RE: 1.0-litre Formula Ford laps Norschleife in 7:22

RE: 1.0-litre Formula Ford laps Norschleife in 7:22

Tuesday 4th September 2012

1.0-litre Formula Ford laps Norschleife in 7:22

Racer with modifed EcoBoost engine thrashes supercars and gets 57mpg!



Ford's latest EcoBoost engine is winning itself lots of fans; the combination of small displacement (just 999cc across three cylinders) with a turbo has created a powerplant with the power of a 1.6 (up to 125hp) and fuel economy typical of a tiny engine (58.9mpg combined). Riggers was a fan of the 125hp version when installed in a Focus, and the 145hp upgrade by Superchips offers a significant performance gain for a small financial outlay. Ever since, inevitable questions have arisen around what the engine could achieve in a lighter bodyshell. Surely it would make for a great Fiesta Zetec S? Or even a cheeky Ka ST?

Three cylinders, 999cc, 205hp and road-legal!
Three cylinders, 999cc, 205hp and road-legal!
But Ford itself has gone one step further by putting the 1.0-litre EcoBoost into a Formula Ford car and given it 205hp. Then sent it round the Nordschleife. In 7 minutes 22 seconds.

Yep, that's a car with a one-litre, three-cylinder engine lapping the 12.94 mile Nurburgring quicker than an Aventador or an MP4-12C. Unsurprisingly, Ford claims its the fastest lap time ever completed by a car with three cylinders.

Ah yes, you might say, but that's a racing car; it will have downforce and run on slicks so there's no way you can compare it to cars with a tax disc and lights. However, this wasn't a regular Formula Ford. As well as substituting the regular 1.6-litre, four-cylinder EcoBoost for the smaller triple, the team in charge of the project fitted the Formula Ford with all the equipment to make it fully road-legal; lights, wheel covers, indicators, mirrors, horn, a manual gearbox and treaded tyres.

Road-legal tyres, yes, but they're hardly all-weather...
Road-legal tyres, yes, but they're hardly all-weather...
7:22 is the 11th fastest time ever recorded around the Nordschleife, and means the Formula Ford averaged 105mph over the lap. Ford's own testing suggests the car is capable of nearly 160mph and 0-60mph in less than four seconds.

Perhaps just as interestingly, they say it should also achieve 57mpg at a steady 75mph. Looks like you can have your cake and eat it after all...

Nick Tandy drove the Formula Ford on its spectacular lap. He says it's "simply astonishing" that such a small engine can deliver the giant-killing performance shown.

7:22 'Ring lap means 105mph average
7:22 'Ring lap means 105mph average
The car is a one-off but the lap is great publicity for Ford and the merits of the EcoBoost triple. Its Vice-President of Marketing and Sales, Roelant de Waard says it's "an amazingly capable engine". And with a lap time like that, who are we to argue?

Author
Discussion

anonymous-user

Original Poster:

53 months

Tuesday 4th September 2012
quotequote all
Any footage? I see the GoPro on the car...
As for this engine, I have a feeling it'll be one of those 'great' ones people talk about for years!

CampDavid

9,145 posts

197 months

Tuesday 4th September 2012
quotequote all
Driven by a superb Bedford lad. Excellent.


kambites

67,460 posts

220 months

Tuesday 4th September 2012
quotequote all
Now where can I buy one of these road-legalised formula fords for my commute? driving

Produce one for 10k and I'll buy it tomorrow. smile

Edited by kambites on Tuesday 4th September 14:43

Prof Prolapse

16,160 posts

189 months

Tuesday 4th September 2012
quotequote all
I don't get it. Where's the catch?

interfacezero

7 posts

146 months

Tuesday 4th September 2012
quotequote all
Wonder if / when we will see the engine in a Caterham instead of the sigma block?

trickywoo

11,701 posts

229 months

Tuesday 4th September 2012
quotequote all
"Racer with modifed EcoBoost engine thrashes supercars and gets 57mpg!"

Come on guys thats lazy splash hackery at best isn't it?

I'd guess sub 20mpg at any kind of pace on boost.


bmthnick1981

5,310 posts

215 months

Tuesday 4th September 2012
quotequote all
Shame Ford won't build these, seems like there could be a market.

ARAF

20,759 posts

222 months

Tuesday 4th September 2012
quotequote all
That's one hell of a track day car. smile

StottyZr

6,860 posts

162 months

Tuesday 4th September 2012
quotequote all
eek Very impressed.

Switch

3,455 posts

174 months

Tuesday 4th September 2012
quotequote all
I can see one of these making it's way into my old Cappuccino soon....

StottyZr

6,860 posts

162 months

Tuesday 4th September 2012
quotequote all
interfacezero said:
Wonder if / when we will see the engine in a Caterham instead of the sigma block?
I was just thinking that. A breathed on ecoboost in a Caterham, 500kg (I'd expect its ligher than the current engines) ~150hp and 50mpg. Yes please.

KDIcarmad

703 posts

150 months

Tuesday 4th September 2012
quotequote all
bmthnick1981 said:
Shame Ford won't build these, seems like there could be a market.
If Ford does not, come on the kit car industry!

Bill

52,472 posts

254 months

Tuesday 4th September 2012
quotequote all
All sorts if "yeah but, no but" type thoughts come to mind, but tbh there's no arguing with that.

If this is the future I'm a happy man.

Spiike

105 posts

151 months

Tuesday 4th September 2012
quotequote all
If Ford actually built these and put them out at a reasonable price (considering the lack of interior and technology) they would sell superbly well IMO. These engines are definitely on their way to the kit car market for sure!

900T-R

20,404 posts

256 months

Tuesday 4th September 2012
quotequote all
OK,

Buy well used Formula Ford £ 5-10K
Engine install £5K?
IVA stuff (lights, mirrors, cycle wings etc) - £3K?

Sounds a 'cheap' way to get into an extreme track day toy... smile


BuzzLightyear

1,426 posts

181 months

Tuesday 4th September 2012
quotequote all
That is an impressive effort. Even allowing for the "imaginative" way it has been achieved, it is pretty quick and extremely economical, too.

My OH has just picked up a new, EcoBoost powered Ford, albeit the 1.6 (160 PS) version in a Galaxy, and it will be interesting to see how the performance and economy work out. (There is a re-map available to c200PS for a few hundred quid if we feel the bulk of the car is too much for the engine to overcome). So far, it has surprised us with the handling which is actually pretty good and better than you might expect although the ride is quite firm, too.

StottyZr

6,860 posts

162 months

Tuesday 4th September 2012
quotequote all
Spiike said:
If Ford actually built these and put them out at a reasonable price (considering the lack of interior and technology) they would sell superbly well IMO.
Ariel would be pretty peeved.

8vFTW

415 posts

152 months

Tuesday 4th September 2012
quotequote all
What kind of MPG would it get in something with doors and a roof?

Lots of power for such a small engine but do Ford really expect these to last as long as a equivalent, larger capacity, N/A setup? Surely your going to be forever melting bits and blowing up turbos?

Spiike

105 posts

151 months

Tuesday 4th September 2012
quotequote all
StottyZr said:
Spiike said:
If Ford actually built these and put them out at a reasonable price (considering the lack of interior and technology) they would sell superbly well IMO.
Ariel would be pretty peeved.
I agree, even though I love Ariel their cars are starting to get too expensive, if Ford brought this out at £20k or less it would be perfect, can't imagine they cost too much to build.

Peeved

83 posts

212 months

Tuesday 4th September 2012
quotequote all
Very impressive.

I wonder what work needed to be done to get such a high specific output? Could those sorts of figures be reliably produced at road car volume?