A series of fast Fords celebrate anniversaries at this years Fast Ford Show at Silverstone.

• Survey reveals Ford Sierra RS500 is the ‘Ultimate Cosworth’
• RS500’s 30th anniversary will be celebrated at Ford Fair, along with Escort Cosworth’s 25th
• UK’s biggest Ford show takes place at Silverstone, Northants, on August 6
• Thousands of classic and modern Fords to attend, along with Ford itself
• mountune to be headline sponsor

One of the most iconic performance cars of the 1980s is celebrating its 30th anniversary in style, having been named the ‘Ultimate Cosworth’ by one of the UK’s biggest one-make car shows.

The Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth pipped its spiritual successor, the Escort RS Cosworth, to the post, securing over 55% of the votes in an online survey carried out by Ford Fair to determine which of the two icons was the daddy. The Escort also has a major anniversary in 2017, celebrating its 25th birthday.

A special display celebrating both of these famous fast Fords will be one of the main features of this year’s show, which takes place at Silverstone, Northants, on Sunday August 6.

The RS500 was originally developed for homologation purposes to give the Eighties’ favourite repmobile, the humble Ford Sierra, a chance to compete in World, European and British Touring Car Championships. It was famous in the UK, where it performed in the British Touring Car Championship in the hands of drivers such as Andy Rouse, Steve Soper and Tim Harvey. It also competed in the 1988 World Touring Car Championship and enjoyed success in Australia, too, in the hands of legendary Touring Car driver Dick Johnson.

Just 500 RS500 road cars were made, 75% of which were finished in black, the rest in either white or Ford’s distinctive Moonstone Blue. They were finished by Aston Martin Tickford, with a bigger turbo, while the main external identifier was its outrageous ‘whale tail’ spoiler – a far cry from the average showroom Sierra. 

In addition to the Cosworth anniversary feature, there are some other birthday’s being commemorated in special display areas. These include 15 years of the Mk1 Focus RS, 15 years of the Mondeo ST220 and 15 years of the Focus ST170 – yes, 2002 was a great year for fans of fast Fords.

Ford Fair will also have over 4,000 club cars on display, including many other classic and modern Fords, plus a special selection of cars from Ford itself, including the all-new Fiesta.

Other star features will include The Live Action Arena, which will once again be at the centre of the show, a live performance from stunt driver Paul Swift, bookable track time for show visitors and a dedicated Classic Zone, hosted by Classic Fordmagazine, which will play host to all manner of historic heroes from Anglia to Zodiac.

Once again, the event will see headline sponsorship from aftermarket Ford specialists, mountune, while Hardrace, KSport, BC Racing, BC Forged Wheels, Goodridge, Sky Insurance and ValetPRO are other key sponsors.

New for 2017, Ford Fair will also host the inaugural Fast Ford Awards sponsored by Sky Insurance. This special display will form part of the Fast Ford stand at the show, and will include winners of various categories, such as ‘Best Street Car’, ‘Best Engine Swap’, ‘Best Modern Ford’, ‘Best Old School Ford’ and many more.

This epic display of the UK’s finest fast Fords will coincide with the very latest issue of Fast Ford magazine – available to buy at the show a week before it hits the shops. The ‘Fast Ford Awards’ special issue will include full details of the various categories and all of winners. And, with all of the winners proudly on display at the front of the Fast Ford stand, you will be able to get up close and personal with the very cars in the magazine.

At the show, all of the Award winners will be entered into the Fast Ford People’s Choice Award, which will be decided on the day.

Also, you’ll find the Ford Fair merchandise marquee on the Fast Ford stand, where you can pick up the latest issue of the magazine, take advantage of some show-exclusive subscription deals, or get your hands on the latest branded goodies.

Other show highlights will include a Show & Shine sponsored by ValetPRO, individual entries, public track time and a packed retail village.

Already, over 4,000 Fords are booked into club displays, promising a fun-filled day for all fans of the UK’s most popular car brand.

For the chance to buy discounted tickets*, visit www.fordfair.co.uk

Honest John to host their annual awards ceremony to award the best of the best.

• Final 70 contenders announced for Honest John Awards 2017, but which ones will get to wear the hat?
• Shortlist based on the cars that are most-popular with HonestJohn.co.uk's two million readers
• Lab-inspired ceremony to take place in London, with winners announced on 18 May 

There was chemistry, there was friction and there were some quite strong reactions, but the team at www.HonestJohn.co.uk has finally crunched the numbers to uncover the shortlist for the forthcoming Honest John Awards 2017, which will be handed out in London on 18 May.

This year, the team has applied its tried and tested formulae to determine which models are the best options for consumers, based on their popularity with HonestJohn.co.uk‘s two million readers. There are now 70 names in the melting pot, but which ones will be victorious?

THE MOTORING WORLD BLOG CHOICES

As the site’s consumer-led approach to testing, experimenting and concocting their shortlists has been a truly scientific affair, this year’s awards will include a special behind-the-scenes glimpse of the HJ Labs.

