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WRC: Ford Release Pictures of Fiesta S2000

Mike Stevens | Sep 29, 2009

FORD IS FINALISING preparations for the introduction of its Fiesta rally car, releasing images from a test it conducted at an airfield in Cumbria.

The company is developing the car to replace the Focus as its World Rally Championship challenger in 2011, although an S2000 variant is expected to be run by customer teams in the WRC-aligned Super 2000 cup next year

Although exact details of the car’s specifications haven’t been revealed, S2000 rules permit four-wheel drive but ban supercharged engines, providing an insight into Fiesta’s final performance figures.

Ford M-Sport Technical Director Christian Loriaux has revealed the car is on track to be completed on schedule, stating he is delighted at the progress so far.

He said: "This is a totally new car and the entire design and engineering team here have been very focused on providing both a reliable and very competitive car for our customers.

"A brand new rally car involves thousands of parts and making sure that they are all designed, manufactured and delivered on time is an incredible achievement and takes a lot of team work.

“Our production and purchasing departments have done a great job in supporting the design team and ensuring the car was completed on time."

rally_fiesta_02

Ford World Rally Team boss Malcolm Wilson said he was pleased with the development, stating the car will provide a strong platform for the company’s next WRC car.

“The production of a new rally car is always an exciting period for everyone at M-Sport and I'm pleased to see that Christian and his team have finished the build on schedule as planned,” he said.

“The important thing now is that we undertake a strong test and development campaign in order to provide our customers with the best possible S2000 package.”

A variant of the current Ford Fiesta has already competed at the elite level, contesting rounds of the FIA European Rallycross Championship.

The car, a wide-bodied race version of Ford’s baby hatchback, was produced by Swedish rally outfit MSE/Ford TeamRS and featured a 2.0 litre Duratec turbo four engine running on E85 ethanol fuel, producing 410kw (550hp) of power and 820Nm of torque at 6400rpm.

Filed under: Racing, Ford Europe, Rally

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  • GardoY says,
    2 years ago

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    Later this year, Ford Motors will introduce software that allows applications. In this regard, the company has teamed up with the University of Michigan to have a competition to discover who could make the finest Ford app. The winner was the Caravan Track, and it is about to be examined in the Ford Fiesta. This is most likely the coolest app I have heard of in some time. This app keeps an eye on your automobile, along with other vehicles driving along with you, and details of all the vehicles. So, if you're going on a excursion with friends and have more than one vehicle this device will track the position, fuel level, road hazards, and more for every vehicle in your group. In other words if a friend breaks down behind you, you'll know to stop and go back to help.

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