The Ka Family!
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I |
f
you’re an outsider to the Ka organisation scene, this section is designed to
help you identify some familiar Kas . . . and maybe the people behind, heh!
Andy
T tells Dervy about his Ka.
I
started off on motorbikes. Always loved
custom-style choppers. So much that I
built a couple of custom bikes which were shown in magazines. This taught me the skills for modifying,
such as painting, welding, etc. Then a
mate turned up to a bikeshow one day in a mental orange 3-wheeler called a Bond
Bug. At first I thought it was a
kit-car, but then I learned it was actually a classic car from the 70’s -
amazing! I knew I had to have one (do
you see the exhibitionist streak beginning to creep in now?) Eventually I got hold of one in 1997, kept
it for 2 years and had the most fun ever, it attracted lots of attention wherever
I went, and I loved beating the boy racers at traffic lights with my superior
power-to-weight ratio (approx 120bhp/ton).
Also
during those years, I saw the photos / drawings of a concept car that Ford were
toying with building, a car called the Saetta.
Wow, if ever I had a “normal 4-wheeler” that would be the one, talk
about radical design. Fingers crossed,
I hoped they would put it into production.
And they did, sort of! In 1996
the Ka as we know it was launched, a very watered-down version of the Saetta,
but still radical for it’s time.
Remember the outcry when the Ka was first seen? People hated it with such a passion, I knew
I had to get one, being the anarchist-type.
But look at the cars on the road now?
Some of them make the Ka seem.... “normal!”
So in
1999, after selling the Bug, I bought a Ka... without even test-driving
it. Crazy maybe, but I knew it was
perfect condition with only 7,000 on the clock. From the moment I got in the Ka, it felt right. Size was not an issue here, I’ve always
liked small nippy cars. I spend most of
my time darting round towns and cities, so the handling was spot-on. Also it seemed to hold it’s own on the
motorway, once it got up to speed.
And
it wasn’t long before I started to “mess with it” as my missus says. First thing was the wheels and suspension,
engine mods, then some ICE. Little bits
of styling crept in, spoiler, