Innehållsförteckning för December 2020 från Fast Ford

IN THE SPOTLIGHT CARL HEDGES MUSTANG GT Is this your first time at Steeda Driving Experience? “Yes, it’s the first time I’ve done one of these events.” Why did you decide to book onto this one? “I’ve had the car for three years now, and I wanted to be able to drive it how it should be driven. I’ve always wanted to do something like this, and it’s great to get to learn more about the car.” Is the day living up to your expectations? “Yep, definitely.” What has been your favourite part of the day so far? “The high-speed stuff has been the highlight so far, although I’m looking forward to the circuit parts this afternoon too.” What have you learnt today? “I spun the car on the first…

IN THE SPOTLIGHT JAMIE KING FOCUS Is this your first time at Steeda Driving Experience? “Yep. I’ve done similar days in the past, but this is my first one here.” Why did you decide to book onto this one? “I decided I need to use the car in anger more often, and after a summer of lockdown this seemed the perfect opportunity to get out and have some fun.” Is the day living up to your expectations? “Yes, without doubt. It’s great.” What has been your favourite part of the day so far? “The high-speed cornering. In Drift Mode, just throwing it into a 90-degree bend at 90mph is hilarious fun.” What have you learnt today? “Having four-wheel-drive doesn’t make you immune to rain... That, and just how much difference…

FAST FLEET Check out what’s been going on with our projects this month… JAMIE FOCUS RS After the first serious action of 2020 at the Steeda Driving Experience event (see page 28), this month Jamie gives the RS a good clean and some extra ceramic coating protection PAUL COWLAND MUSTANG V8 Power...! That’s what Paul has been yelling as he calls HP Tuners and demands more from his box-fresh Mustang. DAN FOCUS ST250 Sounding splendid with its new exhaust system fitted, the ‘Fondeo’ has been back doing its daily duties recently. HANNAH FOCUS COSWORTH This year was supposed to full of track days and shows for the FoCos, but Hannah’s now setting her sights on 2021. MOTORBASE FOCUS BTCC CARS It’s been a rollercoaster (quite literally at points!) for the…

JASON MUSTANG V8 SPOILER ALERT! Jason treats the Mustang to some cosmetic enhancements in the shape of new number plates and a subtle rear spoiler 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 head into yet more uncertain times, the 2020 car show season has almost come to an end. We’ve enjoyed a few small informal shows and managed to reschedule some events that have taken place on a larger ‘socially-distanced’ basis; these events have been a breath of fresh air and enabled me to stretch…

FF TECH 10 MINUTE TECH BIG BRAKE KITS In our new tech series, each issue we’ll answer ten quick-fire questions to bring you up to speed on a particular product. To kick things off, we get the low-down on big brake kits “Big brake kits offer vastly superior braking performance and are particularly suitable for track driving” WHAT ARE BIG BRAKE KITS AND WHAT DO THEY DO? Big brake kits (BBKs) are essentially bigger, stronger and often lighter versions of your car’s existing brake setup. They consist of a pair of discs that are often considerably larger in diameter than OEM items, are often of a two-piece construction with a central ‘bell’ bolted to a ventilated outer disc (or ‘rotor’ if you’re American). The other parts of a BBK are…

SECRET FORDS ACCESS ALL AREAS: THE FIRST FAST FOCUS Steve tells us about the Focus concept that would have kept Ford’s links with Cosworth going well into the 21st century Little thought had been given to making a high-performance version when the Focus was launched in spring 1998. But Ford had just purchased the race engine division of Cosworth; now, it was time to make a new Cosworth-powered road car. SVE, Ford’s in-house performance group, was under the direction of a new boss; American John Coletti, the man famous amongst US enthusiasts for saving the Mustang. In late-’98 Coletti instructed SVE to create a Cosworthpowered Focus to sit above the just-started ST170 – a car that wouldn’t appear for another three years. Therefore, when it was shown in spring 1998,…

