Breathing new fire into Ford Fiesta

Legendary South African tuning house LupiniPower has again opened its doors - and is busy turning cars we see on a daily basis into little monsters.

Its first port of call was a tuning kit for the Chevrolet Lumina, which transforms it into a 400kW and 785Nm sledge-hammer.

The company has just announced its latest project - the Lupini Ford Fiesta 1.6.

This is a vital piece in the puzzle of LupiniPower's revival, as the company is renowned for its fast Fords.

This Fiesta is developed in conjunction with Lazarus Ford.

The base of this pimp is the Fiesta 1.6 Titanium 3-door, which boasts 88kW at 6000r/min and 149Nm.

So if you've chosen a Ford over some cooler metal out there, then you can call LupiniPower to dig up extra grunt to the tune of 110kW at 6200rpm and 175Nm.

The company claims a marked improvement in all spheres of performance. It says its car accelerates to 100km/h in 8.5 seconds, compared with 9.9 seconds for the standard Fiesta 1.6. And maximum speed is up by 15km/h at 208km/h.

The worksheet of this local transformation lists modifications to the camshafts and cylinder head, while a branch manifold and a free-flow exhaust system are also fitted.

Recalibrating the Fiesta's ECU is also central to the power upgrade. LupiniPower insists this will also benefit all-round performance, tractability and drivability, and in a very bold claim, the company says fuel economy and emissions are also improved.

The tuner hasn't focused its attentions exclusively on the mechanical make-over.

To give the Fiesta roadholding to match, the standard suspension springs are replaced by progressive rate coils and the vehicle's chassis geometry is reset for a more aggressive drive and a lower ride.

An optional set of 17-inch wheels and 205/40x17 tyres round off the exterior looks.

Interestingly for modified vehicles, LupiniPower offers a comprehensive three-year unlimited kilometre warranty which is optionally upgradable to five years.

The Lupini Fiesta 1.6 3-door costs R233950, and the wheel and tyre option adds R6000 to the price of a new vehicle.

The LupiniPower company is renowned for its legendary fast 1980s & '90s Opel, Ford, BMW, VW, Subaru and other performance options - and its recent projects include the 100kW Lupini Suzuki Swift.