Ford Fiesta ST M-Sport | Spotted

Ford’s motorsport heritage is crammed full of legendary rally cars. The Escort is arguably the most legendary of the lot, with Group 4-prepped Mk2 RS2000s a screaming staple of historic rally scenes and the RS Cosworth, while not especially successful in the WRC, spawned one of the most recognisable fast Fords of all time. The same goes for the RS200, a car that scored a solitary podium in its only year in the WRC, yet it still stands tall among the Group B greats. And then there’s Focus, a car that came oh-so-close to WRC title glory on numerous occasions, only to lose out to the French forces of Peugeot and Citroen.

What about the Fiesta, then? It’s easy to forget that the now-axed supermini was a thorn in Sebastien Loeb’s side for much of the 2010s, although a rule shakeup for 2011 saw cars shrink and their wings clipped, leading to a less-than-stellar era for WRC cars. The fact that Ford never released an RS version obviously doesn’t help the Fiesta’s rally hero cause, either. It came mighty close in 2004 with the pumped-up RS concept based on the boxier ST 150, though the project was canned due to spiralling production costs (Ford didn’t want another money pit like the Mk1 Focus RS on its hands.) Rumours always abounded that subsequent generations were considered for the RS treatment, yet they never came to pass. Sigh.

However, the team at M-Sport, Ford’s sort-of factory WRC squad, had a stab at creating a Fiesta with a sprinkling of rally magic by releasing a limited run of just 20 special STs in 2016. While not quite as radical as a full-fat RS, the M-Sport edition brought a decent step up in performance thanks to some bits and pieces plucked from Mountune’s workshop, lifting the Mk7’s 1.6-litre four-pot turbo from 181hp to a nice round 200hp, or 215hp with overboost. A Quaife ATB limited-slip differential was also thrown in, which is the sort of hardware you’ll find on a full-blown Focus RS.

Of course, Fiesta ST owners can never leave well enough alone, and this example – number five of 20 – is no exception. There’s a lot more power. Quite how much isn’t stated in the ad, but you’ve got to imagine a Revo hybrid turbo, a ‘stage three’ remap and a beefier intercooler would bring a considerable jump in performance. M-Sport did offer further upgrades that aren’t present here, although most of the mods are of similar spec to what was originally available. The Bilstein dampers don’t appear to be present but 30mm Eibach lowering springs are, while the exhaust system is from Milltek as opposed to the optional Chris Tullett backbox. Alcon brakes were also available, though the six-pot Summit brakes on this car should provide just as much stopping power.  

Fortunately, the previous owners haven’t mucked about with visual mods, save for a bolt-on lip on the front bumper. The rest is pure M-Sport, including the punchy sticker set, including the car’s build number on the back, plus a set of 17-inch OZ Superturismo wheels and a gloss black spoiler. Things get a bit more, er, colourful inside, with blue accents on the steering wheel and M-Sport branded Recaro seats. The Revo branding looks to be a sticker, as does the reverse-colour Ford oval on the steering wheel, so it shouldn’t take much effort to revert the car back to stock – at least on the inside.

So are we looking at the Fiesta RS that never was? It’s certainly got the performance and hardware to make a case for itself, and arguably has more rally pedigree than most to wear the RS badge. That, and its rarity, does mean you’ll be paying top-dollar to get hold of one, with this example carrying a price tag of £21,000. That sort of cash will get you into a Mk8 ST Edition, while this rare ST200 can be had for half the price. But beyond getting numberplates on one of M-Sport’s more serious machines, it is as close to a roadgoing Fiesta rally car as we’re ever going to get. 

Engine: 1,596cc four-cylinder, turbocharged
Transmission: six-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Power (hp): 215@6,000rpm (with overboost)
Torque (lb ft): 236@3,000rpm (with overboost)
MPG: 47.9
CO2: 139kg
Year registered: 2016
Recorded mileage: 34,000
Price new: £21,600
Yours for: £21,000