Ford Launches Limited Edition Fiesta Sport+ with 134 Ponies in Europe

Ford is expanding the Fiesta’s European lineup with the Sport+ limited edition based on the three-door variant, and boasting several exterior and interior appointments, plus a tweaked 1.6-liter gasoline engine in order to attract more performance-oriented customers.

On the outside, the Sport+ (dubbed Sport S in Germany and S1600 in the UK) is set apart from its more mundane siblings by the custom Performance Blue or Frozen White paintjob with contrasting racing stripes and comprehensive bodykit that includes a new front bumper, wider side skirts, roof-mounted spoiler and rear diffuser with integrated twin-pipe exhaust. The special Fiesta rides on 17-inch alloys, also finished in white.

Inside, the driver and passenger get sport seats with blue stitching, while the leather steering wheel, handbrake handle and gear knob, side airbags and Motorsport-branded floor mats and scuff plates are all part of the standard equipment list.

However, the biggest change is the spiced up 1.6-liter Duratec Ti-VCT four-pot, delivering 134HP and 160 Nm (118 lb-ft) of torque or 14HP and 8 Nm (6 lb-ft) more than the regular engine. While this doesn’t seem like a major improvement, the Fiesta Sport+ sprints to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 8.7 seconds, 1.2 seconds faster than the 120HP 3-door variant. Top speed is pegged at 195 km/h (121 mph).

With a base price of €18,090 (US $24,440 at today’s exchange rates) in Germany, the Sport+ is also available in the UK, Austria, Switzerland and Belgium.

By Csaba Daradics

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Monster World Rally Team Unveils Ken Block’s New Fiesta RS WRC [with New Videos]

Despite stating that 2010 was his best year ever, Ken Block had a disappointing FIA World Rally Championship campaign and was often plagued with mechanical issues in Rally America as well. However, with the support of the Monster World Rally Team (MWRT), the American driver is hoping for a much better 2011 season, as he’s going to participate in more races and events at the wheel of his all-new Monster Energy Ford Fiesta RS WRC rally car.

Block’s schedule includes more WRC rounds as well as the Summer X Games, Gymkhana GRID and select RallyCar rallies and RallyCross events held on U.S. soil.

“2011 is going to be really big for me and the Monster World Rally Team”, Block said. “We’re doing more WRC races this year, kicking off the Gymkhana World Tour, racing in Summer X Games, filming Gymkhana 4, plus hitting up a lot of other rally-related events worldwide. We even have a few top-secret projects in the works. I’m a lucky bastard to be doing all this, it’s going to be an amazing year!”

Aside from unveiling Ken’s new ride, MWRT also released three videos. The first one features the Fiesta RS WRC and some additional eye-candy represented by the lightly dressed Monster Girls. The second clip shows Block answering fan questions, while the third is full of sideways action from his pre-Rally Sweden test.

By Csaba Daradics

The Ken Block and Monster World Rally Team 2011 schedule:

WRC Rally Sweden: February 10-13

WRC Corona Rally Mexico:March 3-6

Goodwood Press Day: March 17

WRC Vodafone Rally de Portugal: March 24-27

WRC Rally Argentina: May 26-29

Weston Festival of Speed: June 3-5

Goodwood Festival of Speed: July 1-3

X Games 17: July 25-30

WRC ADAC Rally Deutschland: August 18-21

WRC Rally Australia: September 8-11

WRC Rallye de France: September 29-October 2

WRC RACC Rally de Espana: October 20-23

SEMA 2011: November 1-4

WRC Wales Rally GB: November 10-13

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Select RallyCar events

Select RallyCross events

Gymkhana World Tour Australia

Gymkhana World Tour Los Angeles

Gymkhana World Tour Austria

Three top-secret events to be announced

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New Ford RS World Rally Car Shows its 2011 Colors

Ford Team driver Mikko Hirvonen lifted the covers of its 2011-specification Fiesta RS World Rally Car at the Autosport International Racing Car Show in Birmingham today, revealing the color scheme that will adorn the vehicle in the FIA World Rally Championship. In addition, the company also confirmed that the racing team's new name and logo by announcing that it will compete as the Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team.

"The preview version of the car we unveiled in September at the 2010 Paris Motor Show was dramatic in its blue and grey livery, developed specifically for the show by Ford of Europe's design team," said Ford of Europe motorsport chief Gerard Quinn.

"But now we have a fully finished car in a really eye-catching new livery plus a new team name, and excitement is building throughout the squad as we prepare for the opening round in Sweden next month.

The new racing model replaces the Focus as the firm's World Rally Championship challenger due to the new regulations. The Fiesta RS WRC comes with a four-wheel drive transmission and a 1.6-litre turbocharged engine, based on the EcoBoost road vehicle power plant.

Ford said the full specification of the car will be announced at the beginning of February. For the time being, the company will continue testing in Sweden next week ahead of the Fiesta RS WRC's championship debut in Rally Sweden, the opening round of the series, on 10 - 13 February.

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Ford Planning Fiesta Minivan Concept for Geneva Show, Production Model with Sliding Doors to Follow in 2012

Ford is getting ready to premiere a concept version of a Fiesta-based small minivan at the upcoming Geneva Salon next March. The design study will act as a pilot for the production vehicle that will follow in early 2012 and will replace the current generation of the European market Fusion, which is based on the previous Fiesta.

