FIVE STAR
When it comes to Fast Fords, there are few names out there as respected as Mountune. Founded in 1980 by David Mountain, the Essex-based tuner has been designing and building race engines and fast-road performance parts for over 40 years. During that time the firm has powered teams around the world to victory in WRC, BTCC, World Rallycross and many more top-level championships.
Not only that, but Mountune’s extensive experience of tuning road cars led to the production of numerous Ford factory-special editions, all fitted with the firm’s outstanding performance upgrades, and the company being honoured with the accolade of approved tuner status. This means that selected road-car products (signified as Mountune Performance) will not affect the base vehicle warranty on your Ford, meaning you can enjoy the benefits of the performance-enhancing upgrades without the potential pitfalls.
One car that benefited from Mountune’s special-edition upgrades was the Mk6 Fiesta ST150. Powered by a 2.0-litre Duratec engine, peaking at 150bhp, it was a rorty little thing whose rev-happy engine partnered perfectly with tight suspension and a short, exploitable wheelbase for thrilling handling capable of showing up much more exotic machinery on a twisty B-road.
But for all its skills, it was always the ST150’s power output that let it down when compared to its contemporaries such as the Renaultsport Clio 182 and 170bhp Mini Cooper S. It just couldn’t compete with these brawnier rivals on the straights, but then Mountune stepped in to save the day.
Starting off with its base-level MP165 kit, which
