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Classic Ford - Feature: Group 2 Fiesta
"Q Jumping"
October 2003
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Feature: Group 2 Fiesta




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.....detail was incredible. Ford built the little buggers to be really tough and fully sorted the chassis so they handled like go-karts.

Apart from the race cars, a few shells were also knocked up in case a full body rebuild was required. All the cars and shells were sprayed Bermuda Blue and had a very distinctive set of forest-style arches fitted. Mechanically they sported 1.6-litre engines, and with dry sumps, twin carbs and hardcore internals, the official quote from Ford was that it was, "reasonable to expect 150 bhp from a professionally built engine." They were, in their day, a well sorted and potentially class-winning rally weapon. Little was ever known or published about the fate of the original race cars and little is known of their whereabouts today. Which is where Gordon takes up the story.

"I bought the Mkl from a guy down south and it was pretty much ready to compete when I got it," he explains. "The plate is a weird one and has always confused me. I knew someone had done a lot of work to the car structurally, it's as strong as an ox."

It wasn't until Gordon stripped the Mkl down to its underwear for a respray that the true history of the car surfaced. "I was sanding down the white top coat, when all this Bermuda Blue started to come through. The rear arches turned out to be alloy unlike the fibreglass front ones," smiles Gordon. "I was once told about the works Mkl Fiesta, and thought that maybe I was onto a winner."

A call to the DVLA enquiring after the history of the car revealed that it was made in 1979 but not put on the road until late-1984. It turned out that not long after it was built the Mkl left the country, before returning to be registered in the UK for the first time in the '80s.

After obtaining a copy of the Rallye Sport Guide To Mkl Fiesta Group 2 Preparation, Gordon soon realised the car's structural work had been done to exact Group 2 spec. His humble Fiesta was in fact one of the spare shells Ford had prepared for the 1979 Monte Carlo Rally. It must feel good to.....

Captions -

Middle - 'This MK1 Fiesta XR2 was one of the shells prepared for the 1979 Monte Carlo Rally'
Bottom-Left - Gordon refitted the original six-point roll cage which now stands firm around the Sparco buckets and Luke harnesses.