WHAT'S NEW NEWS See what’s going down in the world of fast Fords... FIESTA ST EDITION Following in the footsteps of previous RS Editions, Ford have launched a special Edition model of the Mk8 Fiesta ST too. As well as the new Azure Blue paintwork with gloss black highlights, the Edition models benefit form the same coilovers as the limited-numbers (of 600!) Performance Edition that was released last year; with the same 12-point bump and 16-point rebound settings, allowing users to fine-tune the handling to really suit their preference. The similarities don’t stop there; the same Ford Performance lightweight flow-formed ten-spoke 18in alloys are borrowed from the orange car too – although now finished in high gloss black, along with the rear diffuser, spoiler, and new ST badges. The usually-optional…

WHAT'S NEW CLUB PROFILE SUSSEX RS OWNERS CLUB We catch up with Colin Stone to find out about more about the Sussex RS Owners Club When was the club first founded? We used to have two RS clubs round here; the East Sussex RSOC and the West Sussex RSOC. But over the years the number started to dwindle leaving just a handful of members in each region. Two members then set the wheels in motion to amalgamate the two regions and the Sussex RS Owners Club was formed. In March 2019 the club once again became officially recognised and affiliated with the National RSOC. How many active members does the club currently have? The club currently has just under 400 members on Facebook; the majority are based in Sussex…

IN THE SPOTLIGHT STEVE PARSONS MUSTANG GT Is this your first time at Steeda Driving Experience? “Yes, but I have done a track day in the car before this.” Why did you decide to book onto this one? “To have some fun in the car with all the electronics turned off.” Is the day living up to your expectations? “Yes, I’d have to say it is.” What has been your favourite part of the day so far? “I’m looking forward to the timed track sessions later, but I’m having fun with all of it so far.” What have you learnt today? “Ask me later after the circuit bits! One thing that stands out already, though, is that these Mustangs have more grip than you might expect.” QUICK SPEC Power Pack…

FATHER & SON RSs TIDY BOYS Father-and-son RS fans Steven and Liam Miller put a heck of a lot of effort into keeping their fast Fords clean. But don’t go thinking these hard-driven turbo nutters are trailer queens… Words DAN BEVIS Photos JASON DODD Origins and back-stories are always fun to explore. It’s why Hollywood and Netflix are so keen on the idea of prequels, why scientists spend their lives trying to figure out the nature of the Big Bang, and why we can’t help but become fascinated by learning secrets about our ancestry as we clamber through the family tree. So why did father-and-son duo Steven and Liam Miller get into Fords, and why have they continued to bond through them? Maybe it’s because their first Fords were both…

EVENT REPORT FORD POWER LIVE FORD POWER LIVE With Covid-19 causing most shows to be cancelled this year, it was refreshing to get out and enjoy some hot Blue Oval action at Ford Power Live 2020 Words JAMIE Photos JASON DODD WHERE BRANDS HATCH WHEN SEPTEMBER 2020 As the summer draws to a close, so too does the automotive calendar; something that, thanks to Covid-19, never really got started this year. But there was a handful of events that still took place in the summer of 2020. They may have been rescheduled, redesigned, or forced to adopt changes to ensure they remained Covid-safe (as the government likes to say) but with such a limited number of events on the calendar, any car gatherings that could still safely operate were going…

JAMIE FOCUS RS KEEP IT CLEAN After hundreds of miles and playtime on an empty airfield, the RS was due a bath – the perfect time for Jamie to try out some new goodies from Gtechniq, then? QUICK SPEC Mountune m400R • Velgen Classic5 alloys • Goodyear Eagle F1 tyres • H&R lowering springs • 3M wrap by VWC in Leeds • Mountune axle-back and sports cat • H&R anti-roll bars • Tarox brakes • Mishimoto intercooler, intake kit, and oil cooler kits • Quaife ATB I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I don’t like cleaning cars. Far from viewing it as a relaxing way to spend the weekend, to me it is just another chore to add to my seemingly never-ending list. As such, I never…

