Ford’s Fiesta subcompact is pretty stylish—in five-door guise, anyway; the sedan is seriously frumpy—which makes it a decent tableau for customization. Ford is bringing three worked-over examples to next week’s SEMA show in Las Vegas, each prepped by a different tuning outfit. (Truthfully, we’re a little sad that none of them are a production version of the turbocharged Fiesta ST concept.) Read on for a rundown on all the baubles and bolt-ons, and be sure to check back in a few days for photos of the Fiestas straight from the show floor.
2011 Fiesta by M2-Motoring
M2-Motoring is more of a parts wholesaler than a tuning shop, but the company does sell its own line of products with a heavy focus on individualized customization. M2’s SEMA car (pictured at the top of this post) toes the line between looking like a Mansory nightmare and an ad for grape drink. The hood, outer fascia inserts, front splitter, side mirrors, and upper roof spoiler are rendered in carbon. The Fiesta’s sheetmetal and wheel lips are finished in a bright “Candy Purple” color. The car also is fitted with some performance enhancers. M2 added a DC Sports cat-back exhaust, an Injen cold-air intake, a Megan Racing coil-over suspension, and Wilwood brakes. No SEMA car is complete without a few video monitors, a new sound system, and a bitchin’ fuel door, so the M2 Fiesta has all three.
2011 Fiesta by Gold Coast Automotive
Fiesta ST? What Fiesta ST? Gold Coast Automotive’s supercharged Fiesta is easily the most performance-oriented of Ford’s SEMA Fiestas, so it applies some salve to our ST-sized wound. Since the Fiesta ST is still just a concept, Gold Coast’s offering looks like a solid blueprint for Fiesta owners with a speed itch. What began as a base Fiesta SE hatchback was overhauled with Wilwood brakes, Hankook racing tires, and a Jackson Racing blower. Gold Coast added a fender-flare kit and front splitter, along with a 3dCarbon body kit and a Matchbox-style graphics package.
2011 Fiesta by Aaron Vaccar Signature Series
If the M2 Fiesta is a bit too showy, or the Gold Coast car too racy (is there such a thing?), then the Aaron Vaccar Fiesta is the just-right porridge in Ford’s fairy-tale lineup of SEMA Fiestas. The Vaccar Fiesta won’t blow you away with extra speed—its only go-faster upgrade is a Weapon-R air intake—but we think it’s the best-looking by far of the three. The AV car wears an alluring coat of bright silver matte metallic paint and rides on black 17-inch wheels that have a thin red accent stripe along their rim. Wilwood brakes with beefy six-piston calipers hide behind the rollers. The interior features Bride racing seats and red leather upholstery. Our favorite AV Fiesta detail? The side mirrors, which look like they were pulled straight off of an F1 car.
News
Visit our partner website Webhappenings.com for complete news articles and celebrity headlines.
Other stories from around the web:
Ford Motor Co. Chief Executive Alan Mulally’s compensation rose 11 percent to $29.5 million in 2011. Ford reported Mulally’s compensation on Friday in its annual proxy filing with the federal government. Mulally earned $2 million in salary, up 43 percent from 2010.
The original four-door coupe, take two.
It’s an age-old automotive-design problem—how do you fix what isn’t broken? How do you update a timeless shape?
Keep Reading: 2012 Mercedes-Benz CLS550 – Short Take Road Test
Chicago is losing a financial exchange, but it’s no loss to the local economy. The Chicago Board Options Exchange said it is moving the trading operations of its wholly owned stock market to Secaucus, N.J., as of today
Requiring fast-food restaurants in New York City to post calorie counts on menus did little to cut the number of calories children and teens consumed, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday.
Yelp’s stock is soaring in its stock market debut Friday. The shares are up 61 percent to $24.15 in the first minutes of trading, after pricing at $15 on Thursday night.
<!--paging_filter-->
In a case that’s somewhat chicken-and-egg, one of the many reasons computer scientists and physicists are pursuing a working quantum computer is to model quantum systems themselves. Modeling some quantum properties for systems even with a just a few dozen particles is...
<!--paging_filter-->
Fires force lab to close, but officials say hazardous materials are secured
The wildfires burning in across the Southwest have threatened homes, economies, and communities, but today the Las Conchas fire in New Mexico is taking the threat to a new level. Having already...
Britain needs to invest more in commercialisation rather than purely the development of technology ideas.
The 2011 Mercedes-Benz ML63 AMG will roll into showrooms this July with subtle visual changes. The SUV scores new darkened headlight surrounds, tinted LED taillights, and the hood from the ML450 hybrid, which features subtle power bulges. Otherwise, the ML63 remains essentially unchanged for the...