The news comes from a Ford source in Europe who told Automotive News that production of the Fiesta MPV will begin by the end of next year at Ford's factory in Craiova, Romania. A Ford of Europe spokesman essentially confirmed the news by telling the publication that “It is a B-segment vehicle and will go into full production early in 2012.”

The report said Ford has no plans to offer the car in North America.

In Europe, the car will compete in the small MPV segment against the likes of the Opel / Vauxhall Meriva, Citroen C3 Picasso and Kia Venga Kia. It is believed that Ford will drop the Fusion nameplate and use the B-MAX moniker as it will be smallest model in Ford's range of MPVs that includes the Focus-based C-MAX and Grand C-MAX, and the Mondeo-based S-MAX and Galaxy.

The unnamed Ford source told the publication that the B-MAX will be a five-seat minivan with rear sliding doors. The 2011 Geneva Salon will run from March 3 to 13.

Via: Autonews Europe [Sub. req.]

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Ford USA Announces Fiesta R2 Rally Kit with 168HP for New Fiesta Sport Trophy Championship

Aspiring rally fans buckle up, as this is your chance to follow in the footsteps of Mikko Hirvonen, Jari-Matti Latvala or Ken Block. Already offered throughout Europe, the Ford Fiesta R2 rally package has now become available in the U.S. Those that buy the rally-prepped Fiestas will be able to compete in a new championship, called Fiesta Sport Trophy, in the Rally America Series 2WD class, starting from 2011.

The winner of the Fiesta Sport Trophy Championship will be awarded a ride in the R2 class in a Fiesta at Wales Rally GB and have the opportunity to compete in the Fiesta Sport Trophy International Shootout. The grand prize is a year's residential placement at M-Sport, working alongside the BP Ford World Rally team.

The R2 package was developed by M-Sport, Ford's long lasting WRC partner. A number of modifications were applied to the stock Fiesta, starting with the 1.6-liter Ti-VCT engine. New pistons, conrods, camshafts and other parts increased the small four-pot's output to 168 hp (125 kW) and 134 lb-ft (182 Nm), a 40% gain over the production model.

Other upgrades include a five-speed Sadev sequential gearbox, with flat shift gear cut, Reiger adjustable dampers paired with Eibach springs and ventilated disc brakes with four-piston calipers. Naturally, there's also a roll cage to protect the driver and navigator in case of an accident.

Besides the full R2 kit, there's also going to be a Stage 1 kit, offering drivers a lower-cost entry point. This too features a series of new parts and upgrades, like new ball joints and dampers, more power and a limited-slip differential.

The R2 package is now available for order through Team O'Neil Motorsports.

By Csaba Daradics

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Paris Show: Ford Previews New Fiesta RS WRC Prior to 2011 Race Debut

Not one to let Mini's announcement of the new Countryman WRC to go unanswered, Ford has revealed its new soon-to-be-airborne Fiesta RS rally car. Co-developed by Ford of Europe and M-Sport (with a little help from the French Pipo Moteur), the Fiesta RS gets a 1.6-liter EcoBoost engine which, like the Mini, has direct injection.

Testing of the Focus RS WRC replacement, which was initially done in Britain and France using the outgoing Fiesta's engine and a prototype of the new one, will continue next week in Spain using Ford WRC drivers Mikko Hirvonen and Jari-Matti Latvala (as well as their co-drivers Jarmo Lehtinen and Miikka Anttila). That means we should have some videos soon.

Ford of Europe's Motorsport manager Mike Norton says, "The introduction of Ford's latest engine technology to its rally programme reinforces further our commitment to motorsport. It also demonstrates our continued support for affordable competition by using an off-the-shelf production engine on which to base our WRC power plant."

We'll have a chance to see it live and hopefully bringing the damage in Round 1 of the World Rally Championship in Sweden next year.

By Phil Alex

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SCOOP: 2012 Ford Fiesta ST Hot Hatch with EcoBoost Turbo Engine

For those complaining about the lack of a sportier and more powerful edition of Ford's latest (global market) Fiesta hatchback, we have some very good news. Our spy photographers have snapped a prototype version of the upcoming Fiesta ST model undergoing testing in Germany.

The three-door test car featured in these photos gets a wilder bodykit with a front apron incorporating a lip spoiler, chunky side skirts, a bigger roof spoiler and a rear diffuser that houses two large exhaust pipes.

The sporty Fiesta also receives darkened headlamps and big alloy wheels, while we can also see a pair of body-hugging bucket seats for the front passengers.

A closer look at the pictures reveal a massive intercooler up front which feeds the ST's EcoBoost turbocharged four-cylinder engine. At this moment, we don't know if Ford has opted to fit the Fiesta ST with a 1.6-liter or a 2.0-liter variant of the EcoBoost engine family.

If anyone knows a German website(s) where we can find more information about the car from the license plate number, we (and consequently our readers) would deeply appreciate it.

In any case, expect an output of around 200-horsepower with all those ponies finding their way to the road through the front wheels. Suspension, brake and steering wheel system tweaks should be on the menu also.

Ford has not yet made any official announcements on the Fiesta ST, which may or may not make it on this side of the pond, but expect to see the Polo GTI-rivaling model arriving first in Europe in 2011.

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