Innholdsfortegnelse for Spring 2023 i Classic Ford

CLASSIC FORD SHOW TICKETS ON SALE NOW! WWW.CLASSICFORD SHOW.CO.UK Happy birthday, Mondeo! It’s slightly ironic that the Mondeo is still considered a ‘new’ car, yet the earliest Mk1 versions are now knocking on the door of 30! If ever there was a Ford that has yet to reach its full potential as a classic, the Mk1 is definitely it. Especially now that Ford axed the model from its line-up recently. Hopefully this anniversary year will see the Mondeo gain an elevated status it richly deserves, both as part of our scene and the incredibly-important part it played in Ford-of-Europe’s direction and success in the decades that followed. To help cement that status, part of this issue is dedicated to the Mondeo — and elsewhere you’ll find a whole host of…

Classic enthusiasts are being encouraged to negate the impact their vehicles have on the environment, with anyone in the UK who’s keen to reduce the carbon footprint of their classics being encouraged to join a new Enthusiast Carbon Offset (ECO) programme running in partnership with Hagerty. Operated by reforestation and carbon reduction business, Chrome Carbon, the voluntary initiative is one of several designed to offer peace of mind to environmentally conscious enthusiasts. Part of Hagerty Impact, a strategy aiming to bring positive change within the automotive community, the ECO programme is open to all motorists – including those who are not Hagerty customers. Drivers can learn about their vehicle’s CO2 emissions by entering its type and anticipated annual mileage into a quick and easy to use online emissions calculator. This…

May? That can only mean one thing: our (mostly) annual Homebuilt Heroes special! Yes, we’ll be celebrating classic Fords put together by your own fair hands — including this stunning, period-modded Pop, as well as reveal top tips for a getting it finished and out of the garage in time for the show season. All this plus a Capri 280 buyer’s guide, how to refurbish steel wheels and much more. The May 2023 issue of Classic Ford is on sale April 14. Why not subscribe to make sure you don’t miss out? Turn to page 114 for the latest offers. ON SALE April 14!…

DUFFY COLLARD ESCORT SLOT CAR £49.99 Pendle Slot Racing Along with Barry Lee and George Polley, Mick ‘Duffy’ Collard is one of the legends of the oval track, most often seen behind the wheel of his Mk2 Escort, running race number 19. Scalextric has paid tribute to the 1980 World Champion with this 1:32-scale slot car — available fro Pendle Slot Racing — and wearing the correct Castrol livery. Contact: www.pendleslotracing.co.uk UPRATED SIERRA ESTATE DAMPERS £97.62 each GAZ Shocks Whenever suspension companies produce a kit for a specific vehicle the estate version tends to get forgotten. However, that’s not the case with GAZ. The company is now offering dampers to fit the unique suspension of both the regular Estate (1984-on) and the XR4x4 Estate (1986-on), too. GAZ’s fully adjustable GT…

The concept of giving a new lease of life to a classic Ford is something we often hear about in these pages, but that idea has never seemed more fitting than to what Sammy Woodthorpe has accomplished with his Mk2 Escort. You see, this car has appeared in Classic Ford before, way back in 1999 with an HT Racing-built I4 DOHC engine and a look very much of the time to match. But since then, it’s been laid up for nearly two decades as a shell, until Sammy brought the ex-feature car back from the dead and turned it into the immaculatelyprepared Escort you see here. But although it retains an old-school look, Sammy has brought the car up to date with a modern engine and running gear while putting…

What you’re looking at is one of the rarest Fords on the planet. When you consider all the special editions that Ford have produced in limited numbers over the years, that’s a bold statement. In fact, the chances of you coming across another one are so slim, you may as well regard this one as unique. It’s widely accepted that Ford sold just over 7000 Escort Cosworths between 1992 and 1996. The first 2500 sales were required by the FIA to confirm the EsCos as a production road car, to qualify it for competition in the FIA World Rally Championship. A process known as Homologation. The rest? Well they were just sales based off the fact the EsCos was an affordable hatchback that could embarrass supercars, especially when modified. During…

