What is it?
Just possibly the Fiesta RS Ford seems unwilling to give us, having seemingly satisfied itself with the ST200 announced at Geneva. And who better to build it than Malcolm Wilson's M-Sport, well-versed in unleashing the rally potential in Fords with its WRC-spec Focuses and Fiestas. Bringing this experience to the road, the M-Sport Fiesta is sold as a complete car and comes with upgrades sourced from the firm's motorsport partners.
The £21,600 entry-level car is based on a £17,645 Fiesta ST-1 in either Frozen White or, for an additional £245, Spirit Blue. It comes fitted with the fully warrantied Mountune upgrade kit that boosts power from the standard 'steady state' 179bhp to 197bhp; on overboost, this increases from 197bhp to 212bhp. Included in the package is a Quaife limited-slip differential similar to the one fitted to the original Focus RS.
You also get 17in OZ Superturismo wheels, a prominent WRC-style rear wing, an M-Sport graphics package and a selection of branded interior trim including steering wheel, seats, mats and gearknob. Look under the sun visor and you'll see Malcolm Wilson's signature, the man himself ready to put his name to the car.
Not enough? Further options include a handling kit based on Eibach springs and custom-tuned Bilstein dampers and an Alcon brake kit with Goodridge hoses. You can also upgrade to a Pipercross/M-Sport induction kit (no performance gains claimed but it sounds good) and a louder backbox built by Chris Tullett Exhausts, the same company that supplies exhaust systems for M-Sport's WRC cars.
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Graphics!!
buy what you like....?
It's a backdoor RS
Homologation
Using an after-production upgrade such as this is a cunning method used by several manufacturers to produce a higher performance version of their vehicles, without any taxation or (usually) insurance penalty, and retaining the full warranty.
No matter how good the car, people will instantly judge it on how it looks. Remove the stupid vinyls and the value of the car would go up considerably. What on earth were they thinking? They instantly turns a B-road stormer into a council estate chavwagon.