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.....the front end was simply transferred from the Escort and held in place by a spaceframe. The transmission tunnel was taken from a Capri and carefully blended in to the Fiesta's original floor and bulkhead.
You will by now have noticed the large number of Ford models which have contri-buted to this car. EDSpeed's parts-bin phi-losophy even extends to the rear wheel studs, these are from a Sierra.
The standard 1600 OHC gearbox has recently been swapped for a 2litre version in the interests of strength: "I was finding that the 1600 box wasn't taking the punishment. We had no trouble with it in the Escort -none. Why I don't know. With the competi-tion clutch it's maybe getting more punishment. For the first two or three events I used a standard clutch in the Fiesta, and then I got a chance of a competition clutch. Maybe l'm a bit brutal with it myself. When I change gear I just throw my leg off the pedal. But there's no point in having a car and it not working - they're built to work."
In a normal Fiesta, the principal function of the rear wheels is simply to stop the back end dragging along the ground. In Edgar's car, they now had to provide drive, which called for a major re-design:
"We used some of the shock absorber links and tie-bar links from the Fiesta and welded them on to the Escort's axle. We kept the shock absorber mountings from the Fiesta at the back and grafted in coil spring pods. Everything lined up and looked fine when we put it together, so I just gave it a final weld with the MIG. Gavin Nimmo converted the drum brakes at the back to discs - we're using Mk3 Escort discs with Fiesta front calipers".
With most of the mechanical work done, it was time to prepare the bodywork: "I bought a set of £139 Z-pack arches and then had to set to with the hacksaw! The length was OK, but with the car being that low and the wheels being that wide the arches wouldn't fit, so I had to cut them up and add on a wee bit in the middle".
The front airdam is also Z-pack, but the roof spoiler may come as a surprise. Mau-reen works for Liddell's Coaches, who expressed an interest in having the new car painted in their colours. "The answer to that," says Edgar, "was that it depended on how much they coughed up. We carne to an agreement, and then I asked if they had any old buses. They said, 'What for?' I said I wanted to build up a spoiler - I made it up using a side hatch off one of their buses. I think it works... it looks good, if nothing else!
Although the car is fairly light, there is still a lot of weight-saving that could be done. Except for the laminated windscreen, all the Windows are perspex, but there is no sign yet of fibreglass doors, bonnet or tailgate. That's an įrea Edgar may explore next year.
He is also interested in uprating the transmission. The welded-up differential isn't exactly hi-tech, but it all comes down to a familiar problem:
"Cash is the main factor. I couldn't afford a fancy slip unit, so I took the diff out of the Mk1. l'd found that with an ordinary diff it would lift a wheel and lose power in corners, so I welded it up and it worked fine. You've just got to be brave enough. I know that in special saloons you're meant to be neat and tidy, but with this you've got to throw it into a corner and ease the power in, or else you'll slide off. It's crude but effective.
"I'm looking for a good sponsor to give me an LSD and a Tran-X gear conversion kit for next year, though if I put in an LSD l'd have to learn to drive it again. I had hoped for a Tran-X for this season, but my pocket's deep enough. l'll probably have harder springs next year too (there's no point in changing for this season) because it still rolls that wee bit".
There may not be much standard textbook technology in this car, but that doesn't matter. It's an example of what can be done in club motorsport when somebody who is prepared to work hard and experiment comes along. Edgar has worked out a few ideas and, with the help of very few other people, put together a racing car which works and which is fun.
And, in a country where you can hardly move for the things, it's an odd Fiesta.
Captions -
Middle-Right - The impressive rear spoiler comes from a side hatch of an old bus! Looks better than it should!
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