Fast Ford March 2019

INTRO WELCOME TO THE MARCH ISSUE! Let me start by wishing you all a very happy new year. As we welcome in 2019 I can't help but get excited about what's in store for the Ford fan in the months ahead, and I'm sure you're the same too. At the time of writing, we're just getting everything ready to head to the first big event of the year, Autosport International. This is seen by many as the curtain-raiser to the motorsport season, and it's the place to find out all the latest news ahead of the 2019 campaigns, but in recent years, with the inclusion The Performance & Tuning Car Show, it packs even more relevance to fast Ford owners. There has always been links between motorsport and fast road…

ROUSE SPORT 304-R RETURN OF THE ROUSE Having grown up with this rare, Rouse Sport 304-R, Ryan Powell managed to track it down and has returned it to its former glory – with some added oomph! Words and photos DAVY LEWIS If you were into cars back in the late ’80s/early ’90s, then there was only one place to be on a Sunday afternoon: sat in front of the TV to watch the British Touring Cars. With packed grids featuring hot versions of all your favourite production cars, proper bumper-to-bumper racing and drivers with big characters, it was something not to be missed. Part of the appeal was that you could go into your local dealer and buy road going versions of the cars that did battle every weekend –…

TECH SPEC ROUSE SPORT 304-R ENGINE 200 block, Nikasil liners, 10-studs, Cosworth pistons, ported and polished head, double valve springs, solid lifters, BD14 inlet cam, Kent pulleys, Hart plenum, grey injectors, RS500 intercooler, alloy radiator, T4 turbo with roller bearing and GTXR billet shaft, 3.5in custom Infinity Exhausts system with 4in tailpipe, polished alloy tanks, Roose silicone hoses, Aeromotive fuel pressure regulator, braided lines, AEM 044 fuel pump POWER Estimated 400bhp at 20psi (over 500bhp potential with uprated gearbox) TRANSMISSION Original Cosworth 4x4 MT75 gearbox with uprated bearings, 4.5kg lightened flywheel, AP Racing 6-paddle clutch, custom prop SUSPENSION Koni springs and dampers, uprated ARBs, polybushed, custom strut braces front and rear BRAKES AP Racing 6-pots with 362mm discs up front, 330mm rears, EBC YellowStuff pads, braided lines WHEELS & TYRES…

WHAT'S NEW NEWS See what’s going down in the world of fast Fords... TEAM SHREDDED WHEAT CONFIRMS 2019 BTCC DRIVERS Following a solid 2018 season, Motorbase Performance has confirmed that Tom Chilton and Ollie Jackson will form the two-driver line-up for Team Shredded Wheat’s 2019 campaign in the British Touring Car Championship. Chilton returns to the Wrotham squad after enjoying a hugely successful maiden year in the Ford Focus RS; securing his 13th race win and 48th podium of his BTCC career so far, he ended the 2018 season in 3rd place overall and 2nd in the Independent Championship standings. Jackson is a Motorbase veteran, having raced with the outfit as part of its Porsche Carrera Cup squad in 2009 and ’10, where he clinched the Pro-Am 1 title. With…

WHAT'S NEW NEW STUFF The latest gear on the Blue Oval scene ST SUSPENSION MUSTANG LOWERING SPRINGS £219 It’s said that size isn’t everything, but trust us when we say, 30mm makes an awful lot of difference to some people - the sort of people who like to throw cars around with abandon and really push track limits or B-road blasts to the very edge of both sanity and legality. For those people, the 2.3-litre and 5.0 V8 Mustang quite obviously benefit from being just over an inch closer to terra firma thanks to the latest ST Suspension lowered spring kit. Alignment can still be carried out within manufacturers specification, and ST say there’s almost zero ride comfort compromise and the handling overall will be both more predictable and exceptionally…

DRIVEN MUSTANG BULLITT 50 years after THAT car chase first hit cinema screens we finally get a right-hand drive Bullitt Mustang of our own. And we’ve been driving it… Words DAN TRENT Photos FORD On-screen cops and their cars have a rich history, especially Fords. Choose your era but over here we’ve had everything from The Professionals in their RS Escorts and Capris to Jimmy Nail’s Spender in his Sapphire Cosworth. All have to bow to Steve McQueen’s detective Frank Bullitt and his battered, Highland Green GT390 though, the appearance of this car 50 years ago in one of Hollywood’s most famous car chases an integral part of Mustang folklore. Looking at that car now you know it was a carefully considered choice in keeping with McQueen’s car nut image.…