FORD FAIR 2022

HP Tuners brought along some modded Mustangs Carbon-clad Mk4 Estate

Fast Ford’s stand was a feast for the eyes You can’t beat Scalextric

WHERE SILVERSTONE, NORTHANTS WHEN 14 AUGUST 2022

The biggest and best Blue Oval bonanza of the year returned to Silverstone, and it was a real scorcher

Words JAMIE & MIKE RYSIECKI / Photos JASON DODD, LEIGH JONES, & JAMES SMYTH

Some things in life are just meant to be. Trains are meant to be late, old people are meant to drive badly, and Ford Fair is meant to be roasting hot and brilliant.

And sure enough, it was! After an uncharacteristically damp 2021, and a Covidpostponed 2020, we were glad to see Ford Fair back in full swing for 2022, and all the cars on show were bathed in beautiful sunshine as the UK enjoyed another heatwave.

It was fantastic to see so many Ford fans (and not just from the UK – special mention to José Novo who drove his Sapphire Cosworth all the way from Portugal to be at the show) all eager to display their Blue Ovals and be part of the show.

Once again, Mountune returned as headline sponsor for the whole event. And, once again, the firm’s stand was packed throughout the day. With the famous show discounts, a selection of new products being released on the day, plus a coffee shop, live DJ, and even friends at Corbeau with a selection of the latest seats for visitors to try out, not to mention a display of epic cars featuring Mountune engines – such as the current Focus ST BTCC car and a rallycross RS200 – it was easy to see why the stand was so busy.

Of course, Fast Ford was in attendance too. Our stand was at the other end of the paddock area, featuring 50 of the best feature cars (including a handful that have yet to be published), and a retail stand that also hosted a giant Scalextric set and retro Sega Rally arcade game.

New for this year, the Fast Ford stand also included a Fords In Motorsport display, which featured some seriously impressive machinery. And it was great to see the return of the Live Action Arena for 2022, with Paul and his team putting on a brilliant stunt display to wow the crowds. Paul was even let loose in a Ford GT to do some donuts and impressive drifts.

The rest of the show was packed full of the best Blue Ovals the scene has to offer, and always-entertaining track time around the Silverstone circuit, this year sponsored by Elf Bar. Special recognition went to ten of the coolest cars – also sponsored by Elf Bar – and the hotly contested, new-for-2022 Ford Fair Select display, where judges from sponsors at Auto Finesse had the particularly difficult job of choosing the best-finished car from a shortlist of absolutely stunning Fords.

Of course, clubs make the show the huge success it is, and the dedicated owners’ groups were out in force this year – with special awards to recognise their efforts going to Welsh Ford, West London Classic Ford, and Oval Owners. As if that wasn’t enough, the ST170 Owners’ Club, ST220 Enthusiasts, and Mk1 Focus RS Owners’ Club all put on special displays to commemorate the 20th anniversaries of their beloved models.

There was so much to pack in, Ford Fair must be the best-value day out for any Ford fan, and long may it continue!

Fast Fordfeatured Puma

Rep to Race Car was on display

It’s a wrap! No,it’s actually satin paint

FAST FORD STAND

As Ford Fair is the biggest Ford show of the year, it’s only right that the UK’s biggest and best-selling Ford tuning magazine is attendance.

Our stand hosted a selection of more than 50 fabulous feature cars from the current and previous issues – plus a few that have yet to appear in print – filling the pit garages and paddock area. The shaded garages not only provided an awesome setting for the display cars, but also offered some welcome relief from the beating the sun.

HP Tuners sponsored the jampacked Fast Ford paddock areas, and the HP Tuners team even brought along a cool line-up of Mustangs and Fiestas, as well as product displays to talk to Ford fans about their latest MPVI3 tuning interface.

As well as the awesome feature cars, the Rep to Race Car Mondeo project was also on display, showing off its latest upgrades.

The stand also housed a giant Scalextric set, a retro Sega Rally arcade game, a win-a-car competition, and the retail stand where you could pick up a show guide, copies of the current mag, or Ford Fair merchandise.

Daniel’s ST featured neat details

LIVE ACTION ARENA

The Live Action Arena returned for Ford Fair 2022, and as ever the sights and sounds of Paul Swift and his team demonstrating some crazy stunts and unbelievable precision driving drew in the crowds. Lucky competition winners even got to experience the thrills from the passenger seat alongside Paul as he was driving, while the crowds were treated to an epic display that even included a series of drifts and donuts from the Ford GT Paul had borrowed from Ford Performance for the day – not as easy as it sounds in a halfmillion-pound hypercar that has been designed from the groundup to give as much grip as is physically possible.

“I want to break free!”

Swift was born slippy

IN THE CLUB

NAME Daniel Eaton CAR Mk7 Fiesta ST CLUB Essex Ford Meet

How long have you been a member?

“I joined around five years ago.”

How many shows do you attend with the club each year?

“I usually do around ten shows or meets per year.”

What’s the best thing about the club?

“I would say it’s the loyalty of all the members; they’re always around to help each other out and it creates a great atmosphere within the group.”

What’s your favourite thing about Ford Fair 2022?

