It seems Ford’s Engine of the Year, the 1.0-litre EcoBoost
engine, has been turning heads at the famous Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit
in Germany. The engine was put through its paces in a road-going Formula Ford race
car and produced impressive results that are somewhat difficult to believe
considering the size of the engine.
The single-seat Formula Ford race car was driven around the Nürburgring
Nordschleife circuit by racing driver and course specialist Nick Tandy (28) who
completed the course in a time of 7m22s, making it the 11th fastest
time ever recorded there, beating the likes of the Lamborghini
Aventador, Ferrari Enzo and the Pagani Zonda.
“This little engine has people rubbing their eyes in
disbelief. It’s simply astonishing that a 3-cylinder, one-litre engine can deliver
that kind of performance” said Nick Tandy.
The Formula Ford race car was modified for road use by
fitting it with wheel covers, front and rear lights and indicators, aerodynamically
designed wing mirrors and a horn. The Formula Ford race car also made use of
road-legal tyres and was fitted with a 6-speed manual gearbox.
The unofficial top speed for the Formula Ford race car is
255.5km/h and can accelerate to 100km/h in under four seconds. Its average
speed on the 20.832 km Nordschleife circuit was 169km/h.
The 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine is not only powerful, but
frugal too, consuming only 2.4-litres/100km at 56km/h and 5.0-litres/100km at
120km/h. “We wanted to prove that size doesn’t matter by showing everyone what
an amazingly capable engine we have developed in the 1.0-litre EcoBoost,” said
Roelant de Waard, vice president of Marketing and Sales, Ford of Europe. “What
better way than by beating some of the best supercars in the world on the
Nordschleife, while using a fraction of the fuel.”
The 1.0-litre EcoBoost engine will also be used in the new Ford Fiesta which will be available in South Africa in 2013.
News Source: Ford
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