RETURN OF THE FAST FIESTA! Official Ford Press Release, 23 Feb 2004
The Ford Fiesta ST, available at the end of 2004, introduces a new chapter in Ford's performance car story. A dynamic, 150PS 2.0-litre three-door road car, Fiesta ST promises a strong blend of accessible performance and driving dynamics for rewarding, everyday fun.


BRENTWOOD, February 23, 2004 - A new Ford performance road car is born, the Fiesta ST. Due to be unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show next week, the new Fiesta ST is a hot hatch for drivers looking for distinctive styling and great performance. Fiesta ST will be the first of Ford's 'Sports Technologies' models to carry a new ST badge, without the use of numbers. The generic branding will be adopted by all new ST models introduced from now on.

The spirited new Fiesta ST features a responsive, 150-PS, 2.0-litre Duratec ST engine and performance chassis tuning designed to give small-car drivers something to smile about. Its unique design elements include new front and rear bumpers, new side and rocker mouldings and colour-keyed details such as body colour door handles, rub strips, exterior mirror caps and 17-inch alloy wheels. Inside, racing style seats embroidered in black leather with bold red cloth centre sections and the distinctive new ST logo hug the driver and passenger. A leather steering wheel features a bright steering wheel spoke, while metal pedals help to communicate Fiesta ST's powerful brakes and responsive throttle. Added brightwork on the handbrake and door pull handles also distinguishes the interior performance look.

"More than 34,000 XR2i's were bought by Britain's hot hatch fans. The new Fiesta ST puts Ford back into the heartland of small-car performance in a great-to-drive package that's accessible for driving enthusiasts to own and insure," said Paul Thomas, managing director, Ford of Britain. "The latest generation Fiesta is solid as a rock. It was the ideal basis for a performance derivative," said Thomas.

The Fiesta ST will go on sale in the UK in the winter of 2004. Full specification and pricing details will be announced nearer the time.

FIESTA ST AND FIESTA JUNIOR WORLD RALLY CAR
"The new Fiesta ST recaptures the spirit of the original XR2. It was the easiest small hatch to live with, and the most fun to drive. The new Fiesta ST will tick all the same boxes - and some!"

Jost Capito, Director, Ford TeamRS

When Ford revealed its Fiesta RallyeConcept in 2002, the reaction it received helped initiate the development of a new performance Fiesta for the road, plus an all-new Junior World Rally Car (JWRC).
With the formation of Ford TeamRS in March 2003, this development work accelerated. Under Capito's direction, the benefits of bringing together Ford's competition engineers and performance roadcar specialists into a single division were soon realised. One year on, and the new Fiesta ST is previewed alongside the Fiesta JWRC, which will first see the heat of competition in Greece in June, on the second round of the Junior World Rally Championship.

Previewing the new Ford Fiesta ST

The new Ford Fiesta ST, due for launch at the end of 2004, will offer an affordable blend of performance, outstanding chassis dynamics and bold sports styling in an easy-to-live-with package. Ford is previewing the new performance derivative at Geneva. The new model owes much to the spirit of the original fast Fiesta, the 1981 XR2, a car which would put a smile on your face without being too hot to handle.

The spirited new Fiesta ST features a responsive, 150PS, 2.0-litre Duratec ST engine and performance chassis tuning designed to give small-car drivers something to smile about once more.

"The new Fiesta ST puts Ford back into the heartland of small-car performance in a great-to-drive package that's accessible for, often younger, driving enthusiasts to own and insure," Kuzak said. "It succeeds in being the best all-around product - safe, and easy to handle, with no surprises! That's a proven recipe for Fiesta performance and with the Fiesta ST it is executed better than ever."

Fiesta ST will be the first of Ford's 'Sports Technologies' models to carry a new ST badge, without the use of numbers. The generic branding, inspired by Ford's classic RS "racing stripes" badge, will be adopted by all new ST models introduced from now on, using a central red stripe. Future Ford RS models will continue to bear the companion badge retaining blue as its distinguishing stripe, and the current Focus ST170 and Mondeo ST220 models will retain their existing nomenclature.

"ST Fords are an affordable blend of useable power, style and a fantastic driving experience," according to Capito. "For those who want more, we have the edgy 'RS' models for the vehicles we believe deserve that badge."

