Ford Mondeo ST220 | Spotted
A fabulous fast Ford for £5k? Get on the train already
Did you also see the Super Touring BTCC cars at Goodwood? What a wonderful treat down memory lane that was, a real highlight of another great Members Meeting. As a reminder of the glory days, with iconic racing machines being thrashed in the sunshine by great drivers, it was hard to think of very much better. By bringing together recognisable saloon silhouettes with incredibly sophisticated underpinnings and almost limitless budgets, Super Touring really was a stunning era of touring cars. It was great to be reminded of the fact.
And if you’ve also spent the following days seeking out your own racy repmobile as a result, then you certainly aren’t alone. Plenty attempted to cash in on the BTCC’s runaway success back in the day, from the Vectra Supertouring to the Laguna Airflow (which actually homologated some new aero parts), but precious few survive. Not many sold new, either because of limited production runs or a bit of brand snobbery (or both), and so even fewer will be around 30 years later. Rust will have claimed plenty, specialist parts may now be difficult to get, and so on.
But there’s hope, and it takes the form of this Mondeo ST220. Now, before you moan, obviously this isn’t from the Super Touring era (the previous ST200 is the car for that). As a reminder of just how good mass market, fast family cars once were, however, this looks absolutely ideal. The 220 took what had already proved popular with the old 200 - a hearty Duratec V6, a sorted chassis, a really good blue - and served up more of the same. With a fresher interior and more modern look.
Despite rave reviews (we all remember the Top Gear episode with the Vectra and the 6 MPS), the ST220 never sold in enormous numbers. Because, well, it had a blue oval rather than a blue propeller on the front, and people were happier with the latter on the drive (and a weedy four pot under the bonnet) rather than a 3.0-litre V6. Weirdos. But the ST220 was the real deal alright, hailing from that time when every single Ford was by far and away the class of its field chassis-wise. This was the last of its kind, too; while the 2.5 turbo would find its way into later Mondeos, the idea of a proper ST flagship disappeared with this generation. With Mondeos gone, it ensures an additional significance for the ‘220.
This one’s a real gem by the looks of it, with £7,000 spent on it in the past 14 months (so hopefully not needing the same again!). It’s a six-speed example (the earliest ones had just five gears), the colour combination is interesting, and it sits on little more than 80,000 miles. The tyres are very good, the rust really is minimal, and it comes with a model-appropriate plate. A lot of the surviving ST220s you see now appear past their best; not this one.
The bad news? It’s in Edinburgh, for one thing, which might not be massively convenient (but what a result if it is). As a 2006 car it could be hit with the pricier VED. And it was a Category N car in 2020, so that’s something to investigate. That’s a non-structural classification, though you’ll obviously want to see evidence of the repair and perhaps pay for an inspection, just to be sure. Fingers crossed it’s as good as it looks. While the rest of planet fast Ford still seems as mad as ever, one of its lesser spotted heroes remains something of a steal.
SPECIFICATION | FORD MONDEO ST220
Engine: 2,967cc V6 petrol
Transmission: 6-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Power (hp): 225@6,500rpm
Torque (lb ft): 207@4,900rpm
MPG: 27.2
CO2: 254g/km
First registered: 2006
Recorded mileage: 83,000
Price new: £23,565 (hatch)
Yours for: £5,995
Its a 20 year old car at the end of the day.
Its a 20 year old car at the end of the day.
Very good steer these and just a nice punch where you need it to make moving and changing gears fun.
Suffering the ST curse for desirability / values. Imagine if ford had played with an RS 'light' like Audi etc.
When I started driving in 75 there was one car tax it was £25 for twelve months that was it! Mini, Rolls Royce, transit van, petrol or diesel it was £25. There are now 143 different VED rates!! WTF? It must cost millions just to run the system. This country is unbelievable. If I were 50 years younger I'd be off like a rat up a drainpipe...
Yep. The Mondeo's driveshaft-through-the-vee arrangement was a proper eye-opener; made the Honda's "just turn the engine/gearbox around" approach look like simplicity itself.
Just didn't like the clock inside, felt it dated it more than the CD player/dash in general.
Bit thirsty and mega VED these days too. Shame.
What's not to like. Big torque V6 upfront and a 6 speed manual.
Thats not really big torque these days, we have got used to turbo stuff, it was back then but our brains are addled by big Turbo diesels and now EV's !
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