Sunday 20th June 2021

Ford Mondeo ST200 | Spotted

The Mondeo may have died, but the fondness lives on...

---

The Sierra was a legend in its own lifetime, the RS Cosworth and RS500 securing the humble Ford family car an outsized reputation. The looks, the performance, the success on and off the racetrack and eventual notoriety ensured the Sierra the sort of status normally reserved for much more expensive cars. Now they've become the much more expensive cars...

With different motorsport requirements at the time of the Mondeo, the Sierra Cossie was never directly replaced. For a good few years, there wasn't really a fast Mondeo of note - the ST24 adding no more power to a V6 used in the equivalent Ghia. In fact, this was that odd time with no really significant fast Ford at all. The Puma was great, but never got more than 123hp (unless you were willing to pay mad money for a Racing), the Focus ST170 was a bit limp, a fantastic Fiesta never got more than a Zetec S and the SportKa only arrived after the standard one had been around for seven years.

However, Ford got itself into gear eventually, and gave the world the Mondeo ST200. It was well timed, actually, to coincide with both a burgeoning market for racy repmobiles - think Accord Type R, Vectra GSI, S40 T4 and so on - as well as Ford's success in touring cars. The ST200 launched at £23,000 in the summer of 1999; in 2000, the last year of Super Touring BTCC, Ford won the Teams Championship, Manufacturers Championship, and took the top three spots in driver's standings - it was a demolition job. Imagine how cool your ST200 looked then.

Over a regular 2.5 V6, the ST200 received uprated cams, induction and exhaust tweaks to free up 205hp, up from 170hp. The wheels were bigger, suspension firmer and bodykit beefier, in keeping with fast Ford tradition. Apparently colours other than Imperial Blue were offered, but it's the shade that became inextricably linked with the Mondeo.

With just 6,500 made, the Mondeo was always going to be a rare car. That it was launched more than 20 years ago now makes finding one a challenge (with just a few hundred around), but here we have an Imperial Blue ST200 in seemingly excellent condition. Its 67,000-mile odo reading is low without being shockingly so, the resulting condition really good if not museum quality - there'd be nothing to stop the odd outing to enjoy a forgotten fast Ford great.

As with so many of the performance cars from everyday manufacturers, scarcity has pushed values of the Mondeo up. In the case of the ST200, the fact that the model name is due to disappear entirely will only increase affection amongst the dedicated few. Here's another one that was Shed money a decade ago - we didn't we all buy six cars each in 2010? - that's now more than £10k - £12,995 to be precise. Big Mondeo money, yes, if not all that much in the grand scheme of fast Fords. A missing homologation link will surely prevent this ever being worth megabucks, but as a reminder of when the repmobile ruled - and when the Ford Mondeo was top of that tree - the ST200 will always hold a special appeal.

---

SPECIFICATION | FORD MONDEO ST200

Engine: 2,495cc, V6
Transmission: 5-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Power (hp): 205@6,500rpm
Torque (lb ft): 173@5,500rpm
MPG: c. 30
CO2: c. 235g/km
First registered: 2001
Recorded mileage: 67,658
Price new: £23,000 (1999)
Price now: £12,995

See the original advert here

[cerb4.5lee]

I've always been a big fan of these(I've also had 3 Mondeos including an ST24), this looks like a lovely example too. The colour of these has always been up my street as well.

This is up for more money now than a paid for my just over 1 year old ST24 back in 2001!(£10k).

[cerb4.5lee]

Brooksay said:

cerb4.5lee said:

I've always been a big fan of these(I've also had 3 Mondeos including an ST24), this looks like a lovely example too. The colour of these has always been up my street as well.

This is up for more money now than a paid for my just over 1 year old ST24 back in 2001!(£10k).

For sure?

Yes. It was a 2000 W reg model and I purchased it around August 2001(I remember it well because some numpty wrote my Sierra XR4x4 off in July 2001 and the ST24 replaced it). Iirc it was a fairly high mile car for the age as it had done 20k miles.

I only kept it around 8 months though because at the time I found it a tad boring to drive in comparison to my XR4x4(that did have a full Magnex exhaust/filters etc to liven it up a bit though).

I swapped the ST24 for a S14a 200SX(2000 X reg) in 2002 and I paid £12k for that with 19k miles on it. I loved the 200SX though and I kept it for 4 years(it was easily one of the best cars that I've had/especially after I'd modified it to 250bhp).

[cerb4.5lee]

Court_S said:

My uncle had a black ST24 as a company car back in the day which always seemed like a nice thing whenever I went in it.

Mine was Panther Black.

[cerb4.5lee]

Found some old pics of my ST24.

[cerb4.5lee]

s m said:

I'd be very happy with either of those.

I loved the days when you could get a nice V6 petrol engine from pretty much all of the manufacturers of cars this size. Now it's mostly diesel/petrol-hybrid/electric in comparison. Times have definitely changed for sure.

I always really enjoy looking back, but I'm not so fond of looking forward now...because there isn't a lot to get excited about/look forward to with the world of cars(unless you love electric cars of course) for me.

[cerb4.5lee]

optimal909 said:

Wholesome comment as it was exactly my case, my father bought it as new and I inherited. Not exactly ST24, but a 2.5 manual Ghia with ST looks.

I had a year 2000 model manual V6 Ghia X from 2007 to 2010 that I ran alongside my Cerbera and I absolutely loved it. I actually preferred it to my ST24 because of the lovely spec it had(full leather/fuel computer etc).

[cerb4.5lee]

Seesure said:

The 1998 Ghia X 2.5 I had before my ST200...loved it as it was higher spec'd than the ST200 and turned heads wherever it went with the pearlescent paint, the ST body kit and chrome alloys... The picture doesn't show it clearly but it was a dark green and in the sunshine it absolutely glistened...

Very nice.

[cerb4.5lee]

optimal909 said:

I remember those chrome alloys, they were pretty neat!

I loved them too. I only ever saw them on the odd Mondeo at Fordfair though. They looked so good for sure.

I often say it, but I would love another Ford in my life at some stage for certain. I reckon that a nice V8 Mustang would definitely do the trick!