Innehållsförteckning för January 2022 från Fast Ford

INTRO WELCOME ISSUE 442 - JANUARY 2022 SUBSCRIBE AND SAVE! I can’t believe it’s time for the January issue already – where did 2021 go? Thanks to a slightly delayed start to the year, it feels like we’ve managed to cram an entire year’s worth of action into just a few weeks. And, despite the dark nights and cold mornings, it doesn’t seem like yesterday that we were all attending shows and meets. Talking of which, while at TRAX last month I was asked to take part in a little video for the Fast Car website - well, that’s now live. So if you all fancy a laugh watching me waffle on about my car, check it out. But time marches on, and even though that was only a few…

WHAT'S NEW 5 MINUTES WITH STEVE SAXTY We catch up with the man behind the Secret Fords books just as Volume Two is sent to press… What is your history with Ford Motor Company, and why did you decided to start writing books about Ford models? I grew up about ten miles away from Ford’s Dunton R&D centre. As a kid, that was the only place where I wanted to work – so I did! There’s an old phrase about ‘write the book you want to read’, and I realised that next to nothing had been written about how classic Fords were designed and conceived. That struck me as odd; there have been dry history books about Ford people, and some excellent ones about the nuts and bolts – but nothing…

WHAT'S NEW DRIVEN MOUNTUNE M260 FIESTA ST Building on its m235 upgrade for the Mk8 Fiesta ST, Mountune has upped the power with the m260 kit… And Jamie’s been driving it Words JAMIE Photos DAVID MOORE A couple of months ago I sampled Mountune’s m260 upgrade in the new Puma ST, but now I’m back to try out the same 254bhp tuning package in the Mk8 Fiesta. I’ve driven this particular car before, when it first arrived in m225 guise and then again with the revised m235 software back in September 2020. As with the Puma, the m235 software only really needs a better induction kit to deliver optimum performance, but the m260 takes things to the next level and as such requires some hardware improvements to the intercooler and pipework…

FORDS IN MOTORSPORT BRITISH GT SECOND BRITISH GT4 VICTORY OF THE YEAR AND CHAMPIONSHIP RUNNERS-UP Words MIKE RYSIECKI Photos LEIGH JONES Academy Motorsport’s season of two halves continued to the end with a very successful race at the season finale at Donington Park. The overall GT4 drivers’ championship had been wrapped up at Oulton Park but the rest of the points table had yet to be settled. A ten-second success penalty incurred for finishing third at Oulton Park left the Mustang with some work to do. Donington qualifying was an open battle, with the top six crews all being powered by different manufacturers. The Mustang qualified third. With the track still sodden after morning rain, virtually the entire GT4 field opted for wet-weather Pirellis in conditions that upset the pecking order…

FF TECH BUYER’S GUIDE FOCUS RS MK2 For many Ford fans the ultimate hot hatchback, the Mk2 Focus RS is a shouty, big-spoilered show-off with the balls to back it up. Here’s how to buy a bank-busting bruiser with everyday driveability, growling five-pot soundtrack and 1000bhp potential Words DAN WILLIAMSON WHY YOU WANT ONE… ■ For many Blue Oval fans, it’s still the best Focus RS, with a perfect blend of road presence, gutsy power, sharp handling and inimitable five-cylinder soundtrack. Several Mk3 owners have gone back to Mk2s. ■ Stupendous tuneability sees folk extracting 1000bhp from the five-pot motor, and it’s an addictive arms race – although even a cheeky remap adds grins. ■ Probably the last ever three-door RS, so you can be certain your money is safe,…

FIESTA ST NEW SCHOOL, OLD RULES With a strong history of Ford modding in the classic style, Mike Denton has applied his years of passion and know-how to a fresh new platform Words DAN BEVIS Photos JASON DODD The 1980s were undoubtedly the prime era of the hot hatch. This new-found thrill brought performance in a brilliantly accessible package; everyone from Clarence at Lloyd’s of London to Bob at Jewson’s hankered after an XR3i, Golf GTI, Astra GTE, 205 GTi or – most of all – an Escort RS Turbo. How did people modify these cars? Why, with plastic, of course. It was the Eighties, and big business lay in bodykits; all the cool kids had an assortment of plastic addenda bolted onto their cars – all colour-coded, of course…

