1990 Ford Festiva- Fastiva

Every so often someone builds a feature car that makes you want one. Badly. Here is the story of a certain turbo Festiva that has this editor thinking about doing impure things to a yet-to-be-purchased, cheap-as-can-be commuter car. There is something so inherently appealing about taking a car so undeniably pedestrian and making it disgustingly quick. Cam Waugh, owner of CWS Tuning, was beaten to the punch in the early '90s by the makers of the Festiva Shogun, a Yamaha V6-powered, mid-engined exotic that existed in very small numbers and came with a price tag more evocative of a silk purse than a sow's ear. Waugh's solution produced a vehicle that was not only ultimately faster than the Shogun, but cost a fraction to build.

The story of how this Festiva made it into the magazine differs a bit from most. Waugh sent in pictures of the car for "The Street," which made their way around the office and soon into the "to be featured" pile. Getting the car featured, however, was going to be difficult; Waugh resides in the less-than-metropolitan area of Regina, Saskatchewan. Imagine our surprise when we pulled in to Jacob's Electronics in Midland, Texas to find Waugh-with family and glistening Festiva-awaiting us.

Waugh, with wife Kendell and daughter Hannah, made the 2000-plus mile drive from Canada to join us on our Trek to Texas. More impressive than the drive was the sheer amount of stuff they fit into the Festiva, including a playpen, TV and videos, toys, plus luggage for two adults. In the time the Waughs spent caravanning with the SCC crew, we were amazed at the number of enthusiasts along the way that recognized Waugh's Festiva from its recent appearance in our magazine; the originality and sheer coolness of the project is apparently not only obvious to us.

A list of CWS Tuning's previous projects may help you understand the kind of mind that came up with this hybrid: An '86 VW GTI with VR6 engine, an '86 Chevy Sprint with Integra B18 non-VTEC engine, a '79 Civic with '91 D16, a '73 Corolla with BMW 2002ti engine and an Austin Mini placed atop a 4X4 Suzuki Samurai frame. At the time we went to press, the shop was working on an '80 Rabbit GTI with 1.8T 8V engine that ran 13s its first time out. It only makes sense that someone who births combinations such as the above be surrounded by lots of disposed-of cars, and it was when Waugh was working at an import parts recycler in Regina that he noticed the similarities between the Festiva 1.3 and 323 GTX 1.6L engines. He measured the two and realized the bottom ends were nearly identical. The B6T engine was also found domestically in the Mazda 323 GTand Mercury Capri.

A couple of years later, Waugh chanced upon a very rough Festiva, which he picked up for $250.

And, because a friend was parting out an '88 Mazda 323 GTX, he picked up the engine, tranny, ECU, intercooler and wiring harness for a mere $600. In just two weeks, the Festiva was breathing force-fed air, with a minimum of complications. CWS had to fabricate a passenger-side engine mount adapter, but beyond that, the engine bolted in and only required an additional fuel pump to run.

Though Waugh planned on using the much larger and beefier GTX transmission, the differential hangs out the back of the 4WD box, interfering with the steering rack and leaving him with only the Festiva tranny. The Festiva clutch was designed to hold 63 stock hp, so the approximately 160 hp attempting to make its way to the front tires went beyond the small unit's ability to keep the input shaft and tires spinning at the same speed. The big smoky burnouts he saw in first gear (the clutch would only hold till second gear) was nonetheless encouraging and Waugh looked for other solutions. He noticed the clutch for the Suzuki Swift GTI had the same input shaft diameter and spline count, but was 20mm larger in diameter. After trying a few aftermarket clutches, Waugh settled on an Advanced Clutch Technologies four-puck clutch, which has been the only one to manage the B6T's upgraded power and function without drama. In order to fit the Suzuki clutch, however, the stock Festiva flywheel needed to be machined, though the transmission remained stock, as did the axles (which, surprisingly, have yet to break!).

Eager to see how the car would fare at the track, Waugh drove the car to Saskatchewan International Raceway, where the sad-looking car was almost laughed out of tech. Then came the first run, where with a 2.25-inch exhaust and 9 psi of boost, Waugh clipped off a 14.4 at 99 mph, handily beating a 440 Dodge Charger in the other lane. Pity the officials who learned a lesson in power-to-weight ratios. (The Festiva weighs around 1700 lbs. stock!)

When the engine was pulled to paint the car, CWS performed some bolt-on magic to up the already impressive performance of the B6T. A 1.6-liter Miata intake manifold was sourced, and the larger Miata throttle body repositioned to the other side of the plenum. Four injector bosses were welded above each runner and the whole piece was anodized blue. Four additional stock Festiva injectors (fitted to a stock Festiva fuel rail) were added for extra fuel duty, controlled by a Simple Digital Systems EIC.

This low-cost additional injector controller allows the Festiva to not only have excellent idle and low-rpm drivability, but also provides additional fuel under boost conditions and, as assembled by CWS, excellent individual cylinder distribution of fuel. A stock CT 26 turbo from a Toyota MR2 was adapted to the B6T exhaust manifold and a Toyota MR2 intercooler was placed as a front mount next to a radiator from a '95 Civic. To fit the CT 26, CWS cut and boxed the lower radiator support to slant it outwards and clear the intake side of the turbo, though this was not necessary with the stock turbo. The Miata intake manifold allowed the use of 2.25-inch intercooler piping, which was fitted with a Turbo XS Type H blow-off valve. Rounding out the turbo upgrades is a manual boost valve, also from Turbo XS, and a custom 2.5-inch exhaust from the turbo back, terminating in a Tanabe G-Power Medallion muffler originally intended for a Prelude. (This required some surgery to the spare tire well to fit.) In the spring, CWS returned to the track, running 15 psi of boost and spinning small slicks through third gear in order to turn a 13.3 at 106 mph.

