BACK AGAIN
Fast Ford snapper Jason returns to the Fast Fleet pages with his latest Blue Oval, a Mk8 Fiesta ST
Nearly 18 months after departing the Fast Fleet pages, it’s great to be back with another Ford.
For three years I had a Magnetic Grey S550 Mustang V8, but after 30,000 miles and some extensive mods it was time to say goodbye and get a more sensible, smallerengined coupe… I’ll say it quietly, but I went for a BMW M2, which covered all the bases as a daily driver, plus had plenty of performance and a seven-speed DSG gearbox.
But I’ve always been a fan of hot hatches, so last August I purchased a Mk5 Golf GTI. My first cars were Golfs, but I’d never ticked that box of owning the legendary hot hatch hero [Don’t you mean zero? Fast Ford’s hero is the XR3i - DW]. With a mere 15,000 miles on the clock, it was the perfect daily. Plus, it meant I could keep the miles off the M2.
Us photographers do cover some miles and after doubling the mileage in just a year, plus the ULEZ fees adding up, I decided to find a more modern alternative. The car had to be economical, a hatchback, have some nice spec, and most importantly, needed to be fun to drive.
The only car I was interested in was the Mk8 Fiesta ST – ideally with Performance Pack and upgraded wheels. After looking locally, nothing seemed sensibly priced; only ST3s were available with the Performance Pack, and they were at a solid premium.
I looked at an ST2 in Nottingham at Sandicliffe Ford; great service and almost the perfect car, but it was black and that was the only colour I didn’t want –because my M2 is black, and Mrs D’s Golf is the same hue.
I continued searching, and on my doorstep at Marshall’s Canterbury Hyundai was the perfect car: Moondust Silver, three-door, four years old, with just 11,000 miles and full service-history. You might not expect to find the ideal fast Ford at a Hyundai dealership, but it turns out the car was traded in the day before alongside an MX-5 for a new Kona EV.
I sat in the driver’s seat – comfy these Recaros, aren’t they? I scrolled through on the menu system, and up popped the launch control setting, confirming the car did indeed have the Performance Pack fitted. It also has LED headlights, rear camera and upgraded brakes, noted by the red callipers.
A deal was done and, at the time of writing, I’ve had the car just two weeks. Its first official outing will be at Ford Fair, but after that I’ll have to get those gorgeous 18in alloys refurbished… Or replaced with something even better. I’ll also book the car in for some paint correction to clear the swirls on the paintwork, and then it’ll be like new. Perfect and ready to accept some tasteful performance upgrades.
So, while I’m busy snapping away at Ford Fair, don’t be too surprised if you spot me wandering through the Retail Village and eyeing-up what goodies are available for the Mk8 ST.