Max Power Beast: My Journey with a Turbocharged Fiesta ST150

Use The Share Buttons Above The Image To Share This Story, Thank You

Submit Your Modified Cars Here

Order Your Car Magazine From Our Amazon or Etsy - UK/EU Stores!!

Gary Needham 

Fiesta st150 turbo 

Instagram: @Fiesta_st_gaz 

Performance Stats: 502.5 bhp and 362 lbs torque at 22-23 psi on high boost and 418.5 bhp and 302 lbs torque on 14-15 psi boost

Hi! I’m Gary, a 40-year-old car enthusiast with a passion for everything automotive, especially my turbocharged Fiesta ST150. My journey with cars started at a young age and has grown into a lifelong pursuit. Whether it's tinkering under the hood, creating custom builds, repairing and servicing vehicles, or attending car shows, my life revolves around the world of cars.

The Thrill of Custom Builds

I take immense pleasure in transforming cars and pushing the boundaries with innovative custom projects. The thrill of diagnosing and fixing car issues fuels my enthusiasm, and there's nothing quite like the satisfaction of a job well done.

A Community of Enthusiasts

Beyond the garage, I love sharing my passion and knowledge with fellow car enthusiasts. I believe in the power of community and often find myself immersed in discussions, exchanging tips, and learning from others at car shows and meetups. It's this shared passion that makes the automotive world so exciting and fulfilling.

Documenting the Journey

In my free time, I enjoy documenting my projects and experiences, hoping to inspire and connect with like-minded individuals. Whether you're a seasoned car lover or just starting out, I’m always excited to connect, share stories, and celebrate our mutual love for all things automotive.

Inspired by Legacy

My interest in cars was sparked by my grandad, who was an aircraft engineer. Growing up during the Max Power era, where I had many modified cars but nothing to the extent of the Fiesta, I was captivated by the car culture and modifications of that time. Thanks to Mark for the revival of the first Max Power Reunion show three years ago, my passion was reignited, inspiring me to rebuild my Fiesta, modelled after the iconic Max Power cars.

The Birth of a Max Power Icon

I bought this car nine years ago as a simple runaround but soon grew bored with it. I began making some changes, which eventually led to a complete engine build and extensive exterior modifications. After my last car show last year, I decided to take it off the road and embark on a Max Power-inspired build.

Custom Modifications

I started with the front and rear bumpers from a Saxo, fully smoothing and moulding them to fit. I added fully smoothed Peugeot 206 side skirts and decided to smooth out all the door strips, removing and smoothing the door handles as well. I created a custom bad boy bonnet, completely smoothed the boot, and added a lower lip spoiler along with a custom roof spoiler. Additionally, I moulded and smoothed wide arches to give the car a more aggressive stance. The finishing touch was respraying the entire car in Nardo Grey with a slight blue pearl and purple and blue metal flake, creating a unique colour.

A Unique Creation

I believe this car has the complete package, featuring a fully custom one-off body kit, a unique exhaust system, a comprehensive audio setup, and a 500 bhp fully forged turbo engine build. This combination makes it truly one of a kind. Every time I drive it—which isn't that often—it brings a smile to my face and gives me an adrenaline rush, though the power definitely keeps you on your toes. While owning it is a lot of fun, the build does have its quirks, but fixing those issues on weekends keeps me busy and entertained!

Turbocharged Fiesta ST150 Spec list 

Engine & Performance

Fuchs 10w50 race engine oil, Fusion fabs custom inlet manifold with Ferriday TIG all sprayed champion yellow, Weisco forged piston, K1 forged rods with arp bolts, ARP ca625+ head bolts, ARP main bolts, ARP flywheel bolts, ARP crank bolts, ARP camshaft bolts, Supertech 1mm oversized Iconnel valves, Colesbro valve guides, ported and polished head, Cosworth Duratec head gasket with Ferriday 1mm copper gasket shim, mahle motorsport racing big end bearings, Diado racing main bearings, Keyed crankshaft, crank sprocket and custom TTV crank pulley, Billet aluminium water pump pulley, crankshaft polished balanced and oil way chamfered, Airtech pcv baffled breather plate, Airtech oil catch tank system, Sbd upgraded chain tensioner, Cosworth high lift valve springs and retainers, Cosworth 200 spec cams,mls exhaust gasket with Ferriday TEP, alloy rocker cover with welded in an an10 fittings.

Alloy engine caps all hydro dipped, turbo sport adjustable vernier cam pulleys with dowels, 12" ITG cosworth spec air filter with k&n wrap and 3" tube with custom cold feed pipe and bumper mounted trumpet, Enlarged 68mm throttle body, Cosworth 82 degree thermostat , Pro alloy custom header tank with an4-6 fittings, Mountune performance HT leads and ngk iridium ²spark plugs, Garrett gtx3071r gen 2 turbo with anti surge ported compressor housing, braided oil and coolant pipes with torques fittings, Funk motorsport turbo blanket with custom 3" downpipe, custom 1.5" sch10 tubular exhaust manifold ,  Turbosmart wg40 external wastegate with 1.5" custom screamer pipe, custom 2.5" intercooler piping, with Js performance hose joiners, custom mishimoto big core intercooler, Aem truboost controller, Mazda mps 3 bar map sensor and Turbosmart mega sonic dump valve, Fusion fabrication custom 3" downpipe, 3" middle section with sports cat /decat and full 2.5 " back system with 6 custom slash cut oval  exhaust tips, Powerflex & focus rs yellow exhaust rubbers, Astra power steering pump and cage, Kinzy fabrications an6 steering adapters, Yellow js performance silicone hoses.