ESCORT GTi RARE BREED The Escort GTi is a forgotten fast Ford of the 1990s. But Dave and Kylie Raspin’s rally rep is sure to be remembered... Words and photos JON CASS Few of us remember the Escort once wore a GTi badge – the moniker typically associated with French and German hot hatches. But with a peppy 113bhp 1.8-litre Zetec under the bonnet, alongside RS2000-inspired styling, it was a capable car – if not a little overlooked by similar Escorts wearing the RS and XR badges we Ford fans are more accustomed to. With the exception of the legendary RS Cosworth, these later-generation Escorts are often ignored, which is a bit of a shame. Despite woeful reviews of the early 1990s, Ford persisted with development of its big seller,…

EVENT REPORT COLLINS PERFORMANCE MEET COLLINS PERFORMANCE MEET Long-standing Ford tuner Collins Performance opened the doors and invited Blue Oval owners to join the team for a Saturday morning meet. Naturally, we tagged along too… Words & Photos JON CASS WHERE COLLINS PERFORMANCE HQ, CHESHIRE WHEN SEPTEMBER 2021 The last time we visited Collins Performance was back in 2019, and a lot has happened in the world since then. Fortunately, it’s back to business for the team at this Congleton-based tuner, who are happy to say they’re as busy as ever. As you’ll be aware, loads of our feature cars have had some form of modification or remap carried out by Collins, so what better place to see a wide selection of cars the firm has been working on than…

FORDS IN MOTORSPORT MK3 ESCORT KRAFTWERK This Group A RS1600i enjoyed an illustrious motorsport career before falling on hard times in the Nineties, but now thanks to Guido Futzemann it’s back together and looking better than ever Words JAMIE ARKLE Photos ADRIAN BRANNAN It’s hard not to feel a bit sorry for the Mk3 Escort, particularly when it comes to competition variants. The Mk2 wasn’t merely a massive sales success, it’d broken rallying records across the globe, had won countless touring car trophies, and cemented the RS brand in the hearts of European consumers. It was, not to put too fine a point on it, a tough act to follow. Ford realised that the Mk3 had to carve itself some motorsport credibility, and began developing race and rally versions before…

HISTORIC TOURING CARS MENSLEY SPINS AND WINS Words and photos PAUL LAWRENCE Then he was spinning past the pits on the first lap of qualifying, victory in the final round of the Motor Racing Legends Historic Touring Car Challenge was not foremost in Paul Mensley’s plans for the day. In horribly went conditions on the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit, Paul hit both the throttle and standing water in short order and the car looped into a high-speed spin. Thankfully, it found nothing hard, and Paul qualified second to the Nissan Skyline shared by Ric Wood and Freddie Hunt, son of 1976 F1 world champion James. The race, in slightly better conditions, was a battle of Mensley against the Nissans, and once Simon Garrad had spun out, the RS500 had to…

FORGOTTEN FORDS This month we look at the GT90; a fast Ford that would have been faster and more powerful than the McLaren F1 hypercar! THE BLUE OVALS YOU’VE (PROBABLY) NEVER HEARD OF… This month we find out more about one of the most powerful Ford concept cars ever built, the GT90. In fact, its 48-valve, quad-turbo V12 engine kicked out a staggering 720bhp and 660lb.ft, making it one of the most powerful machines ever to wear the mighty Blue Oval. Designed and built purely as a concept car in 1995, the GT90 was a test bed for future technology and engineering developments as well as showcasing exercise to demonstrate Ford’s ability to produce a supercar. The GT90 was built by a handful of specialists at Ford’s SVT plant in…

WHAT’S NEW NEWS NEW FOCUS ST The latest fast Focus is on its way See what’s going down in the world of fast Fords… The Mk4 Focus has been with us since 2018, and we first saw the 2.3-litre ST model in February 2019 before it hit the streets later that year. Now, as we approach the end of 2021, Ford have shown us what the new face-lifted version will look like. Dubbed the Mk4.5 by fans, the newest Focus is packed full of Ford’s latest generation technology, which unsurprisingly includes some hybrid and electrification upgrades. But among all the updates, Ford unveiled what the next Focus ST will look like too. As with all Mk4.5s, the front end has been heavily restyled; like the recently updated Fiesta, the new design…

