by Ross Finlay (23 Feb 04)

Ford is using the Geneva Show to introduce the first sports version of the current Fiesta, badged as the ST and in direct line from the XR2 and XR2i of previous years. The announcement gives plenty of warning of the arrival of the new car, because it won’t be in the showrooms till the end of this year.

The designers have given the ST suitably hot-hatch performance levels thanks to the installation of a 148bhp two-litre engine. Then there’s the look of the thing.

You won’t mistake this three-door hot hatch for a more modest car from the Fiesta stable. There are new bumpers front and rear, with stand-out surrounds for the built-in extra driving lamps, and a high-set rear spoiler. New side mouldings, body-coloured door handles and eleven-spoke 17" alloys complete the exterior sporting presentation.

Inside, there are race-style front seats, upholstered in black leather with red cloth centre sections. The leather-rimmed steering wheel has a bright metal spoke; that theme is continued in the metal pedals and a bright finish to the handbrake lever and the door pulls.

Ford won’t be issuing full specification details and prices until nearer the showroom launch, but it’s obviously quite pleased to have a warm-to-hot Fiesta back in the catalogue. By the time the XR2i went out of production, more than 34,000 had been sold in the UK, and Ford has had nothing to offer buyers of that class of car since then.

The XR2 Heritage

The original XR2 was introduced back in 1981, as the first 100mph Fiesta. Based on the 1.3-litre model, but with a 1.6-litre engine, it arrived on the market after having been well publicised thanks to some preliminary Fiesta Challenge races - there’s no indication yet if Ford has something similar in mind for the 2004 ST.

To try to keep the XR2 up with more recently introduced rivals, Ford launched the XR2i in 1989. The rough-house RS Turbo appeared in 1990, and the somewhat (but not excessively) more refined RS 1800 came along a couple of years later. 

The Fiesta ST is the first of a range of Ford "Sports Technologies" models, all of which will carry an ST badge without additional numbers.

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