Ford Puma Racing
Discussion
My wife wants to change her 02 Fiesta Zetec S for a Racing Puma, i`ve managed to get a back copy of autocar`s road test from 2000 to read. Has any one owned one? I`ve had two 1.7s as company cars a few years ago including the yellow peril millenium evo with body kit and silly rear wing 
Whats the main difference? any comments? Thanks Tony
Whats the main difference? any comments? Thanks Tony Considered one myself a while back, as I understand it they are not incredibly quick but the handling is astonishing if not a little firm (spoke to someone who had one for a few months and the ride was so hard that interior trim started to fall off). IMO it would become tiring on long journeys but would be fantastic on a track.
I had a zetec-s for 9 months and 19000 miles, great car but wanted something faster and more "special" so got a Corrado VR6 which is great.
I think one of the lads on zetecs.com has now got a FRP if you want to try there.
I had a zetec-s for 9 months and 19000 miles, great car but wanted something faster and more "special" so got a Corrado VR6 which is great.
I think one of the lads on zetecs.com has now got a FRP if you want to try there.
Couple of notes on the FR Puma, I was working for Ford customer services and was the FR specialist at the time of the launch. I will try and dig out some of the launch documentation, Im sure I still have it somewhere.
The racing puma was partially assembled by Ford, then sent to Tickford for a series of modifications.
Wider arches are the most obvious, but there were a host of cosmetic mods that can make replacement panels very expensive.
Essentially it has only a little more power than the standard Puma, but handles like a dream. One important point to note was that the LSD was an option (over a grand) and not fitted as standard as a result check the spec carefully.
At launch they were around £27K, production was cancelled with a lot less than the scheduled amount built (mainly due to the price), so finding one can be a pain, finding a good one might be a bit tougher!
They are nice little cars, with great handling, but with a serious power deficit against other things you could buy for the same price. There are two on exchange and mart, one for £10,500 the other for £13,500.
Thats Esprit money, or perhaps a TVR S, or....
The racing puma was partially assembled by Ford, then sent to Tickford for a series of modifications.
Wider arches are the most obvious, but there were a host of cosmetic mods that can make replacement panels very expensive.
Essentially it has only a little more power than the standard Puma, but handles like a dream. One important point to note was that the LSD was an option (over a grand) and not fitted as standard as a result check the spec carefully.
At launch they were around £27K, production was cancelled with a lot less than the scheduled amount built (mainly due to the price), so finding one can be a pain, finding a good one might be a bit tougher!
They are nice little cars, with great handling, but with a serious power deficit against other things you could buy for the same price. There are two on exchange and mart, one for £10,500 the other for £13,500.
Thats Esprit money, or perhaps a TVR S, or....
RobDickinson said:
£27k , I always thought they were £22k new and expensive at that, LDS a £1k option on a £27k fiesta !
Now you know why road going rally cars are not a big seller! Imagine how much it would cost if they had included a major engine upgrade as well!
The FRP might have a power defecit but when driven hard the handling makes up for a big chunk of it and they are remarkably quick as a result. Admittedly they aren't in Evo territory but for a non-turbo 1.7l you would be hard pushed to find much else to compare (except for an Integra Type-R of course - the same money, superb handling, 190+bhp and it won't fall apart
)RobDickinson said:
£27k
Edited to add, Ive double checked.
The list price was £23k new, £27K once you've specced the LSD and a variety of other options boxes ticked.
Thats an 8K price premium over a standard puma new (at the base OTR price) let alone fully specced.
Still has a few grand over a standard Puma, tbh unless your totally in lust with one, there are a LOT of other great motors out there for the money.
>> Edited by TheLemming on Friday 30th January 11:47
Thanks for the replys out right performance is not top of the list it`s quick enough for what she/we need,
its the look of the car which attracts and the rarity value,I wonder if it had a RS badge it may well have sold the original planned 1000? There arn`t many around the one at Offord Motors has been sold, so the chance of a test drive has gone
What else is there for £10/10.5k? bearing in mind our other car is one of these,www.pistonheads.com/classifiedpics/8808-1.jpg so other Tivs ect are out
out right performance is not top of the list it`s quick enough for what she/we need, its the look of the car which attracts and the rarity value,I wonder if it had a RS badge it may well have sold the original planned 1000? There arn`t many around the one at Offord Motors has been sold, so the chance of a test drive has gone
What else is there for £10/10.5k? bearing in mind our other car is one of these,www.pistonheads.com/classifiedpics/8808-1.jpg so other Tivs ect are out
The FRP was a fantastic drivers car, but as mentioned earlier in the thread it's 155ps engine will leave you wanting a little more when the modded corsa boy comes up along side.
The steering and suspension make the car a real drivers car. They are matched perfectly to one of the best chasssis's the oval have ever made. Brakes are also fantastic with their 4 pot fronts and disc rears you'll have no problem with the last minute braking. However we did have a little bit of trouble with the front calipers as the pistons had a habit of siezing up.
Interior wise the Alcantara trim should stand the test of time ok if it's been looked after, which is more than I can say for the seat tip handles which had a habit of coming off in your hand.
Body work was indeed done by tickford and is very very hard to repair once it's been smashed, it involved cutting the panels and adding the flare and then filling and finishing it before painting. so make sure it all looks even
Make sure the little ford racing badges are fitted too. The scrotes have a habit of nicking them. if you need to reorder them, it can only be done by a dealer with the full vin number for the car through ford racing (which often wins you a £10 delivery bill)
I hope i havent sounded negertive m8, I must admit to wishing I had one to mess around in.
It's probably one of the best drivers cars around
The steering and suspension make the car a real drivers car. They are matched perfectly to one of the best chasssis's the oval have ever made. Brakes are also fantastic with their 4 pot fronts and disc rears you'll have no problem with the last minute braking. However we did have a little bit of trouble with the front calipers as the pistons had a habit of siezing up.
Interior wise the Alcantara trim should stand the test of time ok if it's been looked after, which is more than I can say for the seat tip handles which had a habit of coming off in your hand.
Body work was indeed done by tickford and is very very hard to repair once it's been smashed, it involved cutting the panels and adding the flare and then filling and finishing it before painting. so make sure it all looks even
Make sure the little ford racing badges are fitted too. The scrotes have a habit of nicking them. if you need to reorder them, it can only be done by a dealer with the full vin number for the car through ford racing (which often wins you a £10 delivery bill)
I hope i havent sounded negertive m8, I must admit to wishing I had one to mess around in.
It's probably one of the best drivers cars around
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