The last Mondeo rolled off the production lines in 2022. For 29 years it sat proudly as the flagship in Ford’s family car line-up, much the like Sierra before it, and Cortina before that. But on April 4, 2022, all that changed as the last ever Ford Mondeo (in Europe, at least) rolled down the production line at Ford’s Valencia plant. When it first arrived in 1992, the Mondeo had a tough act to follow replacing the much-loved Sierra. But, unlike the Sierra, the Mondeo was an immediate hit with buyers when it went on general sale in 1993. Costing a reported £3 billion in development, it was available in hatchback, saloon, and estate; all of which featured new Zetec petrol engines (only the 1.8-litre turbo diesel was carried over…

From: UK Car: Mk1 Cortina “It all started back in 2017,” says Mike, who’s the Chairman of the Mk1 Cortina Owners’ Club. “A lady from London rang me about her father’s Mk1 Cortina which he was reluctantly selling having owned it from new. Details were sent to me which I duly passed to the club editor at the time and it was put up for sale in the April club magazine.” “Several months passed and I rang the number to see if it had sold. No, was the answer so I arranged to go and see it. We agreed the price on condition it got an MoT so I could drive it home and soon after I set off with a mate. “To say it was an interesting drive home…

MAY 26-29 2023 The Classic Ford Tour returns for 2023 to the Laon Historique, the biggest classic car pilgrimage to Europe during which you will be a part of the popular Circuit Historique de Laon — anoncompetitive event and the largest and most popular event of its kind in Europe with over 700 cars attending this event every year. The highlight of the tour is the closed street run — all the participating cars assemble in the old town and as the name suggests, all of the streets are closed to traffic. The route extends over 6 km and includes a hillclimb with hairpin bends as you make your way to the old town centre. Spectators line the streets to watch the biggest cavalcade of classic cars and sports cars…

Adding water to a petrol-fuelled engine may sound like a recipe for disaster, but it’s a practice that’s been going on for over 50 years. The principle behind it is to remove unwanted heat from the combustion process, and therefore aid engine cooling. In a performance engine, a massive amount of heat is produced when the air/ fuel mixture combusts. The piston bears the brunt of this heat, and in many standard engines is kept cool by the introduction of the unburnt air/fuel mixture (which itself has a cooling effect) and by conducting the heat through to the underside of the piston, which is constantly quenched by the engine oil (and is why some performance engines have piston-cooling oil jets), and also into the cylinder walls, which are kept cool…

After winning the BTCC with the Prodrive-run Mk2s in 2000, and subsequently withdrawing from the championship after rule changes came into force for 2001, Ford went looking for somewhere else to race. The German DTM series very nearly proved the perfect answer. As we now know, that didn’t happen. But as this special prototype that lives in the museum at Cologne proves, Ford were quite serious about the idea. This car is a one-off, fully Ford-backed DTM prototype, built to the 2001 regulations. As the DTM regulations were so adaptable, the silhouette racer was largely spaceframed and contained several ultimate-spec components from the Ford range and proven competition parts suppliers. Power is from a Mustang-derived 4-litre V8, which in race-spec was said to produce an air-restricted 500 bhp at 9000…

“WITH JUST WEEKS TO GO, THE MK2 IS ALMOST READY FOR THE START OF THE RACE SEASON” Motorsport can be such a demanding — and let’s face it, expensive — hobby, that more often than not you find those taking part stick to one discipline and throw everything they’ve got at it — circuit racers stay on the track, rally drivers concentrate on the stage and so on. Josh Payton, helped by his brother Jack, and best mate, Matt Berry, is different though — he clearly likes to have a crack at everything. In recent years, the south west-based trio have built a Mk4 Escort van for competitive drifting, and more recently a modernspec Mk2 Escort for Josh to go rallying — both Escorts towed to events in the UK…

