Fiesta S2000 rally car revealed

Fifth Gear  Friday 20 November 2009

Ford will launch an all-out assault on the World Rally Championship in 2011 with its new Fiesta S2000.

In the meantime, this little rally rocket will compete in a host of international rally support series before rule changes aimed at reducing costs for manufacturers make it applicable for the real thing.

Built by Malcolm Wilson’s M-Sport team, the Fiesta S2000 is power by a naturally aspirated 2.0-litre with 280bhp and 192lb ft torque. It gets a four-wheel drive and six speed sequential gearbox yet weighs just 1200kg.

In 2011 it will compete against a host of new rally cars, most a size smaller than the current crop of Ford Focus and Citroen C3 challengers. The new line-up is likely to include the Fiat Abarth Punto, the Citroen DS3 and even the Honda Jazz.