Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2023 i Fast Ford

The UK’s ‘National Mustang Day’ was one of several global events to celebrate the Ford Mustang’s 59th birthday. Ford pulled out all the stops at the British Motor Museum on Saturday 15th April, and threw a great party. Club and social media group members responded to the occasion and made it a multi-generational Mustang gathering in which more than 400 invited owners and their guests participated. A surprisingly large number of pristine, first-year production Mustangs added heritage authenticity to the proceedings. All the preparation and polishing was rewarded with a first look at the new 7th generation model. Ford had air-freighted a pre-production example of the top-of-the-line S650 Mustang Dark Horse over from Flat Rock, Michigan for fans to examine in detail. Top Gear presenter Paddy McGuinness was also seen…

The wonderful thing about modifying cars is the potential it creates to build whatever you want. For some, that can mean playing out a car fantasy that might not otherwise ever happen, such as a heavily modified Focus RS500 for instance - and that’s exactly what Lee Riley, the owner of this fine Focus, decided to do. He’s been steadily creating his ideal Focus build over the last couple of years, as he explains to us: “I have always wanted a Focus RS500, but due to the price of them I’m not going to own one anytime soon,” he says. “So when the chance came up to own something close, I thought I’d build one with my own take on it.” DRIVER SPEC LEE RILEY AGE 37 JOB Manager at…

Gaming has a lot to answer for. The vast majority of readers most likely made their high-speed driving debut in pixel form many years before actually getting a real driving licence; it’s a generational thing, but you might have been playing Gran Turismo, Forza, MarioKart or Outrun, those little animated cars worming their way inexorably into your affections. For Dave Lewis, it was a youth spent playing Need for Speed on the PS2 that ultimately led to the creation of the gamified RS Turbo you see before you… although dreams like this don’t get realised through hyperactive thumbs alone, and there’s another age-old influence here that a lot of you will surely recognise: the ‘my dad had one of those’ effect. “Yeah, Need for Speed was where it all started,…

The Focus ST has been a popular choice among performance Ford fans since we first saw the ‘Focus’ and ‘ST’ tags combine on the ST170 way back in 2002. But it was the enormous tuning potential and loutish ‘ASBO’ character of the Mk2 Focus ST that captured the attention of the masses. Since then, the third generation, released in 2012, took the ST to new heights. The previous Volvo-sourced five-cylinder engine was replaced by an even more powerful four-cylinder EcoBoost, producing 247bhp and 250lb.ft. And that’s just the start. Tuners and specialists were quick to get in on the act and started developing performance products for the Mk3 ST almost immediately. But, unlike the Mk2, the Mk3 ST was a bit of a slow burner when it came to performance…

Costec has reached the final test phase of its brand new Cosworth YB engine blocks. The company was set up in 2008 by Jeremy Scott, who previously worked at Cosworth specialising in the YB engine. One of Costec’s aims was to reproduce the YB 200 block in cast iron. “Working with advice from the FIA, we have produced a ‘sympathetic replica’ with cast main caps that has gone through two years of testing,” says Jeremy. “Harvey Gibbs (SCS) and Karl Norris (Norris Motorsport) have both been involved in development. All-up weight is 54kg with caps; the core plugs on the side of the block are machined in, as there are two pillars behind so it will not break through to the water jacket. You could fit a turned-down core plug…

Ford has decided that the Focus ST needed a new lease of life and has edited it with an automatic transmission – so now, in addition to the slick six-speed manual gearbox is a seven-speed ZG auto ’box. When a car produces 276bhp and 310lb.ft through the front wheels you know it’s going to be a lot of fun, but does the auto ’box add to the drama or detract from it? An extra £1,450 is a lot of money, so is it worth it? I borrowed the Frozen White ST from Haynes of Maidstone. The car’s interior has been revised with Ford now producing their own seats, and with a large touchscreen slapped bang in the centre of the dash it does look more modern with the facelift. The…

After decades of steady evolution, there’s a revolution brewing within the automotive industry. Rapidly tightening regulations, focused on reducing the environmental impact of the way we travel, are fuelling investment in cleaner technologies for future vehicles and that change is the thin end of the wedge for enthusiasts. But there’s still plenty of scope for the modified scene to find its feet in that new world. AN END TO FOSSIL FUELS Time is ticking for the combustion engine, at least as we know it. Hybrid will become the bare minimum for new cars and vans sold in the UK from 2030, and sales will be restricted to ‘zero tailpipe emission’ vehicles five years later. That deadline matches the European Union, China, Canada and several of the United States, effectively banning…

The opening round of the British GT Championship was an Oulton Park wet-and-dry classic. That presented an opportunity for the Academy Motorsport GT4 Mustang team to demonstrate their experience at the track and their finely honed race execution skills. Initially, the weekend started badly with some worryingly low race qualifying grid positions. Starting from 7th, the number 61 car of Erik Evans and Matt Cowley was 5 positions ahead of Will Moore and Matt Nicoll-Jones’ number 62 Mustang. This was an uncomfortable position for Nicoll-Jones, 2008 inaugural GT4 Champion and Academy Team Principal, to be starting his return to race driving duties. The new grid-topping Arturas are the latest GT4 racers from McLaren and it’s not unusual to see new model entries having an initial advantage before the Balance of…