All vehicles built in 1982 will be eligible for Historic taxation status from April 1 this year – and with the change in tax class comes MoT exemption as well as free-of-charge Vehicle Excise Duty (VED). The earliest examples of any cars that made their debut in 1982 will become tax-free, which has led BookMyGarage. com to create a list of contenders including the Sierra. Although 1982-built cars registered as Historic won’t be required to undertake an annual MoT test, owners are still legally required to make sure their classics are roadworthy. The driver of any vehicle — even MoT-exempt — that’s caught with just one illegal tyre, for example, can be fined up to £2500 and receive three penalty points on their licence. Research by BookMyGarage.com in 2021 found…

We were decades apart in age so our paths didn’t cross at Ford and I only got to know Richard three years ago when I started writing the two Secret Fords books. I approached our first discussion with a little caution. I’ve worked with, and for, many leaders within the car industry from CEOs to Chief Marketing Officers and Chief Designers. Most of the time, I have enjoyed working with them, but the Chief Engineers were sometimes a struggle. I might speak the two languages of design and marketing but stumble more on the finer points of vehicle architectures and production engineering. I should not have worried; the best engineers try and bridge the gap, to make their point clearly for the greater good — and by reputation Richard was…

Mk1 Mondeo Si Before the 24-valve V6 came along, the quickest Mk1 Mondeo you could buy was the 2-litre Si — and then along came the strictly-limited RSi version... When the Mondeo first landed, surprisingly it wasn’t available with the V6 engine that performance versions later became synonymous with. That didn’t arrive until October 1995, where it was fitted to later Si models as well as the top-spec Ghia X cars. That meant when the Mondeo was launched in March 1993, the spiciest model in the line-up was the Si. Sitting below the fully loaded Ghia trim in Ford’s hierarchy, the Si was above the entrylevel Mondeo, the LX, and the GLX in the pecking order, and Ford saw it as the ‘high-performing’ model in the range. Like all Mondeos,…

Cars, roadtrips, shows, tattoos... share your images right here.Email hi-res images to classicford.ed@kelsey.co.uk or post them up on our Facebook page.…

From: UK Car: Mk6 Escort We’ve seen Mark’s awesome three-door Mk6 Escort in the metal at shows such as RS Combe over the last few years, and we can testify that it’s an absolute beauty. Mark’s Mk6 caught our eye as we don’t often see many modded Mk6 Escorts these days — and even fewer have been built to such high standards as this one — it really does tick all the right boxes. Power comes thanks to a tuned Mk1 Focus RS-spec motor that pumps out a more-than-respectable, dyno-proven 358 bhp and 307 lb.ft of torque. The Escort’s chassis has been upgraded too and now benefits from GAZ coilovers, the gearbox is a brutish MTX75 from a diesel but has also been fitted with a Quaife ATB, while the…

The 16-valve Zetec is still everyone’s favourite engine swap. There’s a fair amount of fact and fiction floating around regarding which capacity of engine is preferable, what modifications they react best to, and what sort of power they can make before something fails on them. And topping the list there’s the age-old debate regarding which Zetec is better: Silver Top or Black Top? We needed good, solid and reliable advice for this guide, so to get that we went to see Paul Dunnell at Dunnell Engines, who are essentially the Zetec gurus, and Paul has been working with the engines since they first appeared in the early 1990s. Over the next few pages we will cover everything you need to know, everything to look out for and everything to avoid.…

Never has a Ford driver — not even Colin McRae — made such an immediate impact on the World Rally Championship scene. With just one special stage to go on the 1991 Monte Carlo rally — his first event for Ford — 28-year-old Francois Delecour looked set to win the event. Ten minutes later, when his Sierra Cosworth 4x4 broke its rear suspension on the legendary Col du Turini, that dream lay in ruins. With only a third place to celebrate, it was no wonder that he was close to tears when interviewed by the press. It would be three long years before he got his revenge. Like his contemporary team-mate, Miki Biasion, Francois never quite managed to urge the Sierra Cosworth 4x4 to victory at World Championship level, though…