An avid autocrosser, Cam made sure the Festiva could play in the twisties as well as it goes straight-all while still looking pretty. Despite the fact that GABs and Konis are available for the Festiva (actually, for the Mazda 121, its Japanese-market production twin), Waugh put his VW experience to work and wrangled up a set of A3 Golf VR6 struts and springs for the rear, as well as a Rabbit strut with Boge inserts for the front. Though our experience in the car was limited to that of being flung down a straight boulevard, according to Waugh, the car rotates nicely, and regularly kicks butt at local autocross events.

Wheel choice was an issue for CWS, as the Festiva, for some strange reason, uses a 4x114 bolt pattern, shared most famously with the 240SX and Accord. Waugh chanced upon a set of BBS RS three-piece wheels in a 15-inch size originally destined for a 240SX that fit perfectly. In fact, with the lowered suspension, the rear wheels and meaty Yokohama A520s tuck inside the fender flare perfectly. The brakes front and rear are stock with the addition of Metal Master pads, though Waugh is currently considering several larger brake options.

While in Houston, Waugh bolted his Festiva to a pair of Dynapack wheel dynos. Prior to driving down to WIC, Waugh swapped the somewhat laggy CT 26 for the stock turbo, which while being more driveable, cut a meaty portion off the horsepower curve. Soon, however, a Garrett T25 turbo from a Mitsubishi Eclipse will have been swapped into the car for a happier medium of drivability and ultimate power.

Being able to load the turbo and get the full 15 psi of boost at below 3000 rpm on the Dynapack dyno placed the torque peak there, at 189 lb-ft of torque. With the stock turbo maxed out for flow, the Fastiva made 169 hp at 5300 rpm before falling off noticeably towards redline. The extremely torquey nature of the engine, apparent on paper, was still surprising behind the wheel. Getting behind the wheel was easier than expected, because despite the Festiva's diminutive exterior measurements, space inside is abundant and seating position both sporting and comfortable. The B6T offered an insistent thrum as we eased into traffic and waited for some clear lanes. Good thing we did, because with the small turbo, boost arrived immediately, and on the first jab of the throttle in second gear, the car nearly jumped into the next lane with an unexpectedly large dose of torque steer (an open differential, unequal-length drive shafts and big torque in a featherweight car are all culprits).

The roar of warm Arizona air being smashed through the Miata intake manifold and forced spent through the Tanabe muffler was lovely, made better with the knowledge it accompanied a Festiva squirting down the road at speeds that far exceeded its design parameters. With a fairly square wheelbase and the wheels taughtly suspended and pushed out to the corners, the Festiva handles with immediacy and exuberance, and coupled with the torquey engine produces a package as happy jumping through holes in traffic as consuming large stretches of desert. The grin-to-cost ratio, almost needless to say, is high.

There is no debating the visual statement made by this Festiva, a result of the combination of custom bodywork and Waugh's use and modification of pieces of other vehicles. Having both worked for an import parts recycler and now owning a tuning shop that handles a variety of automotive marquees, in true hot rod style, Waugh used components from no less than four manufacturers other than Ford in building the Festiva.

After establishing that the Festiva was a viable rocket, Waugh spent a winter making it look the part as well. Waugh has gone to great lengths to make the Festiva visually appealing and, with a result that looks decidedly European, pulled it off. After completely stripping the car and removing the engine, Waugh cleaned up the pedestrian lines of the car by shaving the locks and smoothing the hatch by welding in metal. It was also at this point that CWS shortened and narrowed a set of '91 Civic bumpers. Great West Collision in Regina finished up the specifics, adding a shortened front spoiler from a Ford Ranger Splash, adding earlier model "smooth" Festiva taillights and early grille, all before spraying the car with a rich coat of 2000 Toyota Celica GT-S Pearl Blue. The blue paint accentuates flared fenders, which are actually completely stock, but traditionally get lost in dull paint jobs and too skinny tires.

Once back from the body shop, CWS fabricated the dual 7-inch round headlight conversion and Lexan headlight covers. Ractive M3 side mirrors were added, as was a Ford Focus roof antenna and an Acura Integra power sunroof was grafted onto the roof. Jamex VW gas hood struts bolted straight on to the car, and provide an inexpensive, but elegant, touch. To spruce the interior, grey Integra GS-R seats sit atop custom brackets and complement the many interior panels that are dyed black. As if one could ever tire of happy turbo sounds, Waugh added a well-balanced stereo consisting of components from Pioneer, Earthquake, Infinity and Kicker.

With so much interest in the car, CWS now sells most of the parts you need to build a Fastiva of your own, including all necessary parts for the swap and the other aftermarket products used in the build-up. Check out cwstuning.com for more information on the swap. Driving a car like this makes you want to build one of your own, especially considering clean Festivas can be found for under $1,000, as can a B6T with ECU and wiring harness. Fellow staffer, Dan Barnes, has been talking smack about building a Corolla that could whoop on a turbo Festiva, so stay tuned: The Shitbox Challenge may soon arrive.