I’ll say it…that run was not pretty. The launch was more of a bounce and it took precious time to get the little Ford oriented and laying down the power properly. But the timeslip does not lie: [email protected] MPH. That is good for most machines, but that is absolutely bitchin’ for a first-generation Fiesta. The step from maybe 90 horsepower on it’s best day to here was a long one for Chris Todd…the Fiesta has been converted not only to rear wheel drive, but to a mid-mounted engine setup that is composed of one very angry Subaru EJ20 flat-four hooked to a Mendeola transmission. The potential is obviously there…the Subaru mill has the power, it’s now just a matter of the Ford putting the power down properly.

A mid-engined supermini that’s good for a nine-second timeslip. You have to love the engineering and creativity here. I’m stuck seeing Fiestas of this generation as a mini-ute in the making and not as a wee little badass of a machine. This Fiesta is proof that not only does everything become awesome when given the proper race car treatment, but that even the most basic little machines can be a riot. Quick…somebody go get an EcoBoost mill from a late-model Fiesta and make one that’s rear-engined and angry, like an old rally car!