Here – in alphabetical order - are the contenders for each category – but which have the probability of winning an award?

City Car

Fiat 500

Hyundai i10

Skoda Citigo

Suzuki Ignis

Volkswagen Up

Small Hatchback

Ford Fiesta

Honda Jazz

Skoda Fabia

Suzuki Baleno

Toyota Yaris

Small Family Car

Audi A3 Sportback

Citroen C4 Cactus

Ford Focus

Mazda 3

Volkswagen Golf

Large Family Car

DS 5

Ford Mondeo

Mazda 6

Skoda Superb

Volkswagen Passat

Compact Premium

Audi A4

BMW 3 Series

Jaguar XE

Mercedes-Benz GLC

Mercedes-Benz C-Class

Large Premium

Audi A6

BMW 5 Series

Jaguar F-Pace

Jaguar XF

Mercedes-Benz E-Class

MPV

BMW 2 Series Active Tourer

Citroen C4 Grand Picasso

Ford B-MAX

Ford C-MAX

Volkswagen Golf SV

Small Crossover

Dacia Duster

Honda HR-V

Mazda CX-3

Peugeot 2008

Renault Captur

Crossover

Hyundai Tucson

Kia Sportage

Nissan Qashqai

SEAT Ateca

Suzuki Vitara

SUV

BMW X5

Ford Edge

Kia Sorento

Land Rover Discovery Sport

Volvo XC90

Performance Car

Audi RS3

Ford Focus RS

Honda Civic Type R

Porsche 718 Boxster

Toyota GT86

Volkswagen Golf R

Convertible

Fiat 124 Spider

Ford Mustang

Mazda MX-5

Mercedes-Benz SLC

Mitsuoka Roadster

Luxury Car

Audi A7 Sportback

Audi A8

BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe

Mercedes-Benz S-Class

Tesla Model S

Estate

BMW 3-Series Touring

Honda Civic Tourer

Skoda Octavia Estate

SEAT Leon ST

Volvo V90

On the evening of the awards, HonestJohn.co.uk will also announce its overall Car of the Year 2017, as well as special awards for Highly Rated Car and its Real MPG champion, which is arguably the most scientific award of the lot.

Keep an eye out for the outcome, with the results going live here at 10.00pm on Thursday 18 May. 

The British Built Honda Civic Type R has been Short-Listed for World Performance Car Of The Year 2016.

• British-built Honda Civic Type R into final five for prestigious World Performance Car of the Year 2016 title
• Judged by 73 leading motoring writers from across the globe
• Type R becomes the first Honda to have ever made it into the final

The British-built Honda Civic Type R has roared into contention to be crowned World Performance Car of the Year (WCOTY) after reaching the final five in a competition judged by 73 leading motoring writers from across the globe.

The accolade marks the first time that a Honda has made it into the final, and the latest in a line of accolades for Honda’s ‘race car for the road’ on the back of scooping the Scottish Car of the Year award in November, and securing its first motorsport success with the drivers and constructors titles in the 2015 British Touring Car Championship.

News of the Civic Type R’s success on the global stage is also a further huge boost and vote of confidence for the dedicated workforce at Honda’s flagship car manufacturing facility, Honda of the UK Manufacturing (HUM), in Swindon. Not only is the Civic Type R built exclusively here for Europe, it was also recently announced that it will be exported from the UK to Japan for the first time. Such is HUM’s reputation for engineering excellence and the highest quality standards that it will also become the global hub for production of the Civic hatchback following a further investment of £200m.

Mike Rutherford, World Car Awards Director and Vice-Chairman comments: "With the comparatively affordable and accessible Civic Type R, Honda has taken on all of the specialist performance car manufacturers - and, on this occasion, beaten the majority of them at their own game by qualifying as a World Car Awards finalist. The company is now one of only five firms in the running for the coveted World Performance Car title."

Phil Crossman, Managing Director of Honda (UK) comments: “We always knew that the Civic Type R was set to be a game-changer for Honda, and this latest accolade once again confirms it. It’s great to be in the company of such premium performance car makers, and we’ve got everything crossed for success in New York in March. This news is also another big vote of confidence for our Swindon plant where the brilliant workforce can take a huge amount of credit for expertly crafting the most extreme Type R ever to wear the ‘Red H’ badge.”

The World Car of the Year jury is composed of 73 motoring writers from across 23 countries and regions globally. For cars to be considered they must be sold in at least five countries globally, on at least two continents. The first award was announced in 2004, with the performance car category added in 2006. with the winner set to be announced at the New York Motor Show on March 24^th.

Honda has tasted success previously in the World Car of the Year awards, taking the World Green Car of the Year crown in 2006 (Civic Hybrid) and 2009 (FCX Clarity).

Billed as a ‘race car for the road’, the all-new British built Honda Civic Type R is powered by the most extreme and high-performing Type R engine ever built. The direct-injected turbocharged 2.0 litre VTEC TURBO petrol engine delivers power, torque and performance figures unmatched in the front-wheel drive hot hatch segment. Peak power output is 310 PS at 6,500 rpm, and peak torque is 400 Nm at 2,500 rpm – both higher than for any previous Honda Civic Type R model.

