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TUNED R34 SKYLINE GT-T: PURPLE CRAZE

When James Hibbert swapped his R34 GT-R for its lesser-powered GT-T sibling, people thought he’d lost his mind. But there was definitely method in his madness as his tuned R34 Skyline GT-T will demonstrate.

From Fast Car. Words & photos: Dan Sherwood.

When it comes to cars, there’s a very definite hierarchy to manufacturers’ model line ups. At the bottom of the ladder is usually the smaller, lower-priced models, whose reduced costs are in line with their sparse levels of performance and specification. At the top are the luxury and high performance models, the halo cars that drip with power, technology and desirability. As petrolheads who see cars as more than just simple modes of transportation, and who value the experience and thrill of driving and ownership as much as the practical advantages, it’s only natural that we covet the models that sit at the highest echelons of those ladders. They provide not only the adrenaline kick of performance and the satisfaction of style, but also endow their owner with a certain unspoken status too – an element that can get lost on some people, but is crucial to a car nut. In fact, so important is this standing within automotive circles, that it goes way beyond the differences between the varying marques and models and can come down to just a handful of letters…

“For anyone into Japanese cars the GT-R badge is the stuff of legend,” says 30-year-old HGV driver James Hibbert. “For many of us, any Nissan Skyline model that features those three letters on its bootlid falls under the category of our dream car, with people gladly willing to give up various essential body parts to own one, myself included.”

So when James actually managed to make his dream a reality by purchasing an R34 Nissan Skyline GT-R – while keeping all his limbs intact, too – why did he soon sell it in order to buy the GT-R’s poor relative; the lower-powered, less revered R34 GT-T?

“People must’ve thought I was going crazy,” he laughs. “But as good as the GT-R was, I just started to miss the fun of rear-wheel drive, and drifting in particular.”

Since owning an EP3 Civic Type R many years ago, all of James’s cars have been rear-wheel drive, with various Nissan S15s, a Lexus GS300 and an NA Supra making up his enviable back catalogue and cementing his addiction to steering from the rear.

“The other issue was the value of the GT-R and the attention it caused,” James sighs. “It meant that I was always wary of driving it on the limit or where I was parking it, as I was constantly concerned about it getting damaged or stolen.”

And so, combined with his need to get his sideways-sliding fix, James had an epiphany of what his next move should be, and started looking for a rear-wheel drive R34 Skyline GT-T as a replacement.

The R34 GT-T is Nissan’s next rung down the ladder after the range-topping GT-R. Featuring a 276bhp 2.5-litre single turbo RB25DET NEO, rather than the legendary twin-turbo’d 2.6-litre RB26DETT of its bigger brother (claimed to produce 278bhp as per the Japanese manufacturer’s gentleman’s agreement at the time, but actually making nearer 330bhp), it’s certainly no slouch, but the lack of the iconic swollen arches and the legendary ATTESA E-TS four-wheel drive system housed within, plus the small matter of the GT-R’s racing pedigree, means the GT-T will never be as revered as its stablemate, but to James, that was part of the appeal.

“GT-T’s may not look as tough as the brawny GT-Rs and don’t have the same potential to be tuned, but aside from the fact they’re rear-wheel drive (which is actually a bonus in my book) they’re actually not that different really,” reckons James. “And when you consider that you can get a mint condition GT-T for less than a quarter of the price of a GT-R these days, that leaves you with plenty of cash to tune and modify one to your preferred specification, which was exactly what I had in mind…”

James began his search by putting up a post on social media to see if there were any GT-T owners who wanted to make the jump to GT-R ownership and were willing to work out a trade. Luckily, he didn’t have to wait long for a suitable candidate to arise.

“I was contacted by a guy with a GT-T with a full Tommykaira bodykit and accessories,” James remembers. “It had really low mileage and was immaculate!”

As well as the rare bodykit, the tuned R34 Skyline GT-T came with a host of other tasty additions including an HKS GTRS Pro turbo, a Z32 MAF, Sard injectors and fuel pressure regulator, a GReddy radiator and intercooler and an A’PEXi Power FC.

