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Ford UK announces limited edition Fiesta ST500
Click above for high-res gallery of the limited edition Ford Fiesta ST500
Finishing off a successful (and fun) run of current-gen Fiesta ST models, Ford just introduced a special limited edition version of its little hot hatch. Painted in Panther black with silver stripes to emulate the company's Escort RS2000 race livery, the new Fiesta ST500 will be limited to just 500 units, hence the "500" in the name. Besides the black paint and silver stripes, this special Fiesta gets black alloys hiding red calipers and an MSRP of £15,000 in the UK, the only market in which it will be available.
Still powered by the same 150-horsepower 2.0L four-banger, the ST500 also features the suspension and steering tweaks that make this car such a blast on B roads. Presumably the Roush/Mountune engine upgrades will also fit here, allowing 165- and 185-horsepower options for those who find the stock 150 unsatisfactory. Those poking their heads inside will also spot a new Sony audio system, as well as ebony leather heated seats and faux fiber trim. Looks good, and not a bad way to finish off a successful run, but we're honestly more interested in a possible SVT version of the new Fiesta that we will be seeing Stateside soon.
Gallery: Ford Fiesta ST500
[Source: Ford]
PRESS RELEASE:
NEW SPORTY LIMITED EDITION FIESTA ST
- Fiesta ST500 special edition
- Panther black metallic paint
- Black alloy wheels
- Red brake callipers – a first for any Fiesta
- Silver bonnet and side stripes
- Prices start at £15,000
BRENTWOOD, 10 June, 2008 –A special edition Ford Fiesta ST packed with extra equipment is set to thrill Fiesta fans across Britain. Priced from £15,000 and called ST 500, it will be limited to just 500 and will be distinguished by unique styling touches and extras.
The Fiesta ST is renowned for its punchy 2.0-litre 150PS engine, sports-tuned steering, lowered and stiffened sports suspension and short-shift, close ratio gearbox which creates its exciting ride. The sporting heritage of the best Ford cars is carried on to this special edition with unique 'U'-shaped stripes; designed to echo the livery of the classic Escort RS2000, and matching side livery.
The Fiesta ST500's features include 17in 11-spoke black alloys, red brake callipers and carbon fibre pattern interior trim. The interior also features a Sony audio system and ebony leather heated seats.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
DCragtop 9:33AM (6/13/2008)
actually not a bad looking car/idea. I do hope they bring this over soon.
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Pacman 9:45AM (6/13/2008)
Can not wait for the next gen version in the US. Please Ford keep it quality like the EU version! I know you can do it, I have faith. What do you have to loose? No one likes your cars now so you can only sell more.
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compy386 9:56AM (6/13/2008)
Actually the reason it takes a while to bring over Euro Fords is to up the quality. Europe has much lower test standards for car quality because it's a different market. People in the US tend use things more heavily than Europeans. That's why Mercedes and VW continually bomb consumer reports quality rankings. An engineering friend explained to me that in the US where we'd do 25k reps in cars and 75k reps in trucks, Europe might only test to 10K. So in the US we have to use materials that can last longer and stand up to heavier abuse.
Pacman 10:00AM (6/13/2008)
ok that is great for the mechanicals but I am talking about the design and the interior materials. Every time we get a Ford in the US it is nothing like the Ford in Europe. I dont care if it needs to be tested longer...no big deal, test away. Just when the testing is done please keep it looking the same.
Holden Miecranc 10:09AM (6/13/2008)
It's not that they need to test more, it's that the durability of the European vehicles is not as great as those in the US. While it's true that European market vehicles have nicer interiors and better tuned suspensions, they are not designed to be driven as much or as hard as vehicles in the US. That is why compy386 pointed out how poorly European makes do in quality surveys.
Domestic GM vehicles, for example, don't have the refinement or interior quality of VW, but, given how many 80's and 90's era GM vehicles that still populate the roads, it's pretty obvius that even at their low point they were pretty durable.
Pacman 10:20AM (6/13/2008)
Ok great info, but you are still missing the point. All that is very important but all I am asking if for Ford to make it look the same and have the same interior.
Also, there are still lots of old VWs around.
Chris 10:38AM (6/13/2008)
Holden, I disagree. The reason you see so many GM vehicles compared to euro cars are, they made MILLIONS of them, so there's bound to be a lot still on the road. Also, and maybe more importantly, GM cars are MUCH cheaper to repair. Parts are cheaper, labor is cheaper because almost any shop can repair them.
compy386 10:55AM (6/13/2008)
It will look the same, don't worry about that. But the quality of materials might actually differ. The funny thing about quality is some times the higher quality in terms of feel and touch might not be the most durable. The highest quality leathers tend to fade and wear the fastest. I don't know exactly what they're changing but the balance of quality and durability is a little different for US customers versus European.
Landy 1:38AM (6/14/2008)
compy386:
This is a joke - isn't it?
Yes - Euro cars don't have a seperate frames and they widly have independent suspensions instead of a beam axles on leaf springs but they are not flimsy in any way - just ages ahead! Compare an US Ford with a EU Ford directly if you can!! (I could!)
DesiAuto 10:57AM (6/13/2008)
Can autoblog stop posting articles on Ford Europe models? You know exactly why I am saying this.
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All of those who talk about quality and durability of europe vs. n.a., its first about style and looks. If people like to look at it than they are going to worry about it's quality etc.
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Cornholio 12:37PM (6/13/2008)
You could always just skip reading these articles if they bother you so.
I for one like these interesting bits on Ford's EU products. Keep 'em coming, please!
Itsuru 5:24PM (6/13/2008)
People outside of the US read this too you know, actually you probably didn't know that.
Avinash machado 12:16PM (6/13/2008)
A diesel Fiesta that gives around 50 MPG will be nice too.
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Pacman 12:23PM (6/13/2008)
agreed!
Alex 12:36PM (6/13/2008)
That actually looks like quite a fun little car to toss through the turns. I do hope they decide on a RS or SVT version of the Fiesta come 2010.
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d1ndonly 12:41PM (6/13/2008)
I don't agree with the comment of lesser quality materials used in EU cars over NA cars.The reason the don't sell a lot of the stuff they have in Europe here, is because the vehicles generally weren't even designed from the get go for North America.As for durability, I doubt they make cars in EU any less sturdy, with lesser qualiy interiors. For starters there are plenty of rough cobblestone streets all over Europe and generally cars are more expensive to purchase in most countires over there. In some countries they are not not traded in or sold every 4-6 years like here in Canada or the U.S because they aren't as miled out or worn out (our salted winter roads, way longer distances between places).They do however drive smaller more seemingly fragile cars, because the lifestyle over there is for most people very different from ours( very few pickup trucks for personal use, very few minivans and suvs for trips to big box stores and carrying the kids to practice) with fuel the equivilant to $2.15 a litre or about $8.50 a US gallon, light and fragile makes sense.
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Bart 1:42PM (6/13/2008)
Dont forget Autoblog is an internationally accessible site everytime you go 'another Euro Ford'. Some of the news here is actually pretty relevant to the rest of the world, even though we in NL have our own little autoblog division.
And personally I think you might actually want to look into EU testing and quality, because more often than not the EU cars are a lot more durable and reliable (providing they're built here).
The fact these cars dont blow over to you is simple. You dont want them enough, and it costs too much. And there's also the bit where the platforms generally come mated to a specific engine range which doesnt meet US standards.
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