FIESTA MK7
New shape Fez with a Focus ST250 engine swap.
The double bluff. The art of declaring the truth while convincing everyone else it’s a joke. Like sarcastically saying you’ll be late for work because you’re in the pub (as if…). Like rolling your eyes while telling your girlfriend you fancy her sister (yeah, right…). Like driving a shopping car covered in massive Shelby motorsport stripes – yet having the muscle to waste almost anything else it encounters. Oh really..?
Yes, really. When the Mk7 Fiesta S1600 hit the streets, it was nothing more than a 118bhp Zetec S beneath all those shouty graphics and white 17in wheels. A real sheep in wolf’s knitwear.
But thanks to the ambition of Tim Reeves and ingenuity of tuner Will Pedley, this particular Fiesta packs a 285bhp EcoBoost punch. Best of all, it’s new, it’s civilised, and it’s Ford to the core.
ford family
The story started when Tim turned 17, and he was given his mum’s Mk6 Fiesta Ghia fivedoor. Not the slickest ride for a teenager, admittedly, but by the time Tim had slammed it on AP coilovers, he was addicted to Blue Oval tuning.
So, when his twenty-first birthday came around, Tim’s generous parents not only proposed to buy him a new car, they picked this funky Fiesta in Performance Blue. All Tim had to do was say yes…
“They saw it, liked it and took me down to drive it,” he remembers. “It was the
dealer demonstrator, but it was brand-new and we got a good deal with a family Ford discount. Other than looking like it was on stilts, I fell in love.”
Two more years of university meant Tim’s obsession took a back seat. But the car’s potential was always pawing at his brain, urging him to get busy with the modifications.
He grins, “It was a great drive – it felt fast until you were done by a repmobile. I cleaned it up, went to the Lakes for the weekend, and that cemented I was keeping the car,” he smiles.
So, in October 2012, Tim started with a Steeda short-shift, K& N filter, and Eibach springs, which stopped the Fiesta feeling like it was falling over around corners. The following month he sampled a Mountune-kitted car, which led to installation of an MR155 package and rear apron.
fierce fez
“The MR155 made the car,” Tim recalls. “The cam was lovely, and had a real snarl, like a little rally car. It wasn’t fast, but surprised a lot of people. And it made the chassis shine, especially with Powerflex bushes and Racing Beat anti-roll bars; I found them in America – designed for the Mazda 2 – and had them imported for £300. The front replaces the normal bar, and the rear bolts across the torsion beam. I was expecting it to be harsh but it’s just more communicative,” he adds.
Wheel spacers came next, followed by Bilstein B14 inverted monotube coilovers, which Tim reckons transformed the car’s handling; happily, it resulted in a tough, purposeful stance too. All the car needed was more power…
Brief thoughts of swapping to a Mk7 Fiesta ST were cast aside when Tim realised he didn’t care for the front- end treatment. And besides, he was in love with the S1600. So, he got in touch with Will Pedley Racing, where talk of supercharger kits soon turned to turbos, prices began to escalate, and suitable gearboxes became harder to contemplate.
transplant time
As is so often the case, an evening on the Internet offered the ideal solution – albeit a radical plan that would leave most tuners running for cover. Tim recalls, “A guy on eBay had a Focus ST 2.0-litre EcoBoost engine and gearbox, ECU and driveshafts, apparently with 68 miles on. He wanted £2800, so it was too good to miss.
“I phoned Will, and he was well up for it. So I went to the bank, got a graduate loan, and had the engine shipped to Will.”
Needless to say, Tim knew that transplanting a bang-up-todate powerplant into a current- generation car wouldn’t be an easy ride. Never mind the logistics of squeezing a two-litre unit between a little Fiesta’s inner wings, the prospect of coupling up different CANbus electronics is a touch trickier than dropping a Pinto into an old Escort.
under new management
Tim says, “I used to help Will at weekends; learning all the way and helping with wiring. It’s been a fun experience.
“We knew we could get an aftermarket ECU that would run everything, so we ripped out the old ECU and sent the loom to be modified. All the clocks work, as does the throttle, multimedia, immobiliser and push-button start. The air- con just needs piping and wiring, so the only thing I don’t have is an accurate MPG figure on the trip computer. The time and expense to make it work make it unviable”
Physically fitting the hardware was similarly challenging, especially when the goal was to retain an OEM appearance. There’s roughly an inch of clearance between the chassis rails on each side, and solid mounts were used to ensure the engine and gearbox don’t move around; Will concocted a combination
“A bike appeared and I left him behind – he was very confused!”
of Vibra-Technics/ Noble mounts and the original Fiesta parts. “We want to refine them to improve NVH, though,” comments Tim.
Driveshafts were made using a mixture of Focus, Fiesta and custom competition-spec centre shafts, and the S1600’s subframe was notched to avoid the offside shaft. Yes, the Fiesta outer CVs are small compared to Focus components, but for now, Tim’s holding out to see how long they last.
Swapping over the gearbox cables proved to be a headache ( mainly due to routing through the car), although Tim was keen to ensure he added a Cobb short shifter to the Focus mechanism; the ‘box was also split to fit a Quaife ATB differential.
Massive delays were induced by transporting the Fiesta for fabrication of a radiator, intercooler, and boost pipes, but the quality and fit made the wait feel almost worthwhile. The massive rad is hidden neatly behind the stock Mk7 front bumper, there are OEM-looking silicone hoses, and a shiny Forge induction pipe that’s due to be powder-coated black.
Meanwhile, the battery has retained its original location, there’s a standard header tank, Focus engine cover, and even the ( unwired) post-cat lambda for a full factory- original appearance.
Of course, every major project has its problems, but for Tim and Will this car’s been relatively kind – except for battles with the direct-injection fuel system. But when the in-tank lines dropped off, an ST180 tank and pump was the cure; and the initial boost control issues at least allowed Tim to become acquainted with more power. Lovely.
“It was quicker than the MR155 with only 0.6 bar boost,” he grins. “But once the boost control was working I put my foot down and my heart started pounding – I’d never felt anything like it.
“A bike appeared and I left him behind – he was very confused! It’s just a hoot. A licence shedder. And it sounds like it wants to eat people,” he chuckles.
boost junkie Although the EcoBoost is still running a base map, Tim tells us there’s a huge torque band and a real urgency. He estimates a conservative 285bhp and 340lb/ ft torque when Will’s finished mapping, along with impeccable emissions and manners – this is a pure road car, after all.
Tim says, “It’s used daily, it’s extremely good in a straight line and great around the bends. It’s the perfect package.
“There’s a Loba hybrid turbo available that’s rated to 370bhp, but I won’t make any more mods. It doesn’t need more power,” Tim assures us. Or could he be bluffing..?