Inspired by the ST200, this Mk6 ST is a one-of-one limited edition.
Hazel Johnson has a thing for limited-edition Fords. And with a keen eye for aesthetic and performance enhancements, her Fiesta ST500 has been turned into a special one-of-one hot hatch
The spec levels of cars used to be very clear-cut. Nowadays you have to wade through a quagmire of ST-Line and T-Spirit and Type S and S-Line, being hoodwinked by models purporting to be sportier and swankier than they are, but there was no such nonsense back in the time when we only had four TV channels and your telephone was hard-wired into your house.
In the 1980s, if you had a Fiesta Popular then everyone knew you’d bought the entrylevel, bargain-basement model. The next rung up the ladder was the Popular Plus, then the L, S, Ghia and finally XR2. These were the six core offerings – naturally there was a bunch of so-called special editions to confuse and confound (Bonus, Festival, Firefly, Dash, Holiday, Fresco, you get the picture; often just a couple of extra ticked boxes on the options list, along with some decals) – but those main six were the anchors that kept it all logical for the buying public.
Of course, there’s always been an Easteregg level to Ford’s model lines: the proper special editions, the limited-run cars that are like catnip for collectors and marque aficionados. Cars like the Escort RS Cosworth Monte Carlo, the Focus RS500, the Fiesta ST Performance Edition – these things don’t just pay lip service to the notion of ‘special edition’ status and dance to the whims of the marketing department. They offer something genuinely special. And for some Ford fans, the limited-run cars are the only ones that really cut the mustard.
Hazel Johnson is one such enthusiast: a die-hard Blue Oval obsessive, she’s only ever owned special-edition Fords, and very much intends to keep things that way. She started out with a Mk6 Fiesta Anniversary, a special version of the Zetec S, which was limited to 400 examples and came with unique paint and a chequered roof.
Hazel recalls, “That one ended up with mainly visual modifications, but I levelled-up when I later got a Mk7 Fiesta ST200.” This model – also limited to 400 – was built on
“At OC Motorsport the car got the full works... I couldn’t have asked for more”
the base of the ST180 and added a handful of extra power, Storm Grey paint, stiffer ARBs and a few other tweaks, to which Hazel fitted a Stage 2 Max’d remap and much more. Tragically her ST200 expired in a vehicle fire in 2019, something that took no small amount of mental fortitude on Hazel’s part to recover from. But in spite of the trauma, she was keen to get back on the proverbial horse, and a month or so later she picked up the car you see here: a Mk6 Fiesta ST500.
Yep, naturally it’s another special edition. And what is an ST500? Well, as the name suggests, it’s a variant of the ST of which only 500 were produced. It came with black 11-spoke wheels, red callipers and carboneffect interior trim, as well as Sony audio and heated leather seats. A rare groove, and the perfect blank canvas for Hazel to revive the spirit of the expired Storm Grey ST200.
“I had a choice between a Mk6 ST500 and a Mk8 Performance Edition, and I remember it being a very tough decision,” she recalls. “I opted to go back to a Mk6 because of the shape, and the idea that I could easily put my own stamp on it without compromising the uniqueness of the car itself. I also really enjoyed my Mk6 Anniversary, and while the ST500’s 2.0-litre engine isn’t the fastest, I knew that if I wanted power I could achieve it if I found myself missing it. So far, it hasn’t been the case, and I’ve enjoyed the go-kart thrill of driving it.”
This ST500, which has earned the affectionate nickname Thunder, was found at a specialist dealer in High Wycombe, and it really needed rescuing as it had been sat unloved. The overall condition was good, but the model-specific decals were peeling, the wheels were kerbed, and the engine bay was decidedly shabby. But all Hazel saw were opportunities – and besides, she had a very specific target in mind.
She says, “I bought it with the vision of taking it to the Isle of Wight Takeover, which was less than four weeks away. It was a massive task, but I was determined to make my ST500 into a mini-ST200 in honour of the previous car. I spent all the spare time I could adding and fitting bits; my friends Correy and Lewis came and helped me paint the callipers one weekend, as well as adding things like the aerial, front lights, repainted grilles and radio, because it was a lot of work for one person. I paid them in pizza.
“I got the Fiesta completely wrapped in Nardo Grey, and Ollie from OC Motorsport and I spent the last few days working hard on it. We managed it just in time, and it looked amazing. At OC Motorsport the car got the full works – a complete service, new exhaust system, Stage 1, everything. I couldn’t have asked for more.”
There were hiccups, of course; there always are. The wrap threw up a few detail issues, the wrong exhaust was delivered, and
the induction kit was delayed due to the insistence of running it with a yellow hose. Private plate documents failed to materialise, the clutch decided to give up the ghost, and the list of hurdles seemed endless as Hazel pushed on through the late nights.
But with grit and determination (and, yes, pizza) she made it happen, along with her merry band of cohorts. The final piece of the puzzle was to bolt on the ST200 alloys from the old car, and voilà – the ST500 was ready for its maiden road trip.
She smiles, “I remember stepping back and thinking ‘wow, we did it’. I was really proud. The 2019 show season then brought some small changes to the car, including an RS spoiler. And 2020 has seen some bigger changes – the ST500 now has Fifteen52 Turbomacs, which have been my dream wheel for a long time.
“I fitted a debadged grille for a cleaner look, new stickers, new ST500 badge, plus a complete revamp of the interior due to the weekend boredom of lockdown.”
Yes, that’s a very 2020 story. And we’re particularly enamoured with the splatterpaint effect on various elements inside the car and under the bonnet; channelling the spirit of Jackson Pollock, these components have been painted black and drizzled grey and yellow to match various other elements of the car.
Pollock famously referred to his drippaint method as ‘action painting’, as he’d use a canvas on the floor to allow full body movement to apply the finish, dancing around the scene-scape to create something unique. This is, on a conceptual level, what Hazel has achieved with the Fiesta: a whole lot of mental and physical exertion has led to the finished product – truly an ST500 like no other. And it’s not just an exercise in the aesthetic: with a vivid 170bhp on tap and BC Racing coilovers underneath, this lady’s got her sights set on the track.
She says, “The Fiesta is a daily driver and show car at present; I would like to track it but I would first need another daily. I regularly get comments when I’m commuting about how loud and low it is. My neighbours are quite used to me having loud cars, with my elderly neighbour using my exhaust as her alarm in the morning.
“But the reactions are always positive. It’s often pointed out that it’s unique but also very clean – the right level of modified without overdoing it – which I think is my personal style with a car. Enough to make a statement, but not going over the top.”
All of which sounds very much like Ford’s own ethos when creating these limited-run models. There’s nothing of the Bonus or the Firefly here, the ST500 is a bona fide collectible. And with her own considered approach, Hazel has once again created a true one-off.
“I regularly get comments when I’m commuting about how loud and low it is”