A couple of years ago, I made an argument that pretty much anything that had a chromed bumper could no longer be considered a sleeper. Nobody is going to believe that a 1970 Nova that is at the strip is an unassuming little beast. You have a 50/50 chance of getting your ass handed to you by any of the GM G-bodies. And there is such a culture of non-Mustang LS-swapped Fords that you simply can’t trust any of them anymore. You don’t want to admit to your buddies that some ratty-ass 1985 LTD just dragged you like a disobedient child, do you? Of course not. But then the question next is, what does a proper sleeper of the modern era look like and sound like? Is it an SUV that is packing four times the power of the original? Is it a STI or EVO that looks more-or-less stock but has been wound so tightly that even Colin McRae would think twice about a full-fat launch?

Nah. Here’s your sleeper. A poverty-white Ford Fiesta ST that will easily make mincemeat out of anyone who thinks that they bought their way into the big-power game. [email protected] MPH in the quarter…for any street-driven car that’s a stout number. For a Ford Fiesta, that’s an act of God. Ok, that’s hyperbole…it’s more thanks to a ton of bolt-ons and a turbocharger, and that’s on a stock block with a stock transaxle. 425 wheel horsepower, and capable of 500+ at the wheels on spray. And it was not on the bottle when it not only showed the Hellcat taillights, but what bus lengths look like.

Ford pulling out of the car game is going to be a touch more sour after this mean little mother makes an imprint. Tell us you couldn’t bring yourself to have a daily like this. Keep that turbo silent and your insurance company wouldn’t know. Who is going to suspect the one vehicle that looks like an airport rental car? Nobody.