This thread is about my blue Fiesta XR2.



When you want to learn more about my road trip to Great Britain, check out Road Trip GB

Here's some photos of a short trip to Italy in 2018: Road Trip Italy
And here some more of the trip to Italy in 2019: Road Trip Italy vol. II
More photos from Italy in 2022 (May/June and October): Road Trip Italy vol. III

 

It all started with this car in the 1990's. This was my grandmothers Fiesta 1.1 and it was the first MK2 Fiesta I've ever driven.



At this time a vehicle like the XR2 was too expensive and impractical on daily basis.
So some years later I bought a two year old Vauxhall als a daily ride. But due to an error of the insurance company the insurance cost for the Corsa only was much less than what I expected so a few months later I decided to buy this XR2:






















The bad condition of the vehicle could not hold me from my project. After a thorough restoration the Fiesta was back on the road in 2001.

 

I was never happy with the standard XR2 engine setup with the Weber carb. I grew up with fuel injected engines and my carb'd CVH wasn't willing to rev neither had it enough torque on low revs. So I thought about a fuel injected engine. Back in 2002 I didn't know how easy it would have been to throw a 16V Zetec engine in. So I decided to keep the CVH. There were three options: MFI Turbo (mostly Escort RS Turbo as the Fiesta RST wasn't sold in Germany), XR3i MFI or XR3i EFI. There's little space in the engine bay for the Turbo setup and I didn't want to cut anything out for the installation. There's a lot more reasons not to turbocharge it like insurance, regulation, the need for bigger brakes etc. Today I think it could have been done easily but back in the days the CVH MFI was the most reasonable decision and I don't regret it.










In 2002 the look of the car wasn't changed, this is what it looked like under the bonnet:



A few weeks later all red parts were painted in main color:

 

For 2003 I decided to put 7x13 Capri wheels onto the XR2 and did some other minor changes, including a RS1600i Rocker Cover and Escort MK3 clocks

 

POWER!!!

The engine was replaced winter 2003/2004 with my old XR2 bottom end new built with polished and ported head, solid tappets and a 308° camshaft.

 

New exhaust in late Summer 2004. It's a stainless steel Scorpion from the UK (probably one of the last made for the MK2)







It was installed along with a huge C.S.C. Group A manifold for the Escort.

 

Later I tried the 17" Scorpio wheels a friend of mine had on his Escort MK4 convertible. They look great but they're a little bit too big. What a pity!

 

Winter 2004/2005 I put RS1600i inlet manifold and throttle body in and changed the red injection lines with custom-made blue ones:

 

I also changed from 7x13 to the same design but 7x15.

 

That's what the car looks like now apart from the bigger wheels:

 

(deleted)

 

loooks sweet to me mate, the 17's looked mean as fuck, and the car itself looks like a minter!

 

Very nice ,i like it a lot ,i take it the wheels hanging on the wall in the garage are everyones snow tyres

 

looks good mate.


i'm thinking of buying myself another XR2, but it will end up either
turbo'd or with a 2.0zetec.........top fun!!!!

 

Yes. For mothers car, for my allday-car and the wheels the XR2 stands on during winter

 

XR2
very nice mate top work ur done, looks like a lot of time and effort gone in 2 it mate

 

Time and much money. And I'm not done yet

 

XR2
it very nice mate im buildin a concours xr2turbo ave a look mate it on here

 

Look neat man. [/list]

 

Love that car m8, you've done a great job!!!

 

am really likin that and them 15inch wheels look so good i wot some

 

Smart


Good Read

 

very good read like that alot

 

thats looking very nice m8 top job

 

... wake up little bastard!

It's time for a total rebuild! I forgot my cam today, but I'll show you some new pics the next days!

 

Liking that mate....


Looks

 

Cant wait to see the pics

 

Well the next two or three weeks you'll only see it stripped down to naked steel...

Then it'll get new paint, new isolated engine wiring loom, much paint for axles, panhard and so on and minor improvements. I'll keep most of the inside and outside look...

 

some of the new parts i bought:

König K320 seats



and some other stuff



Sony head unit, amp and CD-changer aren't new



But Ford RS HT leads, blue injection lines, Folia Tec Midnight Reflex, SPAL fan, some hoses, front tie bars, anti roll bar rear, connectors and mounting parts for the rear anti roll bar, genuine Focus RS shifting knob



Strut brace rear, brake valves rear, blue KentCams vernier pulley, PU bushes



ATE PowerDisks, white KONI springs



red pagid pads



take a closer look

 

... wake up little bastard!


It's time for a total rebuild!


today early evening:







one or two hours later:

 

 

Got my Samco Induction pipe parts today. After six weeks of waiting!

 

looks mint mate,i want an XR2 now!!

 

I love what you've done and are doing with that - one of the nicest xr2's ive seen. The capri alloys really suit the 80's styling

 

Love how it sits on the capri wheels, looks brillaint

 

mate, i love it, i think it looks smart as.....

its gonna be a nuts when it is all done


keep us updated

 

 

and @ wake up little bastard!

 

That's a cracking little car

 

Interior's getting better day by day :P



Took the hood off



emptied the cooling system, took off the inlet manifold, emptied the fuel tank, took the rad out and the wiring loom is nearly disconnected