After standing in our lock-up for a while, Neil took over ownership of the mag's Escort S2 RS Turbo. Now though the S2 has finally left the Fast Ford fold...

Neil: "I used the car daily, and I loved it, but I was struggling and wanted to put Cossie management on it, which meant more money and a slippery slope. I knew that doing the amount of miles I do would take its toll and I really didn’t want to see it neglected just driving up the M6.

"Once I made the decision to sell it, it didn’t hang around. Dan Butler came up the road with a sensible deposit in his hand and a deal was done. I was slightly gutted as I know I’ll never own a Mk4 in such good condition again, but for just once in my life I have done the sensible thing. I’m certainly gonna miss it, but it’s not the end of F800 CTX, it’s just a new chapter."

We'll hopefully catch up with the Escort at Ford Fair in August.

For more details and pics of the S2 and the rest of the Fast Ford fleet, see August's issue on sale now.

Combining the Zetec bottom end with the turbo’d CVH head is an instant way to gain more power. Read on to find out what you need to make a monster hybrid.

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We follow FF Snapper Ade Brannan’s Escort estate’s swap to Zetec power.

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No longer seen as smoky motorway-munchers, modern diesels have loads of tuning potential and here’s how to extract the most from them…

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Fiesta owners from up and down the country made the trip to Huntingdon Racecourse to show off their motors. The line up cars on display featured every model in the range, including a handful of the latest Mk7s.

It’s not just Fiesta owners that make the pilgrimage either. As FITP comes at the start of the summer event season, modded blue ovals of all shapes and sizes emerge from their winter hibernation to see one of the first bits of the year’s show action.

The Fiesta Club of Great Britain certainly knows how to put on a good event. As well as the awesome cars and numerous club stands, FITP also featured a host of traders offering bargains throughout the day, and various stands from tuners all over the UK where you could get some sound advice on your next mod.

FITP ’09 was a great success and a top day out.

For the full show report and more pics, check out issue 281 on sale 25 June.

The latest addition to the Fast Ford fleet.

This 2-litre Fiesta ST has been supplied by fordpartsplus.net, part of the Lookers Group, and we’ve got it for the next 18months.

We’ve been punting around in it for the last few weeks and it’s reminded us just how good a car the Fiesta ST is. It’s fast, very nimble, is a proper laugh to drive and it’s hard not to use the loud pedal when the road’s clear.

As you’d expect it won’t be staying standard for long. Unfortunately trying to decide on the exact spec is tricky, as we’ve all got slightly different ideas on what we should do. What we all agree on is that it’s definitely not going to be a stripped-out track car, but instead a well modified Fast Road car with plenty of pace and distinctive looks. Lower, faster and meaner is the way to go, but not at the expense of driveability.

To make things a bit more interesting, we’d love to hear what you think. While we know roughly what direction we’re going to head in, it would be good to see/hear any suggestions you may have, so feel free to e-mail us at fastford@futurenet.com with your input, whether it be a list of mods, a drawing in your best crayon, or a full-on CAD design.

...around a shopping centre and on a beach!

Stu takes an in-depth look at the humble spark plug.

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How about this for a race?!

Get on the first rung of the Cossie-ownership ladder with a 2wd Saph. Here’s what to look for.

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If you're planning to show your appreciation for Steve Miller's three-door in the Car Of The Year voting, please text MILLER, not STEVE as we printed in the mag.

From temperatures to Dot ratings, Stu explains all about brake fluid.

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Stu looks at the engine’s primary cooling fluid – oil.

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