinder temperatures can raise too high, which in turn can create detonation/pre-ignition of the air/fuel mixture. Left to its…

ELECTRICS Thirty-year-old Fords aren’t exactly known for fault-free electrical systems; decades of aftermarket stereos, lights, gauges and alarm systems – not to mention owners with more enthusiasm than skill – can seriously disrupt a Sapphire’s well-being. Check the wiring for DIY disasters such as taped-up connectors and Scotchloks, chopped looms and extra cables, which could be the cause of non-running, minor niggles or even electrical fires. Pay particular attention in the engine bay, where chafed cables and corroded plugs tend to cause slow-starting, misfires and breakdowns. It’s common for wiring to the cooling fans to melt and burn out, so explore the fuse box and ensure the fans cut in when the engine is up to temperature. Consider it a bonus if previous owner has invested in a new engine…

EGGENBERGER RS500S THE STORY OF THE… EGGENBERGER RS500S Their iconic Texaco livery will forever be synonymous with fast Fords, and their tale of dominating touring car racing until they were outlawed has gone down in motorsport folklore. Here’s the full story of the fastest Sierras in the world… Words GRAHAM ROBSON Photos FORD ARCHIVES When the new range of Sierras was introduced in 1982, no one gave much thought to their use in touring car racing. Until, that is, Stuart Turner returned as Ford-of-Europe’s director of motorsport, and showed Walter Hayes how the faithful old Capris were ageing. Action followed at once. On a casual visit to Cosworth, where Ford top bosses were shown a new 16-valve head for use on the existing SOHC Pinto engine, the Sierra RS…

FROM THE ARCHIVES We delve through the image archives to bring you some of the most memorable moments in Ford’s history… By 1982, Boreham’s new Escort RS1700T project was floundering, and some of their famous ‘can-do’ expertise was desperately needed. SVE (Special Vehicle Engineering), though still new, were drafted in and were making progress when the project was abruptly cancelled in 1983. SVE’s strength was that they did not understand ‘it can’t be done’, and usually disproved it very rapidly indeed. Here, you can see three RS1700Ts in mid-build, and had SVE been allowed to explore John Wheeler's idea of a 4x4 version, surely the RS1700T would have been a formidable Group B racer.……