Innehållsförteckning för December 2023 från Fast Ford

BURTON TYPE 9 5-SPEED GEARBOX £2,040 The Type-9 ’box (also referred to as ‘Type N’ in some workshop manuals) was Ford's first RWD 5-speed box and was an original fitment in the Mk3 Capri 1.6/2.0, Mk2 Granada, Mk3 Granada/Scorpio, Sierra 1.6/1.8/20 and Mk3 Transit. Today, it's commonly used for 5-speed conversions on older vehicles. Burton has just taken delivery of a batch of these gearboxes that have been reconditioned using the GBT9200 long first gear conversion kit to Ford original equipment standards. This partial gear kit is designed to lower the ratio of first gear from a short 3.65:1 to a much more useable 2.98:1. The kit includes a brand new mainshaft first gear and a repurposed layshaft cluster that has been modified and fitted with the new first gear.…

EVENT REPORT RADWOOD 2023 The clue's in the name, really: this is a show that celebrates things that are rad. And what does that mean? Well, the essence of RADwood is to showcase the coolest cars of the 1980s and ’90s, with a loose theme of focusing on cars further toward the ‘greed is good’ end of the scale (so, more Testarossa than Metro) – and with this comes a whole lot of cosplay and period accessories. Imagine the vibe of the Goodwood Revival, but with the tweed and flat caps replaced by neon pink and lots of polyester. The show originated in the States, and in recent years it's been welcomed under the Hagerty umbrella in the UK, hosted at the ineffably tasteful surroundings of Bicester Heritage. This year…

FORDS IN MOTORSPORT Four podium finishes, including a win in race three after closest rival Ian Mitchell spun, enabled Lewis Clark to clinch the Focus Cup title as four different drivers claimed race victories across the weekend. Despite being involved in a clash with Morgan Jones at Paddock that led to the opener being red-flagged, Simon Warr recovered to win the restarted race from pole, holding off Mitchell and Clark. In the second event Jon Baker recorded his third win of the year after muscling past Greg Saunders around the outside of Graham Hill Bend while Clark claimed second. A high-speed spin exiting Surtees in the third encounter attempting to pass Warr cost Mitchell dear before Clark took the win after he usurped both Warr and Baker. The finale was…

MK8 FIESTA ST The element of surprise was vital to the storytelling mystique of the Pink Panther movies. Arguably the greatest narrative ingredient was the relentlessly startling character of Cato, expertly portrayed by Burt Kwouk, who'd always be waiting to leap out of a cupboard and pounce on Clouseau, his orders being to attack at random in order to keep the Inspector alert. It's fair to say, then, that the purple-pinstriped Fiesta ST we're basking in the glory of today owes rather a debt to Cato; indeed, it carries on the manservant's work, pouncing on unsuspecting show-goers and commuters alike, and wrestling them to the ground with its belligerently non-conformist attitude. It's often said that we, as a species, exist merely as the sum of our influences; everything we see,…

MK1 FOCUS RS It's easy to knock the Playboy culture. After all, if Hugh Hefner's sole aim in life was to accrue sufficient wealth to enable him to live out his days in a dressinggown, smoking a pipe and surrounded by scantily-clad ladies a fraction of his age, isn't that all just a bit tacky? Well, if you look at it in such over-arching terms, perhaps – but it's always important to dig a little deeper, and Hef's endeavours over the years were intriguingly multi-faceted. In the 1950s, for instance, he used Playboy magazine's editorials to question contemporary prejudices toward homosexuality. He opened racially diverse clubs in the 1960s and vocally supported the civil rights movement. In the ’70s he held high-profile fundraisers to restore the Hollywood sign. The point…

2WD SAPPHIRE RS COSWORTH With the date of his wedding growing ever closer, Ronan Drury knew he was never likely to finish his rare Imperial Blue Sierra Sapphire Cosworth project in time for its role as a rapid bridal limousine. Fortunately, he managed to find another almost identical example, only this time boasting a 520bhp GSM Performance-built YB lurking inside along with an array of mouthwatering mods. Ronan was lucky enough to grow up in a family dedicated to keeping classic cars on the road, so it's little surprise he got to know his way around a toolbox from an early age. “My dad and uncles have always been into their cars,” he tells us. “They've all owned classics for years and still do to this day.” As you'd expect,…

E36 ESCORT SALOON It's fair to say that shoving non-Ford motors under the bonnet of something wearing a Blue Oval is generally not the done thing. We say that, and then in this issue, we've got two of the things… But when there's such a rich selection of engines to choose from within the Ford family when you're considering a swap, why look further afield? Well, in the case of Terry Davies, he didn't just do an engine swap: he swapped a whole lot more, and his Escort Saloon is not your usual Ford four-door… Terry is a mechanic by trade, which is handy considering how involved this build was, and he's also a lifelong Ford fan. “I've been into Fords since I was about five,” he says with a…

FAST FLEET GRANT BUTLER FORD COLLECTION So, remember last month I said I would do more modifications than buying? Well… I've done a lot more than that. Let's start with the green Transit Custom – actually that one's gone, and the Fiesta ST180, yeah, that's gone too! As a collector this isn't something we usually do, but I'm a modifying junkie more than a collector – so when I got the chance of buying another Mk2 Focus RS to fettle with that I knew well, I simply had no choice but to say goodbye to one or two things in order to make the space and put some cash into the pot for modifying. As any of you who follow me on Instagram (@b11tsy) or YouTube (Butsy Customised) will know, I've…