DJR2 RS500 TOURING CAR MISSING INACTION From fame to obscurity and back with a blast, Aussie touring car DJR2 is no longer a lost legend Words DAN WILLIAMSON Photos PETER STILL What happens to top-flight competition cars when they reach their best-before dates? A lucky few lead cosseted lives as ornaments for rich folk and museums. Many continue in lower-profile series driven by privateers; some return to fight another day as historic racers. Others are simply scrapped. And then there’s the handful that disappear without trace, holed up in barns or gradually broken for parts. The car on these pages fits into almost all of those categories. But, finally, its decades of inactivity are over. And for that we can thank Fast Ford pal Paul Linfoot, aka Mr RS500, whose…

THE RESTORATION Several hard years’ racing in touring car championships – first in Australia and then in the UK – before disappearing off around Europe as a rally car had taken its toll on DJR2. So when Ian commissioned Paul to restore missing DJR racer to its former glory, there was a whole load of work to do. But if there’s anyone who is the man for the job, Paul is it. Over the next eight years, he spent countless hours researching the car’s history (he still is), sourcing and remanufacturing genuine and period-correct component parts, and recommissioning the car to exactly the way his hero Dick Johnson originally built it more than 30 years ago. While the finished photos show off the car in its finished splendour, here’s some…

FF TECH BUYER’S GUIDE CAPRI 2.8 INJECTION Grab your medallion and perm your hair: the Capri 2.8 Injection is a tail-happy muscle car with top investment potential. It’s The Professionals’ choice... Words DAN WILLIAMSON Photos ADE BRANNAN “Feeling the nose rise and tail squat under V6 torque is a rare, raw thrill with brilliantly burbling soundtrack” WHY YOU WANT ONE… • Admit it: you’ve always dreamed of being Bodie or Doyle. Okay, The Professionals drove 3.0 Capris, but for blasting through cardboard boxes on British side-streets, there’s nothing to beat a 2.8 Injection. • Capris still lag behind old Escorts in classic Ford price leagues, so they’re not just cheaper, there’s greater investment potential too. • Feeling the nose rise and tail squat under V6 torque is a rare, raw…

FIESTA ST THIRD TIME LUCKY With two modded ST180s already under his belt, Dean Skavydis set out to make his third the maddest of all – and he’s hit the jackpot Words BEN BIRCH Photos JASON DODD For most of us, daily drivers are usually pretty dull – especially if you have kids. Volvos, Kugas and Focuses are all standard fare on the dreaded school run, but Dean and his three kids are surely the coolest commuters in Essex. “This ST is my daily driver”, he explains. “I’ve been a Ford man since the age of four, and in all those years I’m yet to find a better blend of everyday reliability and fun than these Fiestas offer.” In fact, Dean loves them so much that he’s owned two ST-2…

WHAT'S NEW NEW STUFF The latest gear on the Blue Oval scene BURTON POWER MK6 FIESTA ST FOUR-POT BRAKE UPGRADE £425 Burton’s new brake upgrade for the Mk6 Fiesta ST150 uses Hi-Spec four-pot callipers designed to replace the original factory cast iron units, but retaining the original size discs. Burton can offer standard replacement or uprated grooved discs as optional extras, though. The lightweight callipers are available in black as standard, silver as a no-cost option, or a selection of other colours are also available as an additional-cost option. Mounting brackets and fixings are included, and the kit requires a minimum wheel diameter of 15in. Burton Power can also offer a variety of brake pads to suit this kit, depending on the vehicle’s intended use. www.burtonpower.com BURTON POWER RS2000 SUMP…

MK1 FOCUS RS DINOSAUR JUNIOR Joseph Rex is just 21, but he’s already built a mammoth-spec Mk1 Focus RS. And it’s a real monster... Words and photos JON CASS After experiencing an unforgettable passenger ride in his friend’s Mk1 RS when he was just 15, it took Joseph Rex a mere six years to bag himself this stunning example of his dream car. “That was the first time I’d had a ride in any serious performance car,” Joseph smiles. “The huge amount of torque steer put a terrifed smile on my face. I’ve been in loads of other quick cars since, but nothing has come close to the sheer exhilaration of a Mk1 RS.” Clearly, the whole experience had a lasting impact, but by the time Joseph was in a…

