Ford isn’t planning an ST or RS Fiesta, but this is the next best thing – the Ford Fiesta S2000 rally car. Built by M-Sport – the same team behind the WRC Focus – it’s Ford first global rally car.
The Fiesta is eligible to enter national rally championships, as well as the IRC and S2000 World Cup in 2010, and will also form the basis of Ford’s WRC effort in 2011. It will debut as a course car at next week’s Rally of Scotland, the final round of this year’s IRC.
The new Fiesta S2000-spec rally car will make its public debut this weekend when it appears as course car on the final round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) in Scotland.
Ford finally took the wraps off the new rally challenger at its M-Sport HQ in Cumbria yesterday.
“This is the first global rally car for Ford and M-Sport,” says M-Sport Managing Director Malcolm Wilson. “I really believe that we have produced a fantastic rally car and this launch is a big step to seeing it out competing in rallies. It’s the first time in five years that we have been able to offer a Ford rally car that can challenge for overall victory in national championships across the world.”
The new car will make its competitive debut in 2010 and is eligible for S2000 and IRC regulations, but is likely to form the basis for Ford’s next full-house WRC car when new rules come into effect in 2011 or 2012.
The 280bhp, 192lb ft four-wheel drive Fiesta S2000 has gone from the drawing board to the rally stage in just nine months.
“It’s a fantastic feeling to see the car actually launched to the world after all the hard work and testing behind closed doors,” says M-Sport Technical Director Christian Loriaux. “Everyone at M-Sport has had to pull together in order to get the Fiesta S2000 finished in such a short period of time and it has been a great team effort to get to this point so quickly.
One year after its debut, more than half a million customers have purchased the new Ford Fiesta, marking an important milestone as Ford Motor Company prepares to bring the fuel-efficient, global car to the U.S. and other key Asian Pacific markets next year.
The new Fiesta, the first in a wave of stylish vehicles being brought to world-wide markets under the ONE Ford plan, went on sale in Germany in October 2008. It quickly became the second-best-selling car for all markets in Europe and the leader in the European small car segment. The new Fiesta has also been a key driver behind Ford of Europe’s market share gains, which are up 0.5 percentage points this year through September to 9.2 percent, the highest since 1999.
After its European introduction, the Fiesta was launched in South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and China. Global retail sales of the car reached 470,000 units through September of this year, with 430,000 sales in Europe and 40,000 in the Asia Pacific region. Continued strong demand for Fiesta through October has pushed the total number beyond 500,000.
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The all-new Fiesta R2 is set to make its WRC debut as the Fiesta SportTrophy International arrives at the Rally de España for its exciting penultimate round. Five all-new Fiesta R2s are entered in the event with the remaining four competitors taking part in the Fiesta ST. Championship leader Patrick Anglade is locked in a battle with FST UK and Ireland champion Craig Breen for the title so the result of this event could go a long way to deciding the destination of the 2009 FSTi crown. The debut of the new car brings added excitement to the proceedings.
Breen took victory at Rally Finland in August closing the gap on series leader Anglade to 40 points. But, with the option to drop two scores, the fight for the championship is sure to go right to the wire at the final round, Wales Rally GB. Read more…
Take a look at CAR’s April review of the Fiesta Zetec-S!
The black wheels and yellow mirrors may not be everyone’s cup of tea but some of these mods would be nice additions to personalize your Fiesta.
Zetec S Moutoune
Ford Fiesta Zetec-S Mountune (2009) CAR review
By Chris Chilton
23 March 2009
Ford’s brilliant new Fiesta only has one problem – the lack of an ST model. Actually the real problem is that there isn’t one coming – Ford canned it to concentrate on green cars like the Fiesta Econetic. I’m sure Ford has done its sums but given how many of the old-shape STs you see charging around Britain’s towns, it seems an odd, and certainly disappointing, decision.
But worry not, because now Mountune offers a Ford-approved tuning kit to turn the mild-but-fun Zetec S into an 18-year-old’s wet dream, complete with a drainpipe exhaust and other subtle tweaks. It’s a great car, but don’t leave home without your earplugs.
What’s this Mountune nonsense? Where’s the new ST? Read more…
You’ve seen various magazine reviews of the new Fiesta but take a look at what everyday readers of “What Car” have to say about the car!
While not as amusing as the TopGear review, enjoy the Fifth Gear take on the new Ford Fiesta.
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The UK’s iMotor reviews the Ford Fiesta Zetec S. Enjoy the video.
Business Week, September 4, 2008 article about how the US won’t get the diesel Fiesta available in Europe. This article is about 11 months old so the fuel price descriptions are a bit higher than today. In any case a 65 mpg rating is still much higher than the new Prius! Enjoy the article.
By David Kiley
September 15, 2008
Ford’s Fiesta ECOnetic gets an astonishing 65 mpg, but the carmaker can’t afford to sell it in the U.S
If ever there was a car made for the times, this would seem to be it: a sporty subcompact that seats five, offers a navigation system, and gets a whopping 65 miles to the gallon. Oh yes, and the car is made by Ford Motor (F), known widely for lumbering gas hogs. [break]
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Dutch Mandel from Autoweek, reviews the 2009 Ford Fiesta.
http://www.dailymotion.com/videox86x0i
Aftermarket tuning specialist Mountune Performance has developed an upgrade kit for the new Fiesta 1.6-litre Duratec Ti-VCT Zetec-S and Titanium models. Available through selected Ford dealership…
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