Those really into the history of fast Fords may know the name of Steve Saxty already. Having written about the Capri at 50 in 2019 as well as ‘The Cars You Always Promised Yourself’, the Secret Fords project was intended to be one volume of cancelled concepts, never-before-seen prototypes, previously confidential images and undisclosed backstories. However, as is often the way with these things, there were too many juicy anecdotes to limit to one book. So here we are, with Secret Fords Volume 2 – call it Christmas shopping advice, PH style.
In fact, buy two, because you’re going to want to read this as well. With Volume 1 having covered the 70s and early 80s, this book picks up in the mid-80s with the incredible GN34 supercar plan. What do you mean you’ve not heard? Keen to occupy the same market territory as the Porsche 944, Corvette and Lotus Esprit, Ford’s mid-engined coupe reached a very advanced stage – benchmarked against Ferraris, no less – before being canned at the end of 1986. A fascinating story told engagingly by Saxty, with dozens of period images to go alongside, the GN34 story previews exactly what to expect from the rest of Secret Fords.
Given its generally exemplary output in the last 20 years, it can be easy to forget some of the crap the firm churned out before that. Wilting efforts like the Mk3 Fiesta and Mk4 Escort are covered here, of course, and helpfully they do rather set the scene for the dramatic renaissance from the early 1990s onwards, when Mondeo, Fiesta Mk4, Puma and Focus set the dynamic standard for their respective classes. (A foreword to the book from Richard Parry-Jones, written a fortnight before his untimely death, is of course well worth reading.)
It’s the New Edge cars that feel really worth delving into, seeing how those memorable designs went from sketch to clay to reality and learning about their development. Maybe they aren’t as iconic as Escorts, Cortinas and Sierras, but we all know how valuable Ka, Focus and Mondeo proved to Ford over the years. They’re all intriguing in their own way.
This being PH, however, it’s the fast Fords that are of most interest. And from red Escort Cossie mules on the Nurburgring to Project Irene – the all-wheel drive Mitsubishi Evo rival that nearly became the first Focus RS – there’s plenty to get your teeth into here. In a world now obsessed with manufacturer issued spy shots and social media scoops sent around the world in seconds, it’s a joy to look at grainy old snaps that nobody outside of Ford has ever seen before now. Sometimes we forget that the world of car development is a million miles from the glossy, glitzy end result, and Saxty’s book conveys the warts-and-all story with great clarity.
The last thing anyone wants to read in a book review is also the last thing anyone want to write: something about being unable to put it down. But having pounced on the Focus RS chapter first – learning about the Racing Focus, the involvement of Mountune and Prodrive and the red diesel motor show car along the way – it’s hard not to wonder about the other stories lurking in the full history as well. And then there’s really no stopping yourself…
Certainly, there’s more than enough here – more than 300 pages, in fact – to keep an automotive anorak occupied and entertained over the festive period. Many of us surely have a fast Ford affliction of one kind or another; if it wasn’t covered in volume one of Secret Fords then it’ll certainly be in the follow up. Saxty’s style ensures that even the more prosaic details are a pleasure to read, and thus the book is highly recommended – you could merely take in the pics and the wheel poster and enjoy what’s here, to be honest.
In fact, the only thing holding back Secret Fords at the moment is stock – neither Saxty’s website nor Amazon has one. However, all is not lost, as volume two is available as part of various collector’s editions here; for those feeling generous this festive period, the car person in your life will be very grateful indeed. Just don’t forget to borrow it…
1 / 7
Keyword: Secret Fords Volume 2 | PH Review