From its more aggressive, free-breathing grille and lower bumper design, to its confidently lower stance and discreet side skirts, Fiesta ST's engaging design clearly distinguishes its performance credentials.

The new Fiesta ST model, previewed at Geneva in bright new Ford ST red, clearly retains its place in the mainstream Fiesta range. Its unique design elements include new front and rear bumpers, new side and rocker mouldings and colour-keyed details such as body colour door handles, rub strips and exterior mirror caps. Bold 17-inch, 11-spoke alloy wheels and low-aspect performance tyres visually communicate its handling capabilities.

Inside, the ergonomically designed Fiesta cabin has been given the ST treatment. Unique new front performance seats embroidered in black leather with bold red cloth centre sections and the distinctive new ST logo will hold driver and passenger comfortably in place during spirited drives. The thick, leather-wrapped steering wheel features a bright steering wheel spoke while metal pedals help to communicate Fiesta ST's powerful brakes and responsive throttle. Added brightwork on the handbrake and door pull handles also highlights the interior performance look.

Fiesta ST's unique gear lever meets the driver's hand with ergonomic ease, emphasising the care with which Ford has positioned key controls for the utmost driving quality.

"We decided to keep the acknowledged strengths and qualities of the Fiesta interior intact, while adding distinctive ST touches that set it apart from the rest of the range," said Ford's Small Car Chief Designer, Ehab Kaoud. "These elements are details the more enthusiastic driver looks for in a sporty car, the 'jewels' that advertise elegantly that you're inside something a bit special."

Stay Tuned for More Technical Details
Beyond promising an 'on paper' improvement of more than 2 seconds in zero-to-60-mph time compared to the standard 1.6-litre, 100PS Fiesta model, Ford does not plan to release further technical details until closer to Fiesta ST's market launch at the end of 2004.

But project leader Nick Collins of Ford TeamRS and Mark Stanton, chief engineer of Ford's small-car development team, say it will be worth the wait to experience Fiesta ST's infectious fun-to-drive character. The performance derivative's character was achieved by using the class-leading chassis of the core Fiesta as a starting point for the newly engineered, 150PS ST version of the 2.0-litre Duratec engine first used in Mondeo.

"The latest generation Fiesta is as solid as a rock. It was the ideal basis for a performance derivative," said Collins. "Fiesta ST builds on that quality and extends the strengths of Fiesta as the unquestioned dynamics leader."

Fiesta Junior World Rally Car - Preparing for the Heat of Competition
With its competition homologation planned for March 1 and "first time out" debut set for the second round of the Junior World Championship in Greece in June, the new Fiesta JWRC rally car could be the ideal partner for future World Rally Championship contenders.

"With the Ford RallyeConcept Fiesta as the inspiration, the Motorsport side of our operation has developed an exciting two-wheel-drive, 1600cc rally car for national Super 1600 championships and the seven-event JWRC series," Capito said. "We have been delighted with the car's performance during its development, and are confident it will be a worthy successor to the Ford Puma JWRC."

Sitting 60mm lower on 7-by-17-inch, multi-spoke Speedline wheels with 630mm tyres in tarmac trim, and sporting an even more aggressive body kit, the JWRC rally car shows the ultimate development of the Fiesta performance car for competition. Its 1.6-litre, all-alloy, dry-sump engine delivers over 215PS at a dizzying 8,750 rpm. Alcon alloy brake callipers front and rear shed speed with remarkable efficiency, and a hydraulic handbrake is fitted for tight hairpin bends. The driver puts the power down through a limited slip differential and flicks his way all the way up to sixth gear using a paddle-operated Hewland gearbox.

The rough stuff is handled by MacPherson struts with adjustable spring platforms and an adjustable anti-roll bar at the front, with a specially developed Ford Rallye Sport trailing arm beam at the rear.

The 2002 Ford RallyeConcept was developed with an unprecedented level of input from Ford of Europe's product development resources. This input has been carried through to the Fiesta JWRC.

"The design of the air intake system on the JWRC's engine was typical of the co-operation with the Fiesta development team," said Phillip Dunabin, chief engineer of Ford Rallye Sport. "The use of powerful development tools and analysis expertise at Ford's Dunton Technical Centre enabled us to develop a novel intake system using 3D flow visualisation to maximise the efficiency and power of the JWRC engine."