The greatest day in the Ford fan’s calendar has finally been delivered and it was in every way as good as expected. The weather held out, the cars were top notch and the crowds were as big as ever.

Last year was the first time in seven years that I had attended but as a Renault owner I had to remain in the car park. Now as a very happy Mk2 Focus RS driver I was able to bring my car into the show and place it on the fiestaturbo.com stand.

Walking around the show it struck me that it really does offer something for every blue oval enthusiast. Whether you like new or old, concours or track action, standard or modified, it’s all here. 

As with 2012, this will be the first of several galleries. This first one serves as an introduction along with photographic evidence of just what makes the world of Ford so special - diversity.

Arriving on the Saturday night I had a walk around the empty venue. 12 hours later this same roundabout would be buzzing with traffic and the surrounding grass crammed with cars.

Although there’s very little to see, some of the more prepared outfits have their cars in place. In this case Ford UK. Despite the solitary scene the 2013 ST shown here was joined by other models just behind and out of camera shot.

There were a couple of these beautiful Mk1 Transits present this year. This one on the Kleers stand is a bit of a fraud though as despite the retro looking logo the brand has only been around since 2010 rather than the sixties as this van would suggest. Still a lovely promotional vehicle though.

In spirit with the theme of this post, the ft stand offered not just Fiesta Turbos, but Mk5s, Mk6s a Mk2, Escort, Mondeo and Focus’.

Car of the stand (as voted by club members) was Max’s sleeper Zetec Turbo. As stealthily fast as it is immaculate, photos in a later post.

You wouldn’t go to Ford Fair to specifically see old Police cars - disappointment is all but guaranteed as this was the only one, but the Granada here was a nice break from the aisles of slightly modified Focus’ and Fiestas.

ft member RS EDDIE entered his newly restored RS Turbo in the concours competition in the standard Fiesta Mk1-Mk3 category and bagged second place. A worthy result considering it was the car’s first outing and something of a rush job to get prepared in time.

Concours divides Ford fans with many believing cars should be driven, not detailed, although with the increasing rarity of the Mk3 it’s great to see more examples being cherished like this.

American pick-up trucks are hugely impractical for our little isle - expensive to run, with crippling fuel costs and far too big for UK roads they don’t really have a place over here.

Some individuals however would disagree with the above and Ford Fair is a better place for it.

Perhaps the strangest vehicle of the show was this Transit done up to look like Tow Mater from Pixar’s Cars films.

A strange choice to promote silicone hoses but certainly popular with the show’s younger visitors.

The Focus ST is a very popular car. The sheer number present was staggering, with them lined up quite literally as far as the eye could see.

Such quantity really ups the stakes when modifying, as it becomes much more necessary to really do something different to avoid being lost in the sea of similar cars.

It’s the same story, to a slightly lesser extent with the RS. Things are being pushed though and with early cars now well out of warranty we’re seeing some rather extreme examples. More on those later.

Most Focus RS owners would consider it too potent and capable a car to weigh down with amps and speakers, but others can capitalise on this opinion to capture attention. This Vibe Audio demo car certainly had that effect.

Whereas most would agree this is a better use of the car. There was a heavy FRS presence on track, with several well specified examples out there, including a Revo only session in the afternoon. Photos to follow.

Some people take the track sessions more seriously than others. A second set of wheels with full slicks puts your intentions on the table for all to see.

It’s not all about cars. Trials rider Danny Butler put on a display on the Revo stand and if you’re thinking that it looks like a mic and headset he has on you’d be right. Not only was he hopping around obstacles but at the same time giving a running commentary explaining what he was doing.

As the headline sponsor of the show Mountune had the biggest stand there. The Focus to the right is the same car as the yellow one last year, now re-wrapped. See more in a forthcoming post.

The trade stands at Ford Fair are a well balance mixture of the big names and some smaller outfits.

Tigger here is an ‘07 Focus ST belonging to Andy and Kirsty of A&K Motorsport. The car boasts a Jamsport tweaked 430bhp and is kitted out with a whole host of parts that A&K sell, including BC coilovers and KSport brakes.

Speaking of which, how about a pair of their callipers? 8 pistons of stopping power in assorted colours.

All manner of high-end products were on display to tempt passing visitors. Fancy a set of external reservoir coilovers?

Perhaps an inlet plenum for a Focus RS or ST? Perfectly colour coded of course. Auto Specialists have come a long way since the days when their limited range consisted of a handful of chrome parts for RS Turbos.

Exhausts are traditionally displayed vertically on a wall or display stand, but Scorpion here had one laid out horizontally as it would fit on the car, with an example recipient vehicle next too it.

Jamsport had a couple of engines dotted around their stand including this 2.5 unit with a tubular manifold and bespoke inlet.

They’d brought an array of cars too - both their own and customer’s including Nick Moore’s 600+bhp Focus RS, no doubt sporting something very similar to this under the bonnet.

Trailering your track car to the show is a wise idea, not least being that any incident doesn’t deprive you of transport home.

The downside being a considerably less entertaining journey too and from the circuit.

Here’s a case in point. This Escort Cossie’s front suspension decided to disassemble itself halfway down the main straight.

No major disaster though as the driver was able to bring the car to a safe stop and get it lifted back to the pits. He seemed in good spirits as I chatted while the marshals recovered the car and I dare say it’s probably fixed already.