WELCOME TO THE DECEMBER ISSUE!

D oing this job for a living, I get to read a lot of different car mags, and therefore get to see just what other modified car scenes are up to. Yet, every time I flick through another mag, or wander round other club displays at shows, there's always one thing that strikes me; no other modified car scene is anywhere near as diverse and varied as we are. Take, for example, the Fast

Ford stand at the TRAX show recently. The display included a line-up of ten cool cars (which, in itself, was an almost impossible task to whittle it down to so few!), showcasing just how varied the Ford scene is. I mean, we had a track-spec Mk3 Focus RS parked alongside a rally-bred 500bhp Escort Cosworth. A 700bhp, 4x4, Sierra Cosworth stunner parked next to one of the craziest and most-talked about Focus RSs ever built. A show-stopping Mondeo sat alongside a scene-setting Mk3 Focus ST. An immaculate S1 RS Turbo parked beside a highly-modified Mk1 Focus RS. What other scene can boast such a diverse and eclectic mix spanning the last 30-odd years? And, more to the point, what other scene embraces them all with open arms and the universal love offered by Blue Oval fans. None. And while, yes, there may be more Focuses and Fiestas in the scene than other models, that doesn't mean we don't all share the fondness for all Fords. That's exactly the point of this issue too. While the ST and RS models will usually steal the headlines with their amazing power figures and performance stats, owning a fast Ford is about much more than just having the biggest bhp numbers. So, this issue, we're showing some love to those forgotten fast Fords that are all too often overlooked and underestimated. Inside, we've got features on a super-rare (and supercool!) Bantam pick-up, a Focus Titanium that's got more power than an ST, and, of all things, as Ford Probe! When was the last time you saw one of those in the mag? The 'forgotten Fords' vibe continues with a test drive on a tuned Focus ST diesel, and a buying guide on the Mondeo ST24 too. Plus, of course, all the usual Ford great stuff you've come to expect too.