“It was making around 500bhp,” James says. “Which, along with a set of BC Racing coilovers, an uprated ORC twin-plate clutch and bigger R34 GT-R Brembo brakes, made it a real weapon on the road. In fact it felt much quicker than my stage one tuned GT-R that was running around 380bhp.”

So after some friendly negotiations the pair finally did the swap on Christmas Eve, 2015, with James receiving an extra £18k his way, which just goes to show the price difference that occurs by moving that third letter of the badge just two positions along the alphabet.

“It felt great to have the power going to the rear wheels again, so I was happy with the deal,” James beams. “But even so, I wasted no time in adding my own touches.”

For starters it was the bodywork that received James’s undivided attention, as, even though it was genuine, he wasn’t keen on the look of the Tommykaira kit, so he sought to replace it with body panels bought from Loughborough-based body-styling supremos EP Racing.

“I’ve known EP’s bossman Leon Chan for years and he’s always been a great help with my project cars,” says James. “So when I removed the Tommykaira parts and sold them on – including the gearknob which sold for £300 on its own! – I had a nice pot of cash to spend on the GT-T to get it looking how I wanted it.”

As anyone who’s really into their Skyline’s will likely tell you, the Z-Tune is the ultimate R34, but their rarity and astronomical price tag means few people are ever going to be able to own one, so James decided to do the next best thing and bought a replica bodykit, so at least his car could look like one.

“The kit was fitted by a friend of mine who owns a bodyshop in Chippenham called Desire Motor Factory,” says James. “He also tubbed the arches to allow more clearance for wider wheels, before respraying the car in a custom purple paint.”

With the body-styling sorted James swapped out the obscure 18in Sqobs wheels for a set of highly-concaved 7Twenty Style 46 split five-spokes and installed a HICAS lock-out bar and Kaaz two-way limited slip diff to ensure the rear wheels could be lit up on demand.

At this point in the build, James was happy to just kick back and enjoy his creation that combined the looks of his ultimate Skyline with the tail-happy handling attributes of his beloved S-bodies.

“It was great to get back into drifting again and the car looked great, but I can never stop tinkering with things,” he grins. “So it wasn’t long before I’d added a big Japspeed GT rear wing and changed the wheels to a set of 19in Weds Kranze Cerberus splits with a 6.5in rear dish.”

Such is James’s addiction to alteration, however, that both of these mods were relatively short-lived, with the spoiler being removed and the wheels swapped again for a set of 18in Work Emotion CR Kiwamis. But that wasn’t all…

“I like to run the car low, but it can make it impractical,” James concedes. “So I invested in a set of Stance Parts air cups. These trick bits of kit are like mini air-bags that sit on top of your coilovers and are fed by a small air tank that allows you to raise the car a few inches when you need extra clearance, yet still retain the handling characteristics of coilovers.”

As well as the air cups, James decided to give his interior a shot of racecar chic by stripping it out, fitting a pair of Corbeau Clubman bucket seats and harnesses and having a comprehensive custom rollcage installed by HDF Motorsport in Petersfield.

“I really love my music so the rollcage has been designed to fit around my audio system,” highlights James, pointing out the Hertz door speakers and 10in Vibe subwoofer in a custom enclosure behind the bucket seats. “It’s a great sounding setup and pretty loud too, which it needs to be, if it’s to be heard over the exhaust system!” he chuckles.

Uninspired by the car’s previous setup, James needed added aural excitement from the GT-T so decided to install an external wastegate with a bonnet-exit screamer pipe and a straight-through exhaust system with shotgun-style tailpipes.

“It’s certainly a lot louder now and sounds epic when you let off the throttle and it spits flames up the windscreen,” he smiles. “Unfortunately when I removed the downpipe to fit the wastegate, I noticed the turbo’s turbine blades were damaged.”

This was all the excuse James needed to get the turbo rebuilt by forced induction experts Midland Turbo, while at the same time improving the fuelling and ignition with larger Sard injectors, an high-flow fuel pump and Splitfire coilpacks.

