Ford has lifted the covers off a car certain to have rally types dribbling into the little cups on top of their Thermos flasks. The Fiesta S2000 Rally car made its debut last night (Thursday 19th November 2009) when it took to the Rally of Scotland, starting in Perth.

It's a little quicker than your Nan's ride, with a 280bhp four-cylinder engine (and all that available at 8,000rpm) nestled under the bonnet of a car weighing just 1,200kg. Its peak 192lb.ft is available at a stratospheric 6,500rpm too. The car will be made available to privateers looking to run in the WRC next year.

Conceived and built by M-Sport, the company that makes the Ford Focus WRC cars (and not to be confused with BMW's M Division), the S2000 has been tested over 3,000km (1,850 miles). That means it should be in tip-top shape for homologation in January 2010.

"I really believe that we have produced a fantastic rally car and this launch is a big step to seeing it out competing in rallies," said confident M-Sport Managing Director Malcolm Wilson. "It's the first time in five years that we have been able to offer a Ford rally car that can challenge for overall victory in national championships across the world."

Mark Nichol - 20 Nov 2009