For someone who doesn’t know yet, old Fords, and early
Fiestas in particular, are massive in Germany. It isn’t hard to see why, and
many of the reasons for the model’s increasingly large following are the same
as over here: relatively low price, decent (enough) parts supply, and the
ability to be turned into something of a giant-killing go-kart. But there’s
another reason why the Mk1 Fiesta is such a big deal in Germany - the TüV.
Chances are you’ve heard of this before, but just in case you’ve not, think of
it as their version of the MoT, except much, much tougher to pass. In fact, the
TüV’s stringent regulations mean that tuning and car modification are a tricky
business, and pretty much render engine swaps an impossible dream.
Which brings us to this stunning blue Mkl owned by Guido
Pitzen, a man with a serious love for ironi-wheel-drive classic Fords, and a
carccr that’s seen him work for, among others, the Jordan F1 team. This car
started out as a homologated racer, an important point as it allows a small
amount of leeway within the TüV’s draconian regulations.
Add the RS option
arches and spoiler to a MK1 Fiesta and you have one seriously-imposing front
end
That said, the original owner still managed to fall foul of
the legislation, having junked the original engine in favour of a tweaked CVH —
which the German authorities swiftly quashed. This eventually saw the car sold
onto a friend of Guido’s who promptly fitted a 1600 Crossflow' and built what
amounted to a road-going club racer. “I bought the car from Stefan a few years
ago, and to be fair it was in fairly good condition — a normal person would’ve
been happy with it,” Guido chuckles.
Perfect formula
Guido’s FI background reared its head, and though he loved
how the car looked (squatted down with massive, box RS option arches), he felt
that the engine could do with a rebuild and some new performance parts. The
Crossflow is just as well supported by the aftermarket in Germany as it is
here, so Guido had a huge selection to choose from. In the end he treated the
bottom end to an overbore with some suitably-specced pistons, a lightened crank
and flywheel, then ported, polished and fitted enlarged valves, a Kent cam and
double valve springs to the Stage 3 head. The Crossflow now inhales through a
twin 40s, and exhales through a four-branch manifold and stainless exhaust
system. Thar’s enough for a sold, reliable 130 bhp, all sent through the
four-speed gearbox. Of course, there’s room for even more, but that would
compromise that car’s on-road abilities, and that’s something Guido’s been
ultra-careful to preserve.
1930 MK1 Fiesta
back view
As you might expect, the TüV’s rules strictly govern car
bodywork alterations too, so it should come as no surprise that the RS option
bodykit the Fiesta sports has been on there since it was new! “The rules state
that everything done to the car has to have been either on it when new, or
available at the time relatively easily. That’s what makes swapping a newer
engine into an older car such a big deal over here,” explains Guido.
Those bulging arches arc home to 7x13-inch RS four-spokes
coated in 185/60R13 tyres, though even this proved to be a minor stumbling
block as the TüV states that the car has to run rubber that would’ve been
available in period, and relatively wide tyres are nowhere near as common as
they were 30 years ago!
Wide tyres are
nowhere near as common as they were 30 years ago