Info How much: Mk1 Capri scuttle panel section: £175 Contact: Ex-Pressed Steel Panels 01535 632721 www.steelpanels.co.uk The section we’ve chosen to restore this month is a pretty common classic Ford problem area. The scuttle panel just below the bottom of the windscreen often has a touch of the crusty stuff and can look incredibly deceptive. After all it’s just a small bit of rot; what can possibly go wrong? Well, a lot actually — on this Mk1 Capri try three skins-worth! Yes, the outside is merely a cover for the two beneath it — we lifted ours and the one below it was nastily holed and when we lifted that, the actual A-pillar itself was also gaping more than a worn-out sock. Thoughts of repair can make you go all…

1. Don’t just renew It’s all too easy to let the direct debit continue and sign up for another year with your existing insurer. Before you do though, have a look at quotes from other insurers. If they come in cheaper and you don’t want to switch, call your existing insurer, quote the cheaper prices and quite often they will be able to bring your renewal quote down to a similar level. 2. Look at classic insurance They’re often tied into Agreed Value, limited-mileage polices but classic insurance specialists can offer some great-value policies. Most class a vehicle eligible for classic insurance as being over 20 or 25 years old, but some allow exceptions for modern classics, so do your research before you dismiss a classic insurance policy out of…

Practical Classics Classic Car & Restoration Show When: Friday to Sunday, March 24-26 Where: NEC Birmingham, UK The Practical Classics Classic Car & Restoration Show with Discovery+ returns to Birmingham’s vast NEC halls this month. Set to be a big one, classic Ford fans will be well catered for with the clubs — including a plethora of Ford ones — putting on demos and working on members’ cars as part of the show’s hands-on ethos. For more information as well as all the ticket prices and booking details, visit the website.  Find out more: www.necrestorationshow.com…

If you want to spend hours exploring some of the very best classic Ford cars on the scene, then there’s no better place than the Classic Ford Show. Every year, classic Ford clubs turn up in huge numbers and they’re at the very heart of the show, with over 1400 club cars attending in recent years. It’s thanks to them we’re able to marvel at forgotten gems, impressive restorations and customised classics in fantastic numbers, so be sure to take plenty time to wonder round these impressive displays because you never know what hidden gems you might find! TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW! GO TO WWW. CLASSICFORD SHOW.CO.UK Want to take part with your club? Go to www.classicfordshow.co.uk…

Why do we love our classic Fords? For their style? For the way they drive? For the nostalgia factor, and how Ford wiped the floor with every rival? Of course – and that’s exactly why it’s time we recognised the 1990s as a truly magnificent period for the great Blue Oval. Yes, really. You may gasp. And you may, quite rightly, remind us that the 1990s gave birth to no rear-wheel-drive RS monsters; there were no Ford-badged hero cars chasing crooks on TV detective shows; there was no Roger Clark sliding to rally victory with a blue oval on the bootlid. Yet the 1990s was phenomenally successful for our favourite firm. It was a period that witnessed the introduction of world-beating models; a decade of building Britain’s bestsellers; a time…

Many decades after owning a Mk2 Fiesta XR2 bought brand new, Ian Shepherd felt the sudden urge to relive his youth only this time in its 1990s successor. He soon discovered it would be no easy task tracking down an unmolested Mk3 XR2i, but this rare low mileage gem now ticks all the boxes after receiving a little TLC. While all XR-badged cars are getting on in years now, surprisingly, it’s the later Mk3 model that seems to be the most elusive when it comes to the iconic XR2. Introduced in August 1989, the third incarnation of Ford’s small hot hatch not only looked the part, it benefitted from much improved interior space and for the first time in the Fiesta’s history, fuel injection too. Unfortunately, the 105 bhp offered…