EVENT REPORT STEEDA EXPERIENCE DAY STEEDA DRIVING EXPERIENCE DAY We head along to North Weald to catch up with Steeda as the gang host one of their regular Driving Experience days Words JAMIE Photos JASON DODD WHERE NORTH WEALD, ESSEX WHEN AUGUST 2020 Steeda’s motto is ‘speed matters’, so it’s not really a surprise that the company encourages its customers to fully enjoy their fast Fords. But as we all know, public roads aren’t the place to push a car to its limits, and full-on track days can be a little daunting (not to mention expensive by the time you kit yourself out for a full day). That’s exactly why Steeda teamed up with North Weald-based driver-training specialists Car Limits to offer customers the perfect opportunity to have some fun…

IN THE SPOTLIGHT SIMON PERRY MUSTANG GT Is this your first time at Steeda Driving Experience? “Yes. I came all the way down from Mansfield for it today.” Why did you decide to book onto this one? “I’ve been a fan of Steeda’s products for years, and I’ve even been on a tour round the factory in the USA, so when I saw they were hosting a Driving Experience I thought I’d have a blast.” Is the day living up to your expectations? “Yes, for sure.” What has been your favourite part of the day so far? “I think that’s going to come later with the track stuff.” What have you learnt today? “One thing that really surprised me was how hard you can brake – much harder than you…

#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.…

MINI TECH 2 C5 WHEEL ARMOUR 1 First up, thoroughly clean the wheels using W6 Iron and Fallout Remover. Spray on and leave for a few minutes. 2 Agitate tough dirt with a brush if necessary. 3 Thoroughly rinse with clean water. 4 C5 can only be applied to dry wheels, so make sure the wheel is completely dry before you continue by wiping with a clean microfibre. 5 Gently apply a small amount of C5 to the supplied applicator pad. A 15ml bottle will be enough for all four wheels. 6 Apply the coating to the wheel. Cover half the wheel at a time so that you can… 7 ...Buff off the residue within 30 to 60 seconds. Repeat for the second half of the wheel. 8 The coating…

TIMELINE 1987 – Dick Johnson Racing built two new Sierras for the ATCC. DJR1 for Johnson, and DJR2 as a left-hand-drive for Gregg Hansford. Here it is racing at Surfer’s Paradise on 31 May 1987; sadly, the car retired with a blown turbo/engine. 1987 – After the RS500 gained homologation in August, both DJR cars were converted to RS500 spec. Here is DJR2 being driven by Dick Johnson, Neville Crichton and Gregg Hansford in the Castrol 500 at Sandown in September 1987. 1988 – Dick Johnson Racing built a new car (DJR3) for 1988, which meant DJR2 was sidelined to be shipped around Australia for promotional duties at Shell filling stations and Ford garages. It would never race in Aus again. 1989 – At the end of the 1988 season,…

FORDS IN MOTORSPORT ENDUROKA CHAMPIONSHIP FORDS IN MOTORSPORT ENDUROKA CHAMPIONSHIP We catch up with regular racer Alex Nevill to find out what it’s really like behind the wheel of a race-ready Ford Ka Back when I was a child, my nan used to have a Ford Ka, and she absolutely loved it. I had a pretty creative imagination as a kid, but I don’t think I ever dreamed a car like that would ever be used as a race car. Fast forward 20 years and I found myself at Oulton Park in a Ka, surrounded by 30 other Kas, for a five-hour endurance race. EnduroKa was set up in 2019 by MSV Trackdays. The goal was to create an affordable and accessible form of endurance racing, which in its…

ROUSH MUSTANG WILD CARD ADRENALINE ROUSH White knuckle rides don’t get much whiter or scarier than this rare Roush Mustang Words BEN BIRCH Photos JASON DODD At some point in our lives, we’ve all been passenger in a car that makes our hair stand on end and our butt cheeks clench a groove into the seat fabric. Relentless acceleration, scalpel-sharp cornering and eyeball-popping brakes can turn even the bravest of us into gibbering wrecks. But when it comes to Mustangs, the recipe for scaring passengers is much, much simpler. “A live rear axle plus tons of grunt ends up in a car that wants to kill you,” laughs Brian Dallison, owner of this particular monster. Brian has always been a Ford man. His first car in 1992…