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.....race-orientated engine bay. Polished alloy and steel reflect the purposeful nature of this bad boy Fiesta, and the simple layout is easy to work on come race day. Gordon admits the 1660 is really at its reliability limit though. "When it starts to get around 5500 rpm it screams like you wouldn't believe" he laughs.
When we arrived at Gordon's mechanical workshop, the Fiesta was sitting quietly on its own in the rear car park. A huge yellow recovery van pulled up and Gordon and mate Ronnie piled out to greet us. By the looks of it, the good old Mkl Fiesta is enjoying somewhat of a popularity resurgence in Scotland.
With the earlier rear-wheel-drive cars such as the Escort and Cortina becoming hard to find, it's great to see part of the UK embracing the 'new generation' of classic Fords. The debate as to whether or not the Fiesta is a true classic Ford has been raging for a while now, and no doubt for some time to come. As for Gordon's little white pointer, the facts speak for themselves. A genuine works vehicle with a snarling 175 bhp dry sump 1660 - I think Gordon has qualified, don't you?
TECH SPEC
Body
Group 2 spec shell and chassis, seam-welded and gusseted, fibreglass front splitter/bonnet and wings, alloy rear forest arches, Poly-carbon windows, Kevlar rear hatch, external rally controls, six-point roll cage. Diamond White with race graphics.
Engine
1660cc, dry sump, balanced, knife-edged and lightened steel crank, balanced and lightened steel rods, Cosworth forged pistons, ARP bolt kit, Group A head gasket, ported and polished big valve cylinder head, uprated valve springs and rocker arms, 254 cam. Burton rocker cover, twin 45 DCOE Webers, polished air trumpets, Maniflow four-branch manifold, 2.5 inch Scorpion exhaust, oversized radiator, boot-mounted alloy fuel cell, twin electric fuel pumps, full braided stainless steel fuel lines, 175 bhp at 8000 rpm.
Transmission
Hewland straight-cut four-speed box, Quaife R/J quick-shift gear linkage, Quarter Master clutch and flywheel, Quaife 3.8:1 LSD diff, Group 2 quick-release half-shafts rated at over 200 bhp.
Suspension
Front: Bilstein 2.25 inch coil-overs, 600 Ib springs, Eccentric top mounts, fully rose-jointed and adjustable, poly-bushes, adjustable sway bar.
Rear: AVO coil-overs, 400 Ib springs, fully rose-jointed and adjustable Group 2 rear, poly-bushes, camber and castor adjustable.
Brakes
Front: AP Racing discs, AP Racing callipers, adjustable brake bias pedal box, braided flexi-hoses.
Rear: AP Racing discs, alloy twin-pot callipers, hydraulic handbrake, braided flexi-hoses.
Wheels And Tyres
Magnesium centre lock 13x6 rims, Yokohama A032R tyres, Magnesium centre lock 13x7 rims, Dunlop and Avon slick tyres.
Interior
Sparco bucket seats, Luke harnesses, Ford works steering wheel, gutted doors, works dash, Microdynamics shift light, Stax rev counter, OMP alloy passenger foot rest. Fire-eater fire extinguisher.
Thanks
Neil Dunbar, Kevin Tawes, Ronnie Nicol, Zip Tyres, tel 01779 470346 and Stuart Motors, tel 07905 018106.
Captions -
Middle - Gordon's car is one of the fastest, normally-aspirated track Fiestas in England. Non-turbos have no chance.
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