Let’s be honest for a sec. The Fiesta ST is hands-down the car you want.
…Without the nameplate you want.
It’s a proportionately out-of-wack jellybean car with a piñata badge. So what… get over it dude. Because if you can’t have fun in a FiST, then you just can’t have fun.
Having said that, these Ford Fiesta STs are NOT selling. The vast majority of the car-buying-public doesn’t want them. They don’t understand them. And they don’t want to understand them. Hell – a lot of the Ford dealers themselves don’t even want them… or understand them The STs have gotten the axe already from Ford (in America). They’re an outgoing & unappreciated model. A lot of them have been sitting at dealerships collecting dust & pollen for a year. And as a result, I’ve had at least a few buddies go into Ford dealerships and scoop up BRAND NEW LOADED (with Recaros) Fiesta STs for $19k or less.
These cares are limited, they’re discontinued, they’re lightweight, they’re turbocharged, they’re 6-speed only, there’s great aftermarket support, they’re future cult-classics… and they cut corners like a cat on carpet.
The Fiesta ST WILL BE one of the cars YOU’LL WISH you bought while you had the chance.
The Fiesta ST WILL BE one of the ‘good old days’ cars that you & your friends will complain no one makes anymore. And yet while you sit on your thumbs now… your window to get a Fiesta ST in the US is closing, rapidly… and unfortunately.
For better or worse, Wyatt Reed doesn’t hesitate to go to extremes on his new vehicles. He owned an FRS, and sold it to get a 2016 WRX for better all-season drivability. That WRX made 380hp/430tq… until the ‘2nd’ dyno pull, when it grenade’d itself at 6,000 miles, Subaru turned their back because they smelled tuner bullshit all over it, and stuck Wyatt with a Donald Trump HUUUGE repair bill.
No longer a Subaru fan, Wyatt was talking to Robert Kochis (known from the FRS world) about recommendations for a new platform. Robert said, “Man this is gonna sound nuts, but have you driven a Ford Fiesta ST?”
It struck Wyatt as an odd recommendation. But Robert urged him to go test drive one. Wyatt did a little research on the car. He was intrigued by the fact that – not everybody had one already. He went back to some Dsport mags where they built one up & got great performance & reviews out of it. And – he verified that the engine/tranny costs weren’t going to be astronomical when he blew it to pieces.
The hunt was on, and Wyatt found this Molten Orange FiST that had been sitting inside a dealer’s showroom for a year next to a GT350R. He took the car on a test drive, and it followed him home.
It didn’t take long for Wyatt to rip into it & cut it up. But hey – that’s what hot hatches are for! And that’s the liberating part about owning one. You f*ck with ‘em! (shrug) And you don’t feel bad about it, because they like it. And then you ride that boost-wave like a GoPro-sponsored surfer. Look – are you looking for a brand new car that you can own for easily UNDER $300/month? Something that will humble the ‘bigger badder’ trendy cars? Something that’ll make you grin, even if you’re driving it to a funeral? Look no further.
Performance
Tuned by Panda Motorworks using Cobb Accessport V3 on 91 Octane & E30 fuels
Pumaspeed X47R hybrid Turbo w/ options
Turbosmart 17PSI wastegate
Turbosmart 50/50 blow off valve
CP-E full intake kit
CP-E catless downpipe
MBRP 3” catback exhaust
Mountune intercooler piping kit
Mountune sound symposer delete
CP-E front mount intercooler
CFM performance baffled valve cover-breather
Mishimoto oil catch can
Mishimoto coolant reservoir
Boomba short throw shift kit
Boomba shifter bushings
Exterior & Aero
Fender Braces rally vents
Mountune front splitter
Mountune spoiler extensions
Velossa Tech wing risers
Velossa Tech ST emblems
Rally Innovations side splitter
Trackspec Motorsports Hood vents
Disgruntled Designs fender flares
Aeroflow Dynamics canards
Aeroflow Dynamics rear diffuser
DHM crash bar w/20” LED light bar
Interior
Mountune shift knob
Proclips Cobb AP pillar mount
Passport Escort Max 2 radar detector
Innovate ethanol content gauge & sensor installed in an ATI passenger side vent pod
Wheels / Tires / Suspension
H&R extended studs
Toyo R1R – 245/35/17
Klutch ML7 – 17X9 +8
Mishimoto lugs & locks
Eibach lowering springs
ST front & rear sway bars
Pierce Motorsports race suspension bracing kits
ST Suspension Sway Bars
All of the ST nomenclature can get a little confusing, but just to keep it clear, you have the Fiesta ST… and then you have ST Suspension (which is a sister company to KW Suspension). Wyatt’s car is running ST Suspension front & rear aftermarket sway bars. The front is a beefier upgrade. AND – the Fiesta ST does not come from the factory with a REAR sway bar at all. So adding one in back is obviously a big improvement/change… and will keep the car from lifting a rear tire in hard, tight cornering.
TB Performance Products
To take it even a step further, make sure and look up some of the under-car chassis bracing options from TB Performance Products. ST sway bars + TB chassis bracing makes for a potent little handling package on the already-sharp Fiesta ST!
Boomba Racing :: Ultimate Shift Package
The Boomba Ultimate Shift Package is hands-down one of the most rewarding mods you can do to these cars… especially when you consider the relatively low cost involved. The ULTIMATE KIT includes solid bushing replacements – both under the console, AND under the hood, as well as the transmission adapter plate, AND the short shifter itself. A couple hours install time, and your gear changes will feel exponentially more engaging, and more deliberate… driver satisfaction will be peaked. Boomba gives you the option to set/adjust the shift-throw-distance from a 20%, all the way to a 40% decrease over stock. (Tip: Make sure to apply new white lithium grease on the cable/shifter mounting points for a fresh & solid bond.)
Text by Wooley Photos by Duke Newport