From: UK Car: Series 1 RS Turbo You know how you get all giddy about a new purchase, but after a year or so the novelty wears off? And before you know it, that purchase has been sat at the back of the cupboard for 20 years. Yeah? Well now imagine that purchase was a Series One Escort RS Turbo... “I’ve owned this car for around 20 years, and after running the it daily for around a year, I took it off the road with the intention of rebuilding it,” says Martin, “but that didn’t happen until Covid struck!” While stuck at home on furlough, Martin thought he would use the time to strip the Series One and promptly got stuck into the rebuild until he went back to work…

Mechanical fuel pumps are pretty good; they provide fuel when you want it, at a rate that’s at the engine’s pace. The trouble is, when you add revs, they have a job to keep up. Certainly the cut-off point’s when you swap your twin choke for a pair of sidedraughts. It may cope, but if you go electric you’ll be sure. On top of that, it’s common to fit a fuel pressure regulator too — you’ll certainly need one to supply a pair of sidedraughts with an accurate 3 psi of fuel. The one we’ve chosen from Rally Design’s catalogue is the industry standard Malpassi Filter King, which, as its name suggests, also filters the fuel. In fact it’s what that neat alloy bowl’s for: to house the filter. On…

QUERY OF THE MONTH Taller diff Q Ihave an early Mk1 Capri (originally a 1600) with a Rover V8 in it, and running on 13 inch rims — can I get a taller diff for it, like from a Sierra or something? It is such low ratio that I do not use first gear at all! I would quite like an LSD too, but I fear it would be too sideways all the time. Bruce Chase UK A Your Capri came from the factory with what’s known as an English axle, and assuming it’s still fitted, will have either a3.778 or (very rare) 3.889:1 ratio diff — perfect for the 1600 but not so good for the 3.5-litre. While the Sierra came with awide range of ratios, unfortunately its rear…

Really, Ford’s British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) programme with the Mondeo deserves to be better remembered than it is. If nothing else, because it neatly encapsulates how high profile the series was throughout the 1990s, how committed Ford was to winning, and how much money it was willing to invest to do so. The idea of a car maker, any car maker, sinking millions upon millions into a domestic Touring Car championship in 2019 is laughable, but that’s precisely what Ford did with its Mondeo programme. Here’s how it came about… Super Tourer era The adoption of the Super Touring car regulations as Europe’s premier tin-top championship regulation (DTM aside) was, at least in part, a response to Ford’s wholesale, Sierra-shaped domination of Group A racing a few short years…

Avid readers of this magazine – and I hope we all consider ourselves that – will recognise the name Pete Bowden — owner of this Fiesta XR2 — as also being the owner of the Escort RS Turbo we featured in our July 2020 issue. Pete restored that RS and he’s done the same with this Fiesta. “I bought this 1987 Fiesta XR2 in October 2020,” explains Pete, “it had belonged to a friend of mine, Gene Hallett, and I bought it from his boss Chris.” Gene had started work on the car including replacing a front chassis leg, since it had failed its last MoT in August 2015 for corrosion in the nearside front. The XR2 came with some history. “It had a few old MoTs and paperwork showing…

Mondeo man’ shook off his staid image with the launch of the ST220 in March 2002. Granted, the new flagship Mk3 wasn’t what the RS Cosworth was to the Sierra, but there was no denying that the ST220 had a bit of get up and go. With the familiar V6 Duratec found in lesser versions punched out to 2967cc, the enlarged capacity saw the new Sports Technology Mondeo hit a top speed of 151 mph and sprint from 0-60 mph in 6.8 seconds. As its name suggested, the ST220 produced 220 bhp — an increase of 52 bhp over that of the usual Mondeo V6 — and was the fastest production Mondeo ever, even if it wasn’t the most specialised. That accolade went to the earlier ST200 with its fancy…