FORDS IN MOTORSPORT Academy Motorsport pushed on following their success in Portugal. The British GT Championship's Balance of Performance formula coordinator would have good cause to congratulate himself on achieving unprecedented parity in the GT4 class, when the oldest and newest race car homologations (Mustang and McLaren Artura) qualified together in the top 4 grid positions. Academy Motorsport had cause to celebrate their success in qualifying, as Will Moore's and Matt Nicoll-Jones’ combined times were a mere 9/1000-of-a-second off the pole position. More than half of the Pro drivers set qualification times in the same second and Matt Cowley was the fastest outright GT4 driver on Saturday afternoon. Erik Evans and Matt Cowley started one place back in third position. After qualifying, Academy Team Manager Andrew Dean said: “Obviously I…

FORDS IN MOTORSPORT ALAN MANN MK1 ESCORT In the realm of old racing cars, provenance is everything. There's so much detail and nuance that can evaporate across the ages. Look at the rally Escorts of the 1970s – they weren't built and maintained with an eye on future values or fastidious bookkeeping, they were built to win rallies; as parts were swapped and upgraded, so we see a Trigger's broom effect (or, to be more charitable, let's call it Theseus's ship) whereby little original remains, and we end up in a situation where several cars all have equal claim to the same iconic registration number. When it comes to the armada of Escorts built by Alan Mann Racing (AMR) in the late-1960s, there are three in existence today with unimpeachable provenance.…

THE FORD VAULT FIESTA URBA CONCEPT Building cars with a different number of doors on either side isn't a unique idea. There's the Hyundai Veloster, for one. And the MINI Clubman. But it's not exactly commonplace, and Ford's design boffins were mucking about with the idea way back in 1989 – with this, the Fiesta Urba concept. Now, there's a little more to this than simply a Mk3 Fiesta with a big door on one side and two little ones on the other. The point was to reinvent the very notion of the city car: it had a filtration system to eradicate traffic fumes from the cabin, an electronic remote release for the rear door, a hands-free car phone mounted in the centre console, and front and rear parking sensors…

EVENT REPORT GOODWOOD REVIVAL 2023 Billed as ‘a magical step back in time,’ the Goodwood Revival gathers together the kinds of cars and bikes that would have competed at the iconic circuit in the period 1948-66. These dates represent the track opening after the Second World War, and closing when it was felt that ‘modern’ racing cars were getting too fast for it. All of which is very amusing when you observe the astonishing pace of the racing at the Revival nowadays – the grids may be near-priceless, but the drivers certainly aren't holding back; yes, accidents can happen, but these machines were built to compete all those years ago, and the fact that they still do makes for a truly aweinspiring spectacle. 2023 is a big anniversary year for…

V8 ‘FLEXUS’ Anyone who's modified their Ford will know that, just like renovating a house, a project car can very quickly turn into a money pit. We've all seen those stickers that say ‘financial mistake’, right? Well it's for a good reason. From tackling rampant tin-worm, to dropping a month's wages on shiny engine goodies, it's very easy for costs to get out of hand. But if you have a canny eye for a bargain and are able to do most of the work yourself, then things can be very different. Right from the get-go, James Price, aka Jaff Builds, decided that if he wanted to live his V8 dream, he'd have to work smart. “I was out one day and heard the sound of a Mercedes C63 AMG bouncing…

SERIES 1 RS TURBO Bought for just £1,500 some twenty years ago, it's fair to say Martin Woods took his time over this mega S1 rebuild, and most of the work happened recently through Covid. 55-year-old Martin has been a petrolhead as long as he can remember; from darting around fields on an old moped as a nipper, he soon progressed to a Vauxhall Viva to hare around even more fields. “I unwisely bought an Austin Allegro as a first car when I was 19 once I'd passed my driving test,” he recalls. “I soon blew the engine up and bought another Viva to replace it.” Once again, Martin set to work destroying the 1256cc Vauxhall engine, swapping in a few similar units before his brother decided the best option…

FAST FLEET JAMIE BROTHWELL FORD COLLECTION It is usual for me around this time each month to sit and write my monthly update with a great amount of joy and enthusiasm; however the past month has been hard to bring to words the sad news that has become our reality during the time since we last spoke. As I write this with tears streaming from my eyes I wasn't sure whether to have a month off from Fast Fleet, but after speaking to Kev at MRM Speedshop and with his blessing we agreed that we would dedicate this month's column to the tragic passing of Fiona, affectionately known as ’Fi’ and who is the other half of MRM. Fi was an amazing lady, kind-hearted, loving and welcoming to all, who sadly…

FORDS IN MOTORSPORT Silverstone's triple-header of Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship races came at a critical stage of the season, the penultimate event of the year. Every point mattered and NAPA Racing UK was determined to maximise the chances of championship leader Ash Sutton. Pace in Saturday's two-part qualifying session was vital with the top 10 progressing to the showdown. Sutton was tenth with teammate Dan Rowbottom on a flying lap. With his eyes glued to the timing screen, Rowbo's team manager Malcolm Swetnam had a tough call to make. “I was turning into the penultimate corner,” explained Rowbottom, “when Malcolm came on the radio and told me to back off. If I had gone quicker and got into the top 10, Ash would have been bumped out. That…

FF TECH MODIFYING GUIDE MK 8 FIESTA ST Let's cut to the chase – making a fast Fiesta even faster is a timeless tradition. It's been going on for over forty years! From the moment the first sporty Mk1 hit the streets, enthusiasts have been tweaking and tuning, and guess what? That tradition is alive and kicking, stronger than ever. Despite Ford pulling the plug on production of the beloved Fiesta recently, upgrading the latest sporty version for even better performance and looks is a walk in the park. Of course, we're talking about the mighty Mk8 Fiesta ST. Building on the massive success of the Mk7 Fiesta ST and its colossal tuning scene, the groundwork for boosting the Mk8 ST's performance was already being laid even before the first designs…