The final hurrah for Ford’s legendary Fiesta was actually a bit of a damp squib – particularly when compared to the pre-facelift predecessor. Lots of standard toys were removed, lots of corners cut and lots of questions raised by disgruntled Fiesta enthusiasts.
Why don’t my mirrors fold in when I lock it? Why don’t I have heated door mirrors? Where are my heated seats on my ST3? What on earth have you done with that front grille and the giant Ford badge off a Transit?
Mk8.5 Fiesta country driving fun
Whilst there are issues with the car, they most certainly do not detract from what is one of the most fun and enjoyable cars I have ever driven on a country road. Fast, agile and just damn right grin inducing - especially when the F1 style sequential shift light appears on the top of instrument cluster just egging you on to keep your foot in!
Although Ford actually got it right from the performance aspect, they did leave one or two opportunities from the styling standpoint. Cue the arrival of the Paintmodz Mk8.5 Fiesta ST3 finished in Frozen White…
There is always potential to do anything with a blank canvas like this but we knew for sure that something had to be done with the main radiator grille along with the satin grey accents on the vehicle.
Mk8.5 Fiesta style enhancements from Paintmodz
At Paintmodz we have always recognised that white with a high gloss black is a classic look but when done properly it looks sensational. I always thought the ST Edition Mk8 Fiesta finished in Azure Blue with all the black accents looked great so using that concept the modifications began in preparation for Ford Fair 2023.
The main radiator grille is made of two genuine Ford items which have been cut and bonded together. With a lot of very careful planning and measurements one grille had the Ford badge cut out and several small sections were trimmed from the second grille. One of the challenges faced with this grille is that fact that it is not flat.
The face of the grille contours in and out so to de-badge it successfully we needed to ensure that this contour was followed. The only way to do this was to cut several small pieces and carefully trim them down and bond them into the grille one at a time.
Each one was meticulously shaped and carefully fitted to ensure a seamless look. Once we were happy with the pieces a small skim of filler was used and then the grille was primed black...
To compliment the radiator grille, we also painted the lower grille, factory splitter and outer bumper trims in gloss black before adding our bumper trim / fog light insert kit in white. The bumper trims really are a small, cost effective modification that achieve big results compared to the dull textured plastic they cover up.
Before re-fitting the bumper, an upgraded intercooler was added (painted gloss black). We’ve previously seen a lot of customers spray paint logos on their intercoolers, but even when done with stencils, the lettering does not always look clean and crisp and the colouring often fades over time.
Further enhancing the front grille
Our solution to this was to laser cut some ‘Paintmodz’ lettering. In the opinion of our team, this creates a much more effective 3D look and following sufficient cleaning the lettering still looks just as white going into its second winter on the car.
Find out more about our custom laser cut intercooler lettering/logo service.
Further additions to the front end were the red ST badge with black centre and also the red lower inserts in the lower recesses. These accents are particularly striking when looking across the front quarter as it nicely picks up the red from the brake caliper…
Gloss black Revo wheels along with a SiCo-Developments big brake kit and springs really helped the stance of the vehicle and with the addition of gloss black mirror caps, the overall aesthetics really started to come together...
The rear of the car also had a few changes, including one of our colour coded roof shark fins which hides the large unsightly aerial base. The genuine Ford rear wiper arm and mesh part of the lower diffuser were painted in gloss black and a black and red ST tailgate badge were all added.
Overall, the gloss black and white theme works well without being too over the top.
Following the launch of our window art along with Ford Performance themed show plates and 4D splitter lettering, we recently took a few extra photos of the car in its current form with the black, white and red theme tying together well.