“Once the engine upgrades were installed I had the ECU re-mapped by Tom Hudson at tuning gurus, Fensport in Chatteris,” James reveals. “As far as I know, the car didn’t make any more power as such, but the delivery was night and day. The turbo spooled quicker and the torque in the midrange was brutal. It’s a much quicker and more fun car to drive as a result, which is exactly why people shouldn’t get hung up on outright power figures.”

Now, for most people, this would be the end of the story, but not for James…

“I got a call from Leon at EP Racing who said he had just taken delivery of a new Sunline Racing style kit for the R34,” recalls James. “It’s a really aggressive looking kit with wide arches and was the first of its kind in Europe… I just couldn’t resist!”

James sent the kit, along with a JUN-style front bumper, to be painted before installing it himself on his driveway the day before he was due to attend the Player’s Classic show at Goodwood racecourse.

“‘It was a bit of a race against time to get it on, but it fitted really well in the end and I made the show the next day, where it’s safe to say, it got a big reaction!” he beams. “I was well chuffed with how it looked, but it’s even better now I’ve changed the rims to these 18in Work Emotion CR-2Ps.”

So surely this is end of the road for James’s fettling fetish? Well, not quite, as he has his sights set on a forged engine with top mount turbo and a tucked bay! But that’ll have to wait until another day. For now though, James can be content with what he has. It may not have an R at the end of its moniker, but by taking a step down in the Skyline hierarchy, he’s built a car that not only looks a million dollars, but puts a huge smile on his face every time he gets behind the wheel, and there’s nothing crazy about that!

Tech Spec: Tuned R34 Skyline GT-T

Engine:

2.5-litre, 6-cyl, 24v RB25DET NEO single turbo engine, HKS GT RS pro turbocharger, A’PEXi Power FC and hand controller, Blitz SUS air intake, Z32 MAF, TiAL external wastegate fitted to the exhaust housing of the turbo, Splitfire coilpacks, HKS oil filter, IHR high-capacity fuel pump, SARD bigger injectors, SARD fuel pressure regulator, large GReddy radiator, GReddy oil cooler, large GReddy intercooler, carbon coilpack cover, steel head gasket, blue and black silicone hoses, HKS downpipe, HKS elbow and custom unsilenced shotgun-style exhaust

Performance:

450bhp @ 1.4bar of boost

Transmission:

RWD with 5-speed manual gearbox with a short shifter, 80% solid gearbox mounts, Kaaz 2-way 4.1 limited slip differential, HICAS lockout bar, ORC twin-plate clutch with a lightened flywheel

Suspension:

BC Racing coilovers with adjustable dampers, Driftworks Stanceparts full air-cup kit with the air tank hidden in the boot, Japspeed tension arms, Japspeed track rod ends, Japspeed rear camber arms, front lower arms extended by 25mm

Brakes:

Skyline R34 GT-R Brembo brakes with EBC grooved and dimpled discs (front), standard discs and calipers (rear), Ferodo DS2500 pads all round, drift button on the stock handbrake, braided brake lines all round

Wheels & tyres:

9.5in18in ET 0 (front) and 10.5x18in ET 20 (rear) Work CR-2P wheels in GT Silver with polished lips and 225/35/18 (front) and 255/35/18 (rear) Achilles 123 tyres, 10mm spacers all round

Exterior:

Sunline Racing-style rear quarters, Sunline Racing-style side skirts, Sunline Racing-style front wings, Jun-style front bumper, Z-Tune-style bonnet, R34 GT-R rear bumper, rear lower diffuser, genuine Ganador mirrors, De-spoilered, rear wiper removed and blanked, R34 GT-R rear light covers, Nismo smoked side repeaters and front indicators, rear arches have been cut up and tubbed, rust proofed underside and inner wheel arches, resprayed in custom one-off purple, full undercar neons controlled via Bluetooth

Interior:

Fully stripped interior, full HDF weld-in rollcage with crossbars, door bars and gussets, Corbeau Club seats with custom low mounts and Driftworks 4-point harnesses, dash trimmed around the rollcage, fabric carpet dash mat, Blitz gearknob, outlaw drift button, Nardi small steering wheel with NRG quick release boss, Defi water temp gauge, Defi oil temp gauge, Defi gauge controller, Blitz boost gauge, A’PEXi boost controller, fire extinguisher, 10in Vibe sub in custom rear enclosure, Vibe 6x9s, Hertz front speakers, Kenwood DVD headunit, Broadway rear-view mirror, interior painted metallic silver with added glitter

Source

June 30, 2021
MODIFIED BMW 540I: EURO VISION

Lukas Wagiel’s childhood yearning for ’90s BMWs left a very clear imprint in his mind of what he wanted to create one day. And when he imported this one-owner E34 Touring from Germany to the UK, he had the perfect base with which to realise his vision and build his perfect modified BMW 540i.

From Performance BMW. Words: Dan Bevis. Photos: Scott Paterson

Rarity is a hugely desirable currency in the automotive world. Look at the Ferrari F40 – the bedroom wall poster for countless kids of the ’80s and ’90s, it’s an obscure and seldom-seen beast. Certainly not something you spot on the road every day. And how many of those were built? 1311 examples, all-in. Or take the case of the Lamborghini Miura, the original supercar – indeed, the car for which the very term ‘supercar’ was coined. Just 764 Miuras were built. As a total percentage of all the cars ever made, that’s… well, it’s a figure so tiny our calculator started smoking when we tried to figure it out.

But Lukas Wagiel has something rarer. You see, those kids growing up in the late 20th century weren’t all dreaming of jewel-like Italian toys. For Lukas, it was menacing and well-specced BMWs that formed the narrative of his automotive dreams. Fast-forward to the present day and the car you see him with here is super-obscure collector fodder: a 540i Touring with a manual gearbox, resplendent in Cosmos black metallic with factory M Tech styling and panoramic roof… just 499 cars were built in this unusual spec, and you can be sure that there are rather fewer of them around today.

“I was born in Poland, and BMWs were always in my nature,” he explains. “I used to live close to the German border when I was a teenager in the late ’80s and early ’90s, and I would always see E34s, E36s and E38s tuned up in proper German style. Low and wide, wheels with crazy-wide lips, big Schnitzer or Cobra square exhausts… and always in black, with black Hellas. It was the everyday head-turner look.” When Lukas’s uncle bought a green E34 535i manual, it immediately became the fledgling enthusiast’s dream car, and when his dad got himself a 328i Touring (again, manual) then that was it, the deal was sealed. Lukas’s desires would henceforth be Bavarian, it was tightly interwoven through the family history.

“When I moved to the UK, I had various different cars but a BMW was always on my wish list,” he continues. “My first UK BMW was an E39 530d Sport which I owned for three years, before buying an E46 325i Touring that was completely mint – the seller was an enthusiast who’d had it all resprayed, and it was sitting super-low on Bilsteins and H&R springs over BBS LMs.” It was a very cool Touring, but it had already been ‘done’ by the former owner and Lukas wanted something he could put his own stamp on – as well as having a little more power – and this box was ticked by the acquisition of an E46 M3 Convertible. It’s fair to say that his BMW adventures were blossoming healthily by this point, and joining the M3 Cutters forum spurred him on to carry out more and more mods… but ultimately, as the father of two children, the M3 was just proving too small to be practical. And what’s the logical answer when you need a larger vehicle to ferry the family about?

