The SUPER TOURER
Who COINED THE PHRASE MONDEO MAN, CLEARLY HAD SOME ENVY ISSUES, BUT THEN AGAIN, DID THEY KNOW ABOUT THIS ?
Ford’s long heritage of Touring Car racing requires little introduction, the litter of success encompasses a mix of models such as the Anglia, Cortina, Galaxie, Escort, Sierra RS500 and so on. When the regulations shifted to 2 Litre normally aspirated power Ford opted to use their rep-mobile Mondeo as the basis and from 1993 onwards it was seen across the globe with great success. After using a variety of preparers for the initial years; for the 1999/ 2000 season the contract was won by the hugely versatile and successful Prodrive squad from Banbury. By this time the sport had already lured the might of McLaren and Williams GP into the fray, it really was a battle of Motorsport’s big guns and Prodrive duly rose to the top! The BTCC was, and arguably remains, the forefront of the formula and the toughest series to win hence it is a focal point for the genre. The huge budget Ford allocated allowed for star drivers in Alain Menu and Anthony Reid in the BTCC and a total of 3 race cars were built (in addition to a show car that was to reside on display at the Millennium Dome in London).
A Nice posterior pose
Even to this day, it is regarded that the Super Touring era was the pinnacle of the formula especially in terms of their technical prowess and the Prodrive Mondeos were to become the ultimate of this amazing era. Custom made suspension, super lightweight components all round and even a windscreen that was made of the same material used for the Mirage fighter jet gives clue to the total lack of compromise in the build specification. Indeed in 2000 they decimated the opposition with a 3 car effort that finished first, second and third in that year’s championship. Rumour has it that the annual budget for the program was as much as £12m!
Offered strictly as a package, we present this pair of cars for sale. They are accompanied by a substantial cache of spares that includes a comprehensive mix of suspension, bodywork, wheels and engine parts. In summary the spares alone take up the space of 2 cars! Please enquire for a full inventory.
Chassis 2
"Now before you set off, adjust the mirrors and seating position so you are comfortable". Hannibal Lecter had not expected his driving instructor to be so masterful.
A crash at round 3 (Thruxton) meant that Reid had to switch to the spare race chassis (number 4) for the rest of the season while it was repaired prior to Menu’s use in the season’s final two meetings as listed. Following this it was used as a test and development car for the 2000 season thus received many upgrades as a result before joining the aforementioned display in the Millennium Dome. Latterly it has seen use in Formula Saloons and some Swiss hillclimbing.
Run and tested in 2014 at Blyton Park, it ran without issue throughout the day and I was fortunate enough to have a go myself. Whilst the driving position is set so low and so far inboard it was very straightforward to drive with amazing carry speed and the brakes were incredible.
Prodrive ! That name rings a bell !
And Cosworth must be DeJa Vu!
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