Oil catch tank, Airtec 45mm alloy radiator, custom made pro alloy header tank, 15 row setrab oil cooler and mocal thermostatic sandwich plate, Vibra technic engine mount, ARC gearbox mounts, uprated Cosworth high flow oil pump, Siemen deka 875cc 80lb injectors, sytec 340lph uprated fuel pump and modified fuel sender, Sytec fuel regulator with fuel return to tank, Torques fuel fittings and stainless fuel lines, Radium fuel rail, Focus Alternator relocated to front, Scangauge 2 display, MTX 75 gearbox conversion with quaife lsd diff with metal cage bearings, Mfactory 3.79 final drive ratio crown & pinion set, Torco mtf oil and ARC mounts Focus mk2 driveshaft bearing housing and custom braided clutch line TTV racing lightweight flywheel and 5 paddle clutch kit, ARC baffled sump, Victor reinz gaskets and seals throughout, SCS delta 800 ecu with st150 custom loom with map switch, launch control switch and tration control.

Mapped and tuned by sabre tuning running 502.5 bhp and 362 lbs torque at 22-23 psi on high boost and 418.5 bhp and 302 lbs torque on 14-15 psi boost

Exterior:

Custom one-off vented Badboy bonnet, custom one-off Saxo bumper and Nissan S15 Versiel splitter all moulded together, custom moulded wide arches custom rear bumper with custom diffuser and 6 exhaust tips, Peugeot 206 side skirts all moulded in, door strips and door handles completely smoothed, custom smoothed boot with lower lip spooler custom rs spoiler with BMW x5 top spoiler moulded with a lip spoiler on top, sabre tuning  sun strip,custom headlights, smoked led rear lights, under car neons, rear wiper delete tinted windows, full paint job nardo grey with blue & purple metal flake 

Wheels & Tyres:

18” 8j wide revo RF018 gloss black  wrapped in 215 35 18 Falken fk510, 20mm custom rear axle spacers and 15mm front wheel spacers,

Interior:

B.B. classics front sport seats with yellow st badge & retrimmed in custom yellow diamond stitch, custom yellow diamond stitch rear seats, yellow TRS 4 point harnesses with black shoulder pads, Blue auto beam footwell leds, custom centre dash housing innovate oil temp and pressure gauge aem boost gauge and aem afr gauge, Armster centre armrest, Scangauge 2 OBD display, Mountune floor mats, yellow stitched Omp 320mm flat-bottom steering wheel with b-g quick release boss, Omp seat subframes sprayed yellow, Black and yellow stitched gator and hand brake cover and belt buckle covers, Black yellow gear knob, Yellow vent surrounds, yellow custom roll cage, st seatbelt shoulder covers, rear boot strut sprayed yellow, yellow door handles, yellow door cards, blue illuminated switches and dials, yellow gear gator ring, black roof lining and sunvisor, blacked out dashboard, custom yellow roll cage, flocked door trims, Interior completely flocked in black and yellow 

Suspension & Running Gear:

Yellow front strut brace custom made, rear boot strut bar, BAF motorsport rear support brace bar, White line rear anti-sway roll bar, bc racing coilovers with stiffness/softness adjustment front lowered about 50mm and rear 65mm, Ksport 356mm disc and 8pot callipers yellow stuff pads, Reyland motorsport 330mm 2 pieces slotted rear brake conversion with EBC yellow stuff pads, Yellow braided brake hose with racing brake fluid, power flex bushes all round, adjustable uprated front link bars, focus mk1 diesel drive shafts and focus shifter tower and cables. Kinzy fabrication solid alloy steering rack bushes, custom 22mm front anti-roll bar with H&R bushes. 

Audio

Pioneer sph-da360dab head unit, Auto vox Pro v5 mirror dash cam, Hertz hpd1 d mono amp with a bass controller, Hertz hpd4 d 4 channel am, Hertz hcp4 4 channel amp, Hertz hcp2x  2 channel am, 150amp, focus alternator, Hertz hx 380d 15" sub, All housed in custom boot build in spare wheel hole, Hertz energy ECX 165.5 2 way coaxial & Hertz mille pro 165.3 mid-woofer rear speakers in custom build, 4 x hertz  8" sv200l  woofers in the front door, 4 x  Hertz mille pro 165.3 mid-woofer in custom door build and 4 tweeters, 2x Hertz cento c165l mid-woofer & 2x  Hertz cento components in custom  parcel shelf  build, Dead mat sound deadening all round, 0 gauge ofc wiring split into 3 x 4 gauge ofc wiring kit, 12 & 14 gauge ofc speaker wire all round

Who Did the Work?

I handled much of the engine work myself, with invaluable assistance from James at Grace Engineering. Matt at Fusion Fabrications helped bring my custom designs to life and took care of the welding work. I did all the bodywork and paintwork myself, making this my first attempt at a project of this scale.

Future Plans

I’m considering adding a new custom roof spoiler and possibly an air-ride setup. Additionally, I plan to make a few engine modifications, including installing a set of turbo camshafts, 3” custom intercooler pipework, and a water meth injection kit.

Shout Outs

• My wife Heather and my two boys Oliver & Jack for all their help and support.

• Mark @maxpowerreunion for bringing the Max Power era and shows back to life.

• @grace_engine_developments for helping with engine work.

• @fusionfabrications for help with fabrication and welding.

• My workplace for letting me do all the bodywork and painting in the workshop.

Dream Car

My dream car is the Nissan Skyline GTR R35.

With a bit of hard work and a clear vision, I truly believe I’ve created something unique. This car has grown as I have, and it perfectly represents who I am.

Take A Quiz: So you think you know all about Cars prove it,

Do you Need A Freelance Photographer? Our Photographers Are Available For Hire

UKTM no: UK00003572459