No, don’t say SUV. The correct answer is ‘estate car’. Don’t worry, Lukas fell into the same trap and bought himself a Mercedes ML63, followed by an X5 M Sport, but the yearning for a more traditionally shaped car with a petrol engine and a manual gearbox was proving too strong… and so the hunt was on. “At first I was looking for a two-door E30, as I had the idea to swap in an M60 or an M52,” he says, “but it quickly became apparent that in the UK you need to spend £8-10k, so I started looking at the German and Polish markets. I found a few E30s that looked interesting, but when I was on the way to see one my brother sent me a link to this E34 Touring, and I just had to take a look. It was a very rare spec, full history, and had only one owner from new!” The body was in average condition with a few scabs of rust, but it was all original with all the correct parts, receipts for its entire history, and with a healthy engine that pulled like a train. The gearbox was strong, it had a panoramic roof… everything about it screamed ‘Buy me!’, so that’s exactly what Lukas did.

“I left the 540i with my brother in Poland, where it had both front wings replaced and a full respray in its original Cosmos black metallic,” he says. “The diff was removed, refurbished, painted, and the ratio changed to 3.45, while the front brakes were removed and replaced with better, bigger ones from an E32 750i V12.” Some additional work was carried to get the rare wagon back to as-new condition, and then it was shipped to the UK where Lukas got it officially registered before taking care of some more belt-and-braces stuff. He changed the chain tensioner on the engine and it was also running a little hot – although not overheating – so he did some research and acquired an 80° thermostat and changed all the fluids. Then turning his attention to the chassis, Lukas replaced every single bush he possibly could with Powerflex items. And with it all legit, he started to think about modifications. Now, he didn’t want to go too nuts, given that he had a rare and original survivor that he’d just ploughed a load of money into bringing up to scratch. But at the same time, those teenage memories of OEM+ retro bruisers (back when they weren’t retro) were still looming large in his subconscious, and there were some things he just had to do.

Job one was to swap in the anti-roll bars from an E34 M5 because it makes sense with this platform, and then Lukas set about improving the exhaust system. Ordering a custom manifold and rear box from MTG Motorsport, the centre resonators were eliminated along with the cats, replaced by a welded X-pipe which provides a gloriously bassy rumble at high revs but isn’t too intrusive when he’s just trundling around town with the family on board. Then it was time to tackle arguably the most important part of the build: the wheels and suspension. With those vivid memories of youth demanding wide and shiny wheels filling out low-slung arches, there was a clear plan in place here. “I chose the new ‘Extreme Low’ BR Series coilovers from BC Racing to begin with,” he says, “and fitted a set of OZ Mito II wheels. Given the self-levelling rear suspension, it wasn’t exactly a quick-and-easy install, but with the help of Alex Wright (owner of the lowest static yellow E36 Coupé), we removed the self-levelling and looped the system. The front wasn’t easy either, as we had to cut and weld the new BC collars onto the struts, but we got there!” he grins.

After running static for a year or so, Lukas was keen to go lower to achieve the look he desired, although he was mindful that he didn’t want to be risking smashing his sump off on every journey, so a solution had to be formulated. The engine was duly raised up on SS Autowerks mounts and a custom steel sump guard fitted, and while he was bolting and unbolting stuff Lukas couldn’t stop thinking about his dream wheels. “It was a long route, I didn’t know I’d have to be building them from scratch,” he laughs. “After searching in vain for a set of AC Schnitzer centres, I found Neil (owner of the cleanest E36 M3 ’Vert in the UK – @m3_nut on Insta) who had a full set of ACS Type IIs – but the offset, sizes and colour weren’t right so I had to strip them all down. The centres were resprayed by The Wheel Specialists, and I ordered two inner barrels and two 4.25” lips from Felgenfuchs in Germany. The end results are amazing – the fronts are 9.75”-wide with 3.75” lips, and the rears are 11.25” with 4.25” lips. With just the right tyre stretch, the car drives amazing and is safe even at high speed.”

With his ideal wheels finally sorted, Lukas couldn’t help noticing that the car still wasn’t as low as he’d imagined, so there was only one thing for it: air. And given the high-quality coilovers that he’d already put so much effort into custom-fitting to the modified BMW 540i E34, he had the perfect base to build a system to his own specs. A set of bags were purchased from OCD, along with 3H management by Air Lift, and with the help of Carl at Studio Incar it was all fitted to get the wagon airing out like a champ. Carl had previously contributed to the project by fitting an Alcantara headlining, and now he was drafted in to build a full audio and air install. “I like to keep an OEM look, so the manifold, amp and air tank are hiding in the spare wheel well,” says Lukas. “I chose a Becker Indianapolis radio/CD, which uses the same amber-colour lights as standard so it blends with the dash and looks smart.”

