Ford Fiesta ST MR200: Spotted

The car the old Fiesta ST was meant to be, now available for just £6K

The Mountune MP215 kit for the Fiesta ST is an upgrade that's been widely discussed on PistonHeads since its introduction, and with good reason. Not only does it make a fun car even more entertaining, it can be fitted for less than the price of metallic paint. A real no-brainer, in other words.

Looks a whole lot better with lower springs

But what people are less clued up on are the Mountune parts for the old Fiesta ST. By all accounts they really were the making of that car, as it wasn't as good as it should have been out of the box. Like its packages for the Focus RS, the Mountune upgrades for Fiestas were split into 'Performance' and 'Racing'; this Fiesta is one of the latter, and therefore a very exciting little car.

The Mini Cooper S and the Audi S1 are the only small hot hatches with 2.0-litre engines still in them, and they are of course both turbocharged. Just a few years ago cars like this Fiesta and the Renaultsport Clio thrived on capacity and revs for power rather than forced induction. With the onslaught of turbo engines, this Fiesta's tuned atmospheric engine becomes all the more interesting. To get the 2.0-litre Duratec from 150hp to 200hp, Mountune's tweaks included (but weren't limited to) new cams and valve springs, an uprated exhaust manifold, cast inlet plenum, larger throttle body and a recalibrated ECU. Don't forget the badge as well; that's at least 5hp. The result was 200hp at 7,000rpm - the heady heights of 7,000rpm - with torque rated at 158lb ft. Behind a new Fiesta ST of course, but there's something to be said in revving a car and going a bit slower, isn't there?

The reviews of the ST185 version of this car were very positive, declaring it "faultlessly engineered and finely executed" as well as "a bit of a giant killer". Funnily enough they came back clamouring for Mountune extras sooner in the life of the next Fiesta ST...

200hp at 7,000rpm - sounds good to us!

This particular car has Eibach Pro springs fitted as well, aiding the stance and hopefully sharpening the dynamics too. It's had two new tyres 500 miles ago, an MOT until June (but has only covered 900 miles since the last one) as well as low mileage for a 2005 car, at just 50,000. All the receipts are there for the Mountune work - the 200 pack was only added 4,000 miles ago - as well as a full service history.

So what would stop you buying this Fiesta MR200? Well some will persist with their fast Ford prejudice, but the bigger issue is that Renaultsport Clio mentioned earlier. For £6K a very nice 197 Cup could be yours, and the later 200 is almost within reach too. Both would provide very tempting alternatives. But as a pleasant reminder of old school hot hatches, as something a little different and pretty rare, the Fiesta MR200 could be just the ticket.

FORD FIESTA ST MR200
Engine: 1,999cc, inline-4
Transmission: 5-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Power (hp): 200@7,000rpm
Torque (lb ft): 159@5,750rpm
MPG: 38.2 (standard car)
CO2: 177g/km (standard car)
First registered: 2005
Recorded mileage: 49,000
Price new: £13,795 (standard car)
Price now:£6,000