2007 Ford Fiesta ST

History

Times and standards certainly have changed since the original Fiesta XR2 appeared back in 1981. However some things have remained the same. Based on the MkI Fiesta, the XR2 was the fastest Fiesta when it arrived – the first capable of more than 160 km/h in fact. It was also created by Ford’s specialist performance team of the day, Special Vehicle Engineering, the predecessor of TeamRS. Its look with large spotlights, side striping and drilled alloy wheels, emphasised it’s status as a key part of the Ford sporting family of the time.

With lower, stiffer suspension based on that of the Fiesta Challenge race series of the day, the XR2 was certainly fun to drive. However, with just 83 bhp (84PS) and four gears, the 1.6 litre XR2 was a very modest development of the base car compared with today’s Fiesta ST.

The Fiesta Mk II arrived in 1983 and the XR2 version a year later, by now with five gears and a 96bhp (97 PS) version of the overhead camshaft CVH engine. It sported low profile tyres, wheel arch extensions and spoilers and skirts, while gas dampers, bigger brakes and uprated brakes sharpened the handling.

Fiesta performance took a quantum leap forwards when the Mk III based XR2i was introduced in 1989. The ‘i’ of the name stood for fuel injection and, thanks to this, the new car had more power of 108bhp (110 PS) and a very competitive turn of speed. Though more subtle looking than its predecessors, it was the best handling sporty Fiesta yet and more than held its own in the hot hatchback market of the day, which it helped significantly to develop.

However, the horsepower race was hotting up. Ford then unveiled a car that, until the launch of the new Fiesta ST, remained the most powerful Fiesta of them all. This was the Fiesta RS Turbo of 1990. Thanks to a turbocharged version of the 1.6 CVH engine, it developed 133bhp (135 PS) and had ’genuinely impressive’ performance. However, by common consent, it was demanding to drive, with all the inherent problems of a turbocharged engine – turbo lag, aggressive power delivery and torque steer.

Its successor, the Fiesta RS1800 of 1992 was slightly slower but a much more enjoyable performer, using a 1.6 litre, 131bhp version of Ford’s new Zetec engine.

Since then Ford’s small car performance efforts have concentrated on cars like the Puma and Focus. But now the fast Fiesta is back.

Chassis

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