The interior was further freshened up with a Nardi steering wheel, borrowed from an E36 and chosen as one of the few airbag-equipped options in the Nardi oeuvre. “A friend of mine found the wheel on an E36 forum,” he explains. “It was in average condition; the wood was immaculate but the leather was tired, so I sent it for a retrim. I also plan to change the light wood colour to a dark wood finish to match the rest of the interior, as I haven’t seen that done before.”

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It’s the attention to detail that really sets this build apart and the more you look the more you find. Everything Lukas has done has been carried out with the utmost care, all remaining respectful of the fact that this is a rare car that came to him in very original condition. It’s a cruiser, a family wagon, a show-stopper, and a legacy for his children. And in certain quarters, it turns more heads than a Ferrari F40 or a Miura ever could.

Tech Spec: Modified BMW 540i

Engine & Transmission:

4.0-litre V8 M60B40, Wokke chip, limiter removed, SS Autowerks engine mounts, custom MTG Motorsport exhaust manifold, custom de-cat exhaust system with MTG rear box. Getrag six-speed manual gearbox, E60 545i short-shift, differential refurbished and powder coated, 3.45 final drive

Power & Torque:

326hp and 354lb ft

Chassis:

9.75×18” (front) and 11.25×18” (rear) AC Schnitzer Type II Racing wheels with 3.75” (front) and 4.25” (rear) lips, 225/30 (front) and 245/30 (rear) tyres, BC Racing BR Series ‘Extreme Low’ coilovers with custom OCD airbags and Air Lift Performance 3H management, E34 M5 front and rear anti-roll bars, Powerflex bushes throughout, SS Autowerks strut brace, custom Swagier sump guard, E32 750i front brakes

Exterior:

Cosmos black metallic, OEM M Tech styling, smoked Hella headlights, new fog lights and OEM rear lights

Interior:

Black leather interior with Sport seats, retrimmed E36 Nardi airbag steering wheel, Alcantara headlining, Becker Indianapolis radio/CD, Hertz/Becker speaker upgrades and audio/air install by Studio Incar

Source

June 28, 2021
MODIFIED FIESTA ST200: THE PERFECT STORM

M-Sport styling plus Storm Grey paint plus big power make this modified Fiesta ST200 one of the best Fiestas in the UK.

An obsession with cars is ingrained in many of us from an early age and stays with us throughout our entire adult lives. Some of us even have a loyalty to a favourite marque, usually passed down as a family tradition much like a football team or political party. Other people see cars merely as A to B transport, and much prefer going down the pub!

Unbelievably the owner of this highly modified Fiesta ST200 was for most of his life, one of the latter. “I work at Ford but I was never a car guy at all,” explains Burger (a nickname from school), “all of my interests revolved around people, the pub, and a social life.” A fateful day whilst on his way to work at the Ford Daventry parts centre however, found him switched on to the world of turbochargers and body-kits like a man possessed! “I saw a Focus RS500 on my commute,” he remembers, “and something about it suddenly ignited an interest in cars… I’d not seen anything like it before.” Burger was so inspired, that a brand new Focus ST was swiftly bought and a virtual pub – an online car group forum – helped him school up on the slippery slide of car modifying. “The ST ended up modded to within an inch of its life,” he laughs, “a 400bhp engine and murdered-out black bodywork made it really stand out… but it was an RS that I really wanted.”