Harvey Pulford’s vividly green XR3i is hard to miss, and that’s a very deliberate tactic he learned from his motoring icons as he was growing up: “I painted the car Kawasaki green, as it’s the same colour as Brian O’Conner’s Mitsubishi Eclipse in The Fast and the Furious,” he explains. “I thought it would be cool to take inspiration from that, as I’m a big fan of those movies. My dad pushed for me to do everything right and go every extra step throughout the build, so without him it wouldn’t be what it is now.” This burgeoning modifier, now aged 21, has big plans and ambitious aspirations, and – like so many car enthusiasts – the passion stems from a combination of watching the right movies and TV shows,…

Andy Davis has always regarded the Sapphire Cosworth as the ultimate Ford since they first appeared in the showroom. His dream to own one of these sought-after rapid saloons eventually became a reality recently, and this discreet Diamond White stunner now boasts 335bhp thanks to more than a few well-chosen mods. Since passing his driving test almost thirty years ago, Andy has remained faithful to the Blue Oval badge whenever the time comes to change his car. “My first car was a Mk3 Fiesta 1.1L which ended up being lowered and I fitted a full RS Turbo bodykit, alloys, Recaro seats and interior,” he remembers. “I replaced the 1100 engine with a 1300 after I’d blown it up, and in turn that gave way to a 1.8TD after I’d blown…

BUILT BY BASIL CUSTOM GEARKNOBS From £75 Built by Basil, founded by Simon Basil, is a brand that creates custom gearknobs and car accessories using recycled skateboards and hardwoods. Simon’s process begins by collecting discarded boards from skate parks, skate shops, and local skaters. These are then stripped of their grip tape, sanded, and cut to size; the pieces are glued together into a block, which is then turned on his lathe. Depending on the desired finish, the gearknob is engraved and clear-coated with a gloss or satin finish; Simon can layer the gearknob in different patterns to create unique designs that are the perfect choice for anyone looking to add a touch of personalised style to their vehicle. Gearknobs start from £75 and vary in pricing based on the…

No one could argue that last winter seemed like it would never end, so we were especially looking forward to our first visit of 2023 to the ever-popular Ford Meet at Squires Café, just east of Leeds – which for many marks the start of the show season. Fortunately the weather remained dry throughout the day, even if it was slightly on the chilly side! More than just a show, seasoned organisers Simon Shipley along with dedicated family members, Kate, Paige and Morgan, always strive to make sure every Ford Meet is even better than the last. They’ve succeeded too, as this event now regularly attracts well over a thousand cars from all over the UK along with a vast number of traders. The variety of cars on display wearing…

That Sierra RS500 changed the tone. You know the one, it sold for close to £600k at Race Retro earlier in the year, and it got a few collectors all excited in the process. No, one Cosworth making telephone numbers at auction doesn’t mean that all Cossies are worth half-a-million-plus, but the mood slightly shifted that day, and the manner in which values of classic, retro and modernclassic Fords have been rising (which, naturally, we Ford fans have all been keenly aware of for some time) was thrust into a wider spotlight. All of a sudden you’ve got seasoned Ferrari collectors wondering about the investment potential of Escort RS Turbos. So it’s only natural that the more collectible elements of the Blue Oval back catalogue should be jealously guarded, kept…

The world of historic racing has never been as rich, vibrant, and downright popular as it is right now. Cheerful, cherry-cheeked crowds descend upon Goodwood en masse for the annual Revival, clad in tweed and chiffon (not generally at the same time, but don’t rule anything out), their engorged numbers comfortably eclipsing anything you’ll find at any contemporary race meet. And the Revival is just one example; there’s also the Masters Historic series, the Silverstone Classic, and all manner of others. You can see more 1960s, ’70s and ’80s race cars haring about all at once now than you ever could back when they were current. The spectating public just can’t get enough. Naturally there are some cars that are more crowd-pleasing than others, and a perennial favourite is the…

MOBILITY TUNED FOCUS In the Venn diagram of Motability vehicles and modded show cars, the crossover is generally quite small. And it’s this situation which the Mobility Tuned Focus sought to address when it broke cover back in 2002. Fans of the turn-of-the-millennium modding scene (and/or the Fast & Furious movie franchise) will be keenly aware of the offbeat aesthetic stylings of Wings West, and the New York International Auto Show saw the appearance of a ZX3 (Mk1) Focus wearing just such a bodykit, its purpose being to put disabled drivers behind the wheel of modded cars. So in addition to the lairy styling, blingy Axis Neo rims, Intrax suspension and shouty cat-back system, Ford also worked with Bruno Independent Living Aids to create something as accessible as it was…