Mk1 Fiesta Group 2 Rallye Build Manual
Words:Adapted from Original Ford Motor Company typed Document

Introduction

The Ford Fiesta Was introduced in 1977 and has proved to be a successful car both on the road and in competition. The first "Works" Fiesta's in competition were 1.6L Group 2 cars competing in the 1979 Monte Carlo rally, finishing 2nd (Ari Vatenen) and 3rd (Roger Clark) in Class, 10th and 13th overall.

Since that first outing, extensive development and testing has been carried out to refine the perfromance and durability of the Group 2 cars to make them even more competitive. Group 2 cars are now competing successfully in Greece, Spain and Italy as well as in Britain.

A 1600cc Group 2 Fiesta can be built as cheaply as a Group 1 RS2000 and will have a similar power to weight ratio. There is excellent potential on tarmac events and club stages as well as Internationa rallies and races.

Before commencing to build a car for competition, several points should be borne in mind. First of all, any rally car using public roads in the U.K. must be "road legal", i.e. must be registered, taxed, and meet the "construction and use" regulations governing such items as lighting and tyres. If the registration of the vehicle exceeds three years old an M.O.T. certificate is required.

If the car is to be built up from a new shell it would be adviseable to consult the vehicle licensing department to see if it can be registered as a new vehicle or must be based on an exisiting chassis. Converting an existing chassis offers the advantage of a ready supply of standard parts.

Secondly, copies of the regulations pertaining to the event of championship must be obtained. For the National and International events, the F.I.A. Yearbook and R.A.C Motorsports yearbook are essential together with a copy of the current Homologation form. For a 1600cc Group 2 Fiesta the form number is 5783 and copies are obtainable from the R.A.C. Motorsports Division, 31 Belgrave Sq, London SW1X 8QH (current price £5.00).

IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE COMPETITOR TO ENSURE COMPLIANCE WITH THE REGULATIONS which may change from time to time. This book is issued as a guide, but inclsuion of items in this book does not necessarily imply eligibility. Conversely this book does not purport to contain all current requirements as printed in the F.I.A. Yearbook.

Parts available (together with part number and source) are listed at the end of each section. Part numbers starting 905... are available through Ford Rallye Sport Dealers, other parts from any Ford Dealer or as noted.