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.....dusted in four months, and a decade later I finished it off," Craig says, without a hint of irony. Funnily enough though, Craig didn't want an early model, as he'd set his heart on a later, face-lifted model, thinking it would be easier to find a good-nick example. He found this Fiesta (which was originally an XR2) less engine, box and interior in nearby Cardigan and 10 years ago he handed over 60 quid for it.
"I couldn't turn it down - £60 was nothing really," Craig says - and what he brought home that night turned out to be a right little gem. Even today it has its original sills, floorpan, wings and front panels, which gave the Welsh genius more time to work some magic on the mechanicals.
But what made Craig move away from Escorts? "My concept was to build a lightweight tarmac car - Escorts are heavy and can be expensive, and I had the mortgage to pay," Craig says. Originally he fitted a Crossflow so he could start rallying the pocket rocket, but a few years ago Craig took the more-modern approach, fitting an 1800 Zetec. "It came along at the right money and at this time everyone was fitting Vauxhall engines, but I wouldn't because I'm a Ford man," he says.
Mark's move to newer engines was firmly established with the 1800 Zetec, but, of course, there's always the demand for more and more power. That demand spelled the end of the 1800Zetec's life under the Fiesta's bonnet, because Craig managed to buy a 2-litre Zetec from a 2000 Mondeo for a trifling £300. "It's totally standard, but it's even better than the 1800," Craig says.
While it doesn't feature a modifications, the 2-litre bagged Craig 11th spot at Pembrey last December. Look under the bonnet though, and you'll immediately see this Fiesta isn't front-wheel drive. Whether or not it's the legacy of driving those Escorts, this Fiesta now gets the Zetec power down through the back wheels, rather than creating lots of torque-steer - not what Craig needs out on those rally stages.
Craig says making the Fester rear-wheel drive wasn't too difficult ('there were very little changes needed to the floorpan'), but he installed an English axle in preference to an Atlas unit because it's much lighter, and just as capable of handling the power. The rwd conversion was started as soon as Craig bought the car, but was very nearly not finished when the barn storing the Fester collapsed onto it following a serious blizzard.....
Captions -
Top-Right - Above: Bought for £60, this XR2 is now Zetec-powered and rear drive- and very, very cool! Below: Arched, caged and English axled.
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