WELCOME TO THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE!
Hello everyone, and welcome to the 400th issue of Fast
Ford. Yes, four-hundred! It's crazy to think that a magazine focusing solely on one brand of car has been going that long – I mean I was just five months old when the very first issue hit the shops over 33 years. But, if anything, the love for the mighty Blue Oval, and subsequently this very magazine, has got stronger and stronger and over the years.
It's hardly surprising, really, given the number of fantastic models that Ford have produced during that time. And, for all the moaning and belittling of the latest models as they're released, it doesn't take long for them to win you over, no matter how dead-set against them you are at first.
For example, at the time of writing, we've got one week before we head to Ford Fair, where I bet we will hear the same old grumblings about the new Fiesta not being as good as the old one, and the show being full of Focuses, and all the usual nonsense that gets spouted in the days and weeks after the show (usually by people who didn't even go, which I find incredibly frustrating and annoying!). But back in the late 80s and early 90s Mk1/2 Escort owners were complaining about the 'new-fangled Cossies with their plastic bumpers and electric windows' not being 'proper RSs'..! More recently, look at all the hate the Mk2 Focus RS got at launch, because it lacked AWD and used a Volvo engine – now it's one of the most universally loved fast Fords of all time! People are strange at times, but the good Ford always wins you over in the end. Trust me, in a few years we'll all be looking back with nothing but praise for the Mk8 Fiesta and Mk4 Focus - while moaning about the Mk9 and Mk5 versions most likely! If you want evidence of just how much the times have changed, make sure you check out the history feature on page 64. Boy did we have a laugh looking back through some of the archives. Sadly we don't have enough room to bring you all the cool cars, awesome features, questionable dress sense, and dodgy haircuts from back in the day. But we did make sure we saved enough space to show you (twice!) the highly-embarassing photo of me when I first appeared in the mag as a fresh-faced work experience kid - check out that pose, all the bling, and that way-too-tight T-shirt! Enjoy the mag!