WHAT'S NEW FORD STUFF The latest gear on the Blue Oval scene MOUNTUNE MK4 FOCUS ST SPORT SPRINGS £199 Mountune’s sport spring kit is the ideal upgrade for Mk4 Focus ST owners wanting to improve handling and aesthetics without compromising on ride quality. The Mountune spring kit delivers a noticeable drop in ride-height (-20mm front, and -25mm rear) for improved aesthetics and enhanced cornering performance, while still ensuring compliance and ride quality for daily use. For more details, speak to Mountune. www.mountunestore.com MEGUI AR’S MT103 SUNLIGHT 3+ £117 Serious about your bodywork? The Meguiar’s MT103 Sunlight 3+ is the perfect tool for anyone looking to inspect their paint for defects, whether you’re a pro detailer, an automotive painting technician or simply just a detailing enthusiast. This simple-to-use light allows you…

FIESTA XR2i HOMEBUILT HERO Tobias Arkell continually engineered his beloved XR2i until he created this monster-spec, Zetec-turbo, rear-wheel-drive animal – and it’s all been built in his shed… Words JAMIE Photos JASON DODD Great Britain has a history of blokes in sheds churning out world-beating engineering masterpieces – it’s in our DNA, it’s why seven of the ten current Formula One teams have bases in Britain, and ultimately, it’s how we won the war. The man tinkering in his shed is an archetypical British phenomenon. But in an age where everything is digital you may think that man-in-a-shed spirit has been replaced with computer-aided pristine white workshops, leaving behind the old beardy-weirdies to twirl their Whitworth spanners on some old classic piece of junk that never actually worked in the…

EVENT REPORT FORDMEET AT SQUIRES FORDMEET AT SQUIRES After Covid cancelled previous Squires events, the much-loved Fordmeet was back with a bang at the end of summer 2021! Words & Photos JON CASS WHERE SQUIRES CAFÉ, LEEDS WHEN SEPTEMBER 2021 We’ve become accustomed to attending the Squires Fordmeet near Leeds twice a year over the last decade, but we had to wait an unbelievably long two-and-a-half years since we were last there. The September 2019 event was called off due to poor ground conditions after heavy rain, then a certain pandemic scuppered numerous later dates. Fortunately, the sun was shining in September 2021, Covid restrictions had been relaxed, and Fordmeet finally took place. This was much to the delight of organiser Simon Shipley and his team, not to mention the…

JAMIE FOCUS RS FILM STAR Jamie’s RS stars in a video on the Fast Car website QUICK SPEC Mountune m400R ■ Velgen Classic5 alloys ■ H&R lowering springs ■ 3M wrap ■ Mountune axle-back and sports cat ■ H&R anti-roll bars ■ Tarox brakes ■ Mishimoto intercooler, intake kit, and oil cooler kits ■ Quaife ATB When some of the editorial teams at Kelsey Media asked ‘what fast Ford would you buy for £25-30k?’ I told them the answer was easy: just look at the car I am driving – a Mk3 Focus RS. Now, I know the answer will be different for a lot of people reading this, as we all have our own preferences and criteria we need our cars to meet, but for me the Mk3 RS…

FORDS IN MOTORSPORT DOUBLE POINTS FINISH AT SEASON FINALE The latest racing updates from Blue Ovals competing all over the globe Words JAMIE/MB MOTORSPORT Photos BTCC/MB MOTORSPORT The MB Motorsport Accelerated By Blue Square team looked forward to a positive opening race to start the finals day of the 2021 BTCC season, as Jake Hill and Ollie Jackson lined up in formation from 11th and 12th on the grid respectively for the first race of the weekend. A frenetic start saw Ollie climb to P11, while Jake dropped to 14th in the first-lap scrum, but by lap two, Jake had begun to regain places and was up to P13. Over the following laps, Jake began to dice with the BMW of Tom Oliphant for 12th but also had to fend…

MOUNTUNE FIESTAS FIVE STAR Mountune’s MR200 upgrade for the Mk6 Fiesta ST turns a decent small hatch into a proper hot hatch icon. We get together five of the best examples to see what makes them so special Words and photos DAN SHERWOOD When it comes to Fast Fords, there are few names out there as respected as Mountune. Founded in 1980 by David Mountain, the Essex-based tuner has been designing and building race engines and fast-road performance parts for over 40 years. During that time the firm has powered teams around the world to victory in WRC, BTCC, World Rallycross and many more top-level championships. Not only that, but Mountune’s extensive experience of tuning road cars led to the production of numerous Ford factory-special editions, all fitted with the…