T he Mk6 Fiesta ST went back to fast Ford roots of sticking a big engine in a little car, stiffening up the chassis, and sending it down the road for some chuckable-yetuseable fun. It really was the XR2 reincarnated in 2000s form.
And, just like the XR2, the chassis underneath can easily cope with more power than the stock 2.0-litre Duratec’s 150bhp (hence the ST150 tag). Also, just like the XR2, the engine itself can be coaxed to give significant improvements – either in screaming naturally-aspirated guise or gulping down wads of boost from a forced-induction conversion. But, because technology improves over time, the rewards on offer from a well-tuned ST150 far outweigh anything Ford’s earlier hot hatches could ever hope to muster.
Over the years we’ve seen plenty of fast-road conversion with around 200bhp combined with sensible chassis and braking upgrades. In recent years, more ST owners have turned to adding boost to give some quite crazy power figures for a little Fiesta, initially with bolt-on supercharger kits, but latterly with full-blown big-turbo installations. And, of course, the Mk6 ST has always been a force to be reckoned with on track, and we’ve seen plenty of track and full-on race cars embarrass much more powerful machinery on the circuits thanks to an uncompromising and incredibly nimble chassis setup.
Or, like most people, you could combine your perfect blend of all of the above to create an ST that is really unique, fits your needs and reflects your personality perfectly. Here’s our guide to modifying the Mk6 Fiesta ST.
