Cos it's worth it
The Fiesta now wears a stunning shade of Imperial Blue, the
same colour found on the Escort Cosworth. There’s little doubt that this hue
suits the squat hatch down to the ground, though the car was originally a tired
shade of white and sported more than a few hard-won battle scars! Guido’s made
a few other alterations to the exterior as well, with black, homemade front
quarter bumpers replacing the original chrome ones, plus Golf Mk2 headlights in
Fiesta bezels in the front panel.
Imperial Blue
paint with gold-detailed four-spokes looks great- especially when those rims
sit nice and close to the RS arches!
The influence of the German legislation can be seen
elsewhere in the build, with the vast majority of the Fiesta’s chassis
components being either on the car at launch, or easily available ar the time.
This means that it’s now sprung on ultra-rare RS-option ’70s coil-ovcrs of
Ford’s ow n design, plus the front brake set up from an XR2. One area that’s
certainly different from anything you’d find under a late ’70s Fiesta are the
Rose-jointed TCAs and the concentric top mounts, the latter allowing for a
useful 2 degrees of camber adjustment. You’ll also find anti-roll bars front
and rear, with a new strut brace currently in development. “It originally had a
one that kinked back to clear the carbs, but I wasn’t happy with how it was
designed, and I’m in the process of designing and building my own one from
carbon fibre.”
1980 Imperial Blue
Mk1 Fiesta interior
Guido’s attention to detail and keen eye for perfection
extends to the Fiesta’s interior, where the original six-point roll cage has
been joined by an extended and repositioned wiring loom. “It originally sat in
the driver’s footwell and got in the way of die accelerator pedal.” Despite its
race-bred nature, this is no stripped- out. uncouth race special, and inside
you’ll find the plush seats from a Fiesta X special edition, plus vinyl door
cards and Stack gauges in a modified dash.
Close circuit
It’s impossible to ignore this car, and the combination of
those arches and the sound of the screaming, high-revving Crossflow is
certainly a very satisfying one. It's also a car that gets used properly and
frequently, with a series of evolutionary tweaks and modifications in
development, though these have to be fitted around Guido’s veritable pit lane
of Mk3 Escort race cars! It's already capable of raising more than a few
eyebrows, especially out on the Nürburgring, a circuit that Guido lives near
and has a huge amount of experience on. We can’t wait to see how this mighty
Fiesta develops!
1980 Imperial Blue
Mk1 Fiesta engine
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Tech Specs
·
Body: 1980 Mk1 Fiesta in Imperial Blue, RS option bodykit
consisting of arches, spoiler ard front valance, homemade front quarter
bumpers, de-chromed bodywork. Golf headlights in Fiesta bezels ·
Engine: 1600ccCrossflow with overbored block and pistons,
lightweight crank and flywheel, ported and polished head with enlarged valves
and double valve springs. Kent 296 camshaft, twin 40 DCOE Weber carbs,
four-branch manifold and stainless straight-through system ·
Transmission: Four speed gearbox and paddle clutch ·
Suspension: Front: RS option coil-overs, Rose-jointed TCAs,
concentric top mounts, uprated bushes, anti-roll bar; Rear: FS option
coil-overs, uprated bushes, anti-roll bar ·
Brakes: Front: XR2 discs and callipers; Rear: standard d'ums ·
Wheels And Tyres: 7x13-inrh Ford RS four-spokes, with 185/60R13
tyres ·
Interior: Six-point weld in roll cage from Lady s Cup car.
Fiesta X seats, Sabelt harnesses, vinyl door cards, Stack gauges in a
modified Fiesta dash, RS option wheel
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