I’m a classic Mini fan at heart and have owned more than 10 of them over the years, many of which I’ve entered into concours events around the country,” explains 43-year-old Phil Ray. “I’ve also owned some cool Fords too, including an RS1600i and a Sierra Cosworth over the years, but I’d never actually aspired to owning a Mk2 Fiesta,” he laughs. And yet now, Phil’s Zetec-powered Fiesta is the favourite of his fleet.
Phil’s love affair with the Mk2 began rather unexpectedly when his Dad passed away in 2003 and his Mum tasked him with scrapping the car.
“My Dad had bought the Fiesta back in
1997 and loved it, so when he died I just couldn’t bring myself to get rid of it,” remembers Phil. “It drove terribly, but the body was good and rust-free so I decided to use it as the base for a project.”
Knowing there was still life left in the bodywork, Phil sourced a rust-ridden Mk2 XR2 for £300 and set about swapping out the 1.6-litre engine and the rest of the running gear into his Dad’s old car.
“This was back