Four years of utterly enjoyable ST ownership eventually made way for a Mk2 Focus RS in Ultimate Green. Like the Focus before it, this was also tweaked to over 400bhp and given some trick styling touches to make it even more eye-catching and loud than it came out of the factory. “I absolutely loved that car,” Burger reminisces, “but as time went on I realised I’d bought an investment vehicle, and started worrying about driving it so the thing ended up just sitting in the garage most of the time”. As we continue to talk, it’s clear that Burger buys cars to drive them and have fun in, not to sit under a cover… so the itch was on for something a bit more useable, and chuckable. “When I was young, my uncle gave me his 1275GT Mini,” he explains, “that go-kart feeling never really left me, and I started hankering after a proper little hot hatch”. At the same time, Ford announced the launch of the Fiesta ST200 and were touting it as ‘the fastest ever production Fiesta’, so he decided to take a closer look.

“It looked good on paper,” he continues, “but I was worried that I’d buy one, only for Ford to release a Fiesta RS soon after”. Luckily, his work contacts gave him access to Ford top brass, who when asked “should I buy a Fiesta ST200 or should I hold out for an RS version,” answered, “you should probably buy an ST200!” With that information, Burger decided to press the trigger on a brand new ST200 after all, with the mind-set of – “if Ford won’t build a Fiesta RS, then I’ll have to build my own.”

The car you see today, is a 2017 model and like all ST200s was Storm Grey out of the factory. First impressions weren’t ideal because after owning fast Focuses, its performance came as a bit of a disappointment to him. “The Focus had twice the power I guess,” he shrugs, “so the Fiesta ST200 felt flat in comparison.” Rather than mucking about, he decided to upgrade all of the mechanical aspects of the car as well as give it a great big chunk of extra power, all in one big hit. “After lots of research into turbos and power packages,” continues Burger, “I was only really impressed with Charlie at Peron – most power upgrade kits have some mediocre parts thrown in, but Peron’s turbo was good, their intercooler was good, and their ECU also made sense.” Not being keen on hybrid turbos, Burger opted for a Garrett GTX2860R – a dual ball bearing unit complete with billet compressor wheel, and in theory able to achieve his desired goal of 350bhp. “I drove the car up there standard, and drove it away two weeks later with 347bhp at the wheels running 1.6-bar,” he says, “so I was really happy, but being a small engine it’s delivery is different to the Focus – you have to rev it and drive it quite hard to unlock its potential”. We’re still amazed by the potential of the little 1.6-litre EcoBoost engine, but Burger has even bigger goals now. “The plan is now 400bhp,” he continues, “so we’ve forged it, done the block mod, and I’m 800 miles into running it in before we turn the boost up and try to reach that figure”. Sensibly at the same time as the power-ups, he had KW’s finest street coil-overs fitted, a Kaaz LSD to help put the power down through corners, as well as proper brakes courtesy of AP Racing which stop on a sixpence, and help protect what has been a very substantial investment in the bodywork.

“The whole concept was to create the Fiesta RS that Ford never built,” explains Burger, “it had to have an OEM look and finish, and when I found a guy down South who’d got a genuine WRC bodykit, I thought I’d hit the jackpot”. In the flesh however, it was obvious the kit was just too wide and extreme for a road car to pull off. But the chap had a load of other trick parts, all from his own Fiesta WRC project which had already eaten up an eye-watering £60,000 of his cash. “He could take it no further,” nods Burger, “so I bought the original carbon fibre S2000 rear spoiler off him, as well as the genuine Asfalto racing wheels which were made especially for M-Sport by OZ Racing.” As sexy as they were, unfortunately they weren’t made for a production Fiesta, being 5×135 fitment as opposed to the 4×108 ST200 fitment. “M-Sport used custom fabricated hubs on the rally cars,” he explains, “but you can’t buy them so I spent four months researching what could be done.” Despite most people telling him to just buy a different set of copy wheels, Burger persisted. After some great advice and help from motorsport engineer Alan Crossley, it was decided that re-drilling the standard hubs from 4×108 to 5×108 and then getting a set of one inch billet adaptors from Anembo Engineering to mate the 5×108 to 5×135, was the way forward. “It might sound simple,” laughs Burger, “but that took four months of head scratching and effort.”

