Reinis Babrovskis Photography: Causeway Coast Ford Fair 2015

8 Jun 2015

Causeway Coast Ford Fair 2015

“Ford, Ford, they’re the best! Drive a mile, walk the rest!”

Text and Photos: Reinis Babrovskis

Everybody enjoys to crack some good old Ford joke from time to time, but as a matter of fact there are more Ford enthusiasts here in UK than Ireland than America and Germany combined. Thousands of classic and modern Fords have been modified and restored on these shores, and what better way to demonstrate that than by hosting a massive Ford gathering.

This was the 11th anniversary of this massive show celebrating the blue and white badge here in the beautiful coastal town of Portrush in Northern Ireland. The town was overrun by Fords from all over the country and even beyond. It is a show of a very high standard with a very relaxed, family orientated atmosphere. The show was supported by the council, Ford and many enthusiasts and as usual was hosted by the the Dunluce Centre.

Sadly Europe never received the great muscle models Ford were releasing from their factory in Detroit; however, there were plenty of models to keep the fans in Europe hooked on the brand. But that didn't mean it stopped many American Fords to coming to these shores and there was a nice variety from European and American Fords on display.

And if there is one thing that European Ford was famous for it was the Cosworth engine and there was no shortage of it on the day.

Large crowds throughout the day gathered around the show’s main attraction - the new Ford Mustang. For the first time in the history the American classic will be released in a European spec. The Mustang Ford brought along for the day was a US left hand drive spec, but it will finally be available with the steering wheel on the “right” side. With a very reasonable price of £32,995 it is a serious contender for the UK market. The American V8 is a 2+2 seating coupé, real wheel driven and comes equipped with a limited-slip differential. The engine is attached to a 6 speed manual gearbox. UK Spec will include multiple GT extras like six-piston Brembo front calipers, 19” alloys and superior suspension set up. The 4951cc petrol V8 produces 415bh and 391lb ft, accelerating the 1720kg beast from 0-60 in 4.8 seconds. The Mustang will go all the way up to 155mph, while still maintaining a respectable 20.9mpg. It will be available in a more economical 2.3 inline-four ecoboost model, but who cares about that one…

Welsh Ford Crew arrived in force, bringing round some fierce machinery. The stunning purple Mexico, along the “sleeper” van running a BMW engine transplant were most certainly amongst the most impressive builds of the show.

With the Ford's massive heritage in the motorsport many owners have chosen to transform their cars into race/track spec. Crazy set ups, engine swaps - it was all there.