Over 21,000 Ford fans flocked to the home of British motorsport for the UK’s biggest Ford-only event. Ford Fair, now in its 32nd year, saw over 6,000 club cars on display, and marked some significant anniversaries including the 30th anniversary of the Sierra RS500 Cosworth – named the ‘Ultimate Cosworth’ on the eve of the show – and the 25thanniversary of the Escort RS Cosworth.
In addition to the Cosworth anniversary feature, there were other birthdays being commemorated in special display areas. These included 15 years of the Mk1 Focus RS, 15 years of the Mondeo ST220 and 15 years of the Focus ST170 – yes, 2002 was a great year for fans of fast Fords.
Other star features included one of the very first public appearances of the new Fiesta, exhibited by Ford itself, while Ford’s UK MD, Andy Barratt was on hand to answer questions from the public.
Other star features included the GT40, GT 2005 and 2017 GT, in which lucky winners were able to enjoy a lap around Silverstone circuit, plus the 2017 GT going full pace round the circuit with Le Mans driver Harry Tinknell at the wheel, along with the the Live Action Arena, featuring a live performance from stunt driver Paul Swift, a J-Turn masterclass, bookable track time for show visitors and a dedicated Classic Zone, hosted by Classic Ford magazine in partnership with Burton Power.
New for 2017, Ford Fair also hosted the inaugural Fast Ford Awards sponsored by Sky Insurance. This special display formed part of the Fast Ford stand at the show, and included winners of various categories, such as Best Street Car, Best Engine Swap, Best Modern Ford and Best Old School Ford.
This year’s Show & Shine winners, sponsored by ValetPRO, were Danny Crane and his Ford Focus MK2 RS in first place, Jo Fowler and her Ford Focus ST in second and Michael Fern and his Ford Escort MK6 in third. The best club stand went to Simply Mustang, while the Sprint Test winners on the day were Josh Nash, Jonathan Trezins and Andy Murray.
