2016 FORD FIESTA SPORT
NAME: DREW COPPINS // AGE: 25 LOCATION: AUCKLAND // OCCUPATION: BRAND AND MARKETING MANAGER
NZ Performance Car: Hi, Drew. A Fiesta isn’t our regular cut of cheese; how’d you end up with it?
Drew: Hey, team. This is actually my second Fiesta. The first one hit 50,000km, and I decided to sell it, so this was the natural progression from there. This shape was a brand-new platform and engine to Ford New Zealand, and I picked it up as an economical runabout, which it is far from, now!
Yeah, it doesn’t quite look like your run-of-the-mill Fiesta!
Nope, it doesn’t. I got quite involved with social-media happenings and the online car community, so went hunting for the forums offering support and mods for these vehicles. They’re all UK based and full of awesome information and helpful people — which is where I found the RS conversion. It was hailed as the pinnacle of Mk7.5 Fiesta modifications and basically took the full exterior look of a Focus RS and put it onto this. It was shipped over and was skilfully applied by the best in the business, Grant and Ben at GT Refinishers. I’ll say it was easy because all I had to do was wait, but I know [that] the kit gave them some complications around the fitment of the front nose due to the front-mount intercooler.
And do people tend to pick what’s going on or is it all confusion?
No one has a clue, really. They either assume [that] it’s just a Focus RS or stop you to ask, “What on earth is this?” A quick conversation clears it up, and then they are usually impressed by the effort, the noise, and the power [that] the little thing delivers!
Speaking of power, how does it go for a one-litre threecylinder unit?
That is always the second question after “What is it?” The motor is a proven package, used throughout rally-prepped Fiestas in the UK and the US. In fact, Ken Block’s wife races competitively in her three-cylinder EcoBoost Fiesta R2. So it goes surprisingly well, and, with the addition of the bolt-on mods and the ECU tickleup courtesy of Hans at Alt Tune, it flies. It also cracks, bangs, and chucks you a cheeky flame with its overrun function.
Has the local Euro-Ford contingent responded well to it?
The local Euro-Ford crowd was very quiet until I reared my big grey and black RS head, and, together with a few others, we have formed a pretty strong little group on our own, but while also terrorizing the local Euro Car Club forums and meets. Perfect cruiser, Drew. Cheers for the yarn.