The World Car Awards nominations have been announced.

The journey on The Road to the World Car continues with today’s announcement of the finalists in all five award categories.

This release kicks off the countdown for the 2015 World Car Awards (the WCAs) prize-giving ceremony to be hosted by the New York International Auto Show (NYIAS), Bridgestone Corporation and Autoneum on Thursday, April 2, 2015. Winners of the 2015 World Car of the Year, World Luxury Car, World Performance Car, World Green Car and World Car Design of the Year will all be declared at this time.

A jury of 75 distinguished international automotive journalists selected the following finalists in the World Car of the Year, World Luxury Car and World Performance Car categories by secret ballot, based on their experience with each candidate as part of their professional work. For more details about our jurors, and their outlets please visit our web site: www.wcoty.com and click < Jurors.

The international accounting firm KPMG tabulated the jurors’ ballots and announced the finalists on the evening of February 9.   

The 2015 World Car of the Year (WCOTY) will be selected from the following ten finalists listed in alphabetical order:

• BMW 2 Series Active Tourer                  
• Citroën C4 Cactus
• Ford Mustang
• Hyundai Genesis
• Jeep Renegade
• Mazda2
• Mercedes-Benz C-Class
• MINI 5 door / MINI 4 door
• Nissan Qashqai
• Volkswagen Passat

The 2015 World Luxury Car will be chosen from one of these top ten finalists:

• BMW i8
• BMW X6
• Cadillac ATS Coupe
• Cadillac Escalade / ESV
• Kia K900
• Lexus NX
• Lexus RC
• Lincoln MKC
• Mercedes-Benz S Coupe
• Range Rover Autobiography Black LWB

The 2015 World Performance Car top ten finalists are:

• Audi S1
• Audi S3
• Audi TT / TTS
• Bentley Continental GT Speed
• BMW M4 Coupe / M3 Sedan
• Corvette Z06
• Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat
• Jaguar F-TYPE R Coupe
• Lexus RC-F
• Mercedes-Benz AMG GT

The 2015 World Green Car category is handled differently. Five experts in “green” technology were appointed by the World Car Awards Steering Committee to extensively review all documentation and specs associated with each candidate on the list of nominees.  The experts then create a short-list of finalists for review by the 75 jurors in their second round of voting this month. 

The finalists for 2015 are:

• BMW i8
• Hyundai x35 / Tucson Fuel Cell
• Kia Soul EV
• Volvo XC90 T8 Twin Engine
• Volkswagen Golf GTE

The five experts on the advisory panel are in alphabetical order: Phil Berg (USA - PopularMechanics.com); Richard Bremner (UK - Autocar magazine), Claus-Peter Koeth (Germany - automobil-industrie.de); Yumi Kawabata (Japan - environmental journalist) and John Voelcker (USA - GreenCarReports.com).

Cars eligible for the 2015 World Car Design of the Year award are taken from the list of World Car candidates or may be included as a stand-alone entry provided the vehicle is available in quantities of at least 10 in one major market during the period beginning January 1, 2014 and ending May 31, 2015.  Candidates may be pre-production or all-new production.

Again, a design panel consisting of five highly respected world design experts was asked to first review each candidate, then establish a short-list of recommendations for the jurors. The design experts are: Masatsugu Arimoto (Japan – Freelance design journalist); Silvia Baruffaldi (Italy – Auto & Design magazine); Gernot Bracht (Germany – Pforzheim Design School); Sam Livingstone (UK - Car Design Research and Royal College of Art) and Tom Matano (USA - School of Industrial Design at Academy of Art University in San Francisco).

The five finalists chosen for the jurors are:

• BMW 2 Series Active Tourer
• Citroën C4 Cactus
• Mercedes-Benz C-Class
• Porsche Macan
• Volvo XC90

The Road to the World Car began in Paris on October 2, followed by a stop in Los Angeles for a test-drive of the North American contenders in November, and continues with the finalists’ announcement. The next stop is at the Geneva International Auto Show on Tuesday, March 3 when the top three finalists in all categories will be announced.   The journey ends at the New York International Auto Show on Thursday, April 2^nd, 2015 when all winners are declared.

USA - Ford Mustang names Esquire Car Of The Year - 2015.

Ford Mustang is being hailed as “one of the most approachable performance cars on the planet,” with today’s announcement that the 2015 Mustang GT has earned “The Esquire Car of the Year” award. The Esquire awards honor vehicles that are stunning and stylish, yet affordable, attainable and fun to drive. 

Mustang GT is all that, with Esquire calling it “a thundering bare-knuckled boxer with an astonishingly polished interior and a desperate need to slice up the highway.” Mustang GT is the sixth vehicle to be named “The Esquire Car of the Year.” It will be featured along with the other winners in Esquire’s December issue, on newsstands Nov. 25. For more on the 2014 Esquire awards, please visit www.esquire.com.