With the wheels on the bodywork could start in earnest, and essentially the whole thing was built around those alloys. An M-Sport kit was picked out as suiting the car the best, so trusted body-shop Motion Factory Finishes got to work cutting out the Fiesta’s almost brand new rear quarter panels to accommodate the arches, and customising pretty much every part of the kit by chopping and changing other non-M-Sport parts to make it truly unique. “I didn’t make life easy for the guys as I kept chopping and changing my mind on rear diffusers and bumpers”, admits Burger, “in some cases after getting a perfect fitment, I’d change my idea on a panel which then meant refabricating areas or in some cases starting afresh!” Ollie and Alex’s patience was tested to the core, and it’s testament to their professionalism that they worked through it like troopers – even the paint was a pain! “It’s amazing how hard the flat grey paint is to match properly,” continues Burger, “but I was adamant we kept the colour as it’s a unique feature of the ST200 and I think it looks great.” We couldn’t agree more – there are so many touches on this car like the custom 3D printed badging, wrapped roof, and the usually textured black plastics such as on the door mirrors and front grille are now smoothed and painted matt black.

Unsurprisingly, at shows it gets a lot of attention – it’s one of those cars that the longer you look at it, the more you spot. “The biggest compliment I’ve had so far,” says Burger proudly, “is people telling me it looks like it came from the factory… one guy presumed it was a special edition from Ford!” RSOC National Day also saw a bit of love from Fifth Gear presenter and all round game girl Vicki Butler Henderson, who couldn’t resist sitting in the – for now – standard interior. “She really liked it,” he smiles, “but it isn’t just a show queen.” His favourite annual event is a road trip through Scotland with a bunch of car mates – taking in the beautiful sights and letting the go-kart chassis of the Fiesta really come to life. “I absolutely love that trip,” he enthuses, “it’s the highlight of my year, and is the perfect environment for the go-kart modified Fiesta ST200… it’s just a huge buzz.” Well, he may have been late to the party with this car modifying lark, but Burger really does sound like a true petrol-head these days, “oh yes,” he nods, “it took me a while, but I think with this build, I’ve certainly made up for lost time!” You’re never too late to start, and given the quality and presence of this modified Fiesta ST200, we hope there’s plenty more to come from him in the future too.

From Fast Ford. Words: Ben Birch. Photos: Liam Hart & Dave Varley.

Tech Spec: Modified Fiesta ST200

Engine:

Garrett Gen2 GTX2860R turbo, Nortech Performance GTX tubular manifold, Nortech 4-port auxiliary fuel kit, Peron Garrett intercooler, Peron/Nortech hi-flow de-cat race down pipe, Peron/Turbosmart external waste-gate, Peron diverter valve, Peron silicone boost and inlet hoses, Peron hard pipe, Peron Stage 4 ECU software Peron/ITG hi-flow CAIS, Wiseco forged pistons, K1 forged con-rods, Piper exhaust system, Mishimoto oil catch can

Power:

347bhp (at the wheels)

Transmission:

KAAZ LSD, Cobb torque mount, VUDU short shifter

Suspension:

KW V3 coilovers, Summit front and rear strut braces, Powerflex poly bushes

Brakes:

AP Racing 4-pot front brake calipers, 330mm discs on Reyland bells

Wheels & Tyres:

K.Pierce Co. bespoke 5-stud hubs, Anembo Engineering bespoke hub adapters, 9x18in M-Sport/Oz Racing Super Turismo Rally Asfalto S2000 wheels, 225/40R18 Michelin PS4 tyres

Exterior:

M-Sport (TGST) WRC body kit, M-Sport CF R5 rear spoiler and brackets, CM Composite WRC style bonnet vents, Maxton Design rear bumper/diffuser, Monkey Wrench bespoke custom headlights, Mark One livery, DC3D bespoke badging, DMB overlays, Billet Badges bespoke emblem, MFF (follow the factory) vinyl elements, Ultimate windscreens MK glazing

Interior:

P3 multi gauge in driver’s air vent

Source

June 24, 2021