“The weather! Nah, it’s the general atmosphere, the cars on show, the track action, the trade stands… All of it really.”

P100 was loaded with mods

YB packs about 500bhp

ACADEMY MOTORSPORT

After racing at Spa (see page 64 for full report) the British GT Championship entered its summer break, so the Academy Motorsport team – whose Mustang GT4 is joint second in the Silver Cup standings – were able to join in the fun at Ford Fair.

They brought their full race rig with two cars, one of which entertained crowds with demo laps during the dedicated motorsport track sessions with their GT4 race driver Matt Cowley at the wheel.

Matt clearly enjoyed the time on track too, telling us: “It’s good fun to be out there and because it is not a serious race environment you can have a bit of a play with the car. I was getting the back end out and making sure it was nice and loud for everyone, just putting on a bit of a show.”

Back in the motorsport paddock, the well-informed Ford Fair attendees had questions for the team about performance numbers, championship regulations, steering wheel controls, suspension configuration and, not least, the special Multimatic dampers.

It’s great to see top-end motorsport teams enjoying a day out in the sun with their cars just the same as the rest of us, and was a welcome addition to Ford Fair 2022.

Mustang was howling on track

ON SHOW

NAME Steve Cooper CAR P100 pick-up

QUICK SPEC Cosworth YB, BorgWarner EFR turbo, Pectel T6 ECU, approximately 500bhp, Cosworth T5 gearbox, Cosworth RWD diff and six-degree rear beam conversion, Lotus Esprit rear coilovers, Cosworth front coilovers, AP Racing brakes, Escort RS2000 Recaros

How long have you owned the car?

“I first got it about six years ago. Back then it was a standard 1.8 diesel truck.”

What made you want one?

“I fancied something a bit different. I used to have a 4x4 Cossie-powered Mk2 Fiesta, but I wanted something that I could use for shows and that would stand out a bit.”

What’s the best thing about your car?

“I love how it looks. It’s the coolness of it for me.”

What future plans do you have for the car?

“I want to move the side-exit exhaust so it exits through the side of the truck bed rather than underneath. And I also want a full interior retrim at some point. Other than that, just use it and enjoy it.”

RS200 retro rallycross monster

MOUNTUNE

As headline sponsor, Mountune always make a big impression at Ford Fair, and this year was no exception. Found in the pit garages at the top of end of the paddock, the Mountune stand hosted a live DJ and barista coffee shop alongside a fully-fitted-out retail stand, which was offering the famous Ford Fair discounts on selected products.

Mountune also released a few new upgrades at the show, including a carbon crossover pipe for the Mk4 Focus ST and the m285 hybrid turbo upgrade for the Mk8 Fiesta ST.

Mountune even invited friends at Corbeau along with a selection of sporty bucket seats for people to try out – including our editor Jamie, who took the opportunity to size up his backside for a pair of buckets for the Rep to Race Car build too.

Elsewhere, the Mountune-powered cars on show demonstrated the company’s motorsport links, with everything from a retro rallycross RS200 through to the current Focus ST BTCC race car on display.

FORD FAIR SELECT

New for 2022, the detailing experts over at Auto Finesse showed off some of the best presented cars from their academy. The top three picks each won a bespoke trophy and an Auto Finesse detailing kit.

Richard Beazer’s track-prepared Sierra three-door took bronze, with Simon Williams’s concours-worthy Turbo Technics Capri 2.8i taking the runner-up spot. Gareth Park’s immaculate Escort RS Cosworth took the outright victory.

EsCos was a welldeserved winner

IN THE CLUB

NAME Barry Meldrum CAR Series One Escort RS Turbo & Mk2 Escort RS2000 CLUB Oval Owners’ Club

How long have you been a member?

“For nearly four years now.”

How many shows do you attend with the club each year?

“I do as many as I can, and that’s usually around ten per year.”

What’s the best thing about the club?

“The people. Everyone is so welcoming, and they all want to talk and chat cars. It doesn’t matter what car you have either, everyone is made to feel welcome.”

What’s your favourite thing about Ford Fair 2022?

“The selection of cars on show, and the size of the event – it’s huge.”

Red suits an S1 so well

“Look, that’s where the driver sits”

Turbo Technics Capri was runner-up

Richard Beazer’s Sierra came third

Crowds queued to see Mountune’s new products

Mk2 RS2000 mixed well with modern Fords

IN THE CLUB

NAME Neil Woodcock CAR Mondeo ST220 CLUB ST220 Enthusiasts

How long have you been a member?

“I’ve been a member of the group for five years.”

How many shows do you attend with the club each year?

“I like to do as many as possible, if not all the events the club attends. I also help organise a few, and we also have various breakfast meets throughout the year too.”

What’s the best thing about the club?

“It’s got to be the members. I love the banter, but there’s also a lot of useful technical knowledge that gets shared too.”

What’s your favourite thing about Ford Fair 2022?

“For me it’s the social side of being part of the club. It’s great to catch up with existing members, and gives us an opportunity to meet new members that haven’t shown with us before too.”

Andy Rouse’s ex-BTCC racer was recently rediscovered

Tim Sandhu’s Escort Cossie was the angriest-looking car at the show Ex-BTCC and GT racer Michael Caine on track in his RS500

Neil loves his LEDs

Modified Ford racers always impress Chris Baker on track in his mighty Mk3 Escort

ST220s were out in force for the 20th anniversary

Wide-arch Mustang was in the Top 10 awards

TOP 10 AWARDS

New for 2022, Elf Bar was on a mission to find ten of the coolest cars at the show. There was no shortage of contenders, but somehow the judges managed to narrow it down to a short-list of ten of their favourites. These included a brace of stunning Mk2 Focuses, a caged Sapphire RS Cosworth, an immaculate Mk3 Escort, a turbo’d Puma, a Roush Mustang, a lowrider Galaxie 500, a stripped-out Mk2 Fiesta, a beautiful Anglia and a classic Mk1 Capri.

Bagged ST look cool

Old and new in the Motorsport garage

MOTORSPORT CARS

Ford Fair 2022 went big on motorsport Fords. Not only was there a dedicated display from Paul Nevill and the guys at the Modified Fords Series, but the Fast Ford stand also hosted a special display of race and rally cars.

Highlights this year included a brace of very special Sierra RS500 Cosworths in Paul Linfoot’s Spa 24-hour-winning Eggenberger machine and Andy Rouse’s original Kaliberlivery BTCC racer now owned by Michael Caine, plus Academy Motorsport and the duo of Mustang GT4 racers. Elsewhere, Nigel Mummery brought along a big-spec Mk2 Escort rally car, plus an original RS200 road car – now running 700bhp and converted to full Evolution spec.

A Ford GT even made a brief cameo when Paul Swift popped over to swap wheels and tyres with the help from the Academy crew.

Paul Linfoot’s Bastos RS500 was one of the stars of the show

There’s still plenty of room for old-school at Ford Fair

Supercharged ST170powered Mk2 was a winner José drove his Saph all the way from Portugal

ON SHOW

NAME José Novo CAR Sapphire Cosworth

QUICK SPEC Largely standard power, suspension and brakes, Rouse leather Recaro interior, driven all the way from Portugal

How long have you owned the car?

“My dad bought the car brand new in March ’89 when I was 11. He later passed it on to me, but I kind of stole it as soon as I turned 18.”

What made you want one?

“From the first moment I saw it, I just knew I wanted it.”

What’s the best thing about your car?

“Being a Cosworth, I’m tempted to say the engine. But the history on this particular car is very important to me.”

What future do you have for the car?

“I’ve got to drive it back home to Portugal yet, so hoping it makes it in one piece is the first thing. I just want to keep it alive, and one day I will pass it onto my child the same as my father passed it on to me.”

20 YEARS OF...

Three special fast Fords celebrate their 20th anniversary this year, so Ford Fair wanted to pay homage to the Focus ST170, Mondeo ST220 and Mk1 Focus RS with a dedicated anniversary display for each. To make that happen, the organisers called on the help of three of the most pro-active clubs in the scene: the ST170 Owners’ Club, ST220 Enthusiasts, and the Mk1 Focus RS Owners’ Club. Each arranged an awesome line-up of their favourite fast Ford, and created a truly amazing spectacle that spanned the length the of the paddock area opposite the Fast Ford stand.

The ST170 Owners’ Club hosted a display to celebrate 20 years of the model

ON SHOW

NAME Craig Peace CAR Mk7 Fiesta ST

QUICK SPEC 1.6-litre EcoBoost, X47 turbo, Pumaspeed race map, Airtec intercooler, 357bhp, BC Racing BR coilovers, JP Cages roll cage, 15in Team Dynamics Pro Race LT alloys, Airtec rear spoiler, EBC RPX brake pads, custom wrap

How long have you owned the car?

“I got this just after I sold my Mk2 Focus RS (nicknamed Tornado) at the end of 2019.”

What made you want one?

“I’ve always wanted to do more track time. I’d reached as far as I wanted to go with Tornado, and I fancied doing a few rounds of Time Attack, so a Fiesta ST seemed the perfect answer.”

What’s the best thing about your car?

“It’s so quick! It’s such a fantastic handling car, it just makes me smile every time I drive it.”

What future do you have for the car?

“Lots. More racing and more Time Attack. I’ve got an M-Sport roof scoop on order, and I’m thinking about switching to EMU Black stand-alone engine management for better control and easier data logging on race days.”

Oval Owners’ Club took the Best Club trophy Craig and Natalie Weston won the Club Hero award

Welsh Ford won the Best Regional Club award

CLUB AWARDS

The show wouldn’t be what it is without the awesome club support it receives. So, to celebrate and give a little something back, Ford Fair 2022 awarded four major trophies in recognition of the clubs’ hard work and dedication. The Best Classic award went to West London Classic Ford, while Welsh Ford took home the trophy for Best Regional club. It was double-honours over at the Oval Owners stand, though; not only did the club scoop the overall Best Club award, organisers Craig and Natalie Weston also took home the Club Hero trophy.

Craig uses the ST to compete in Time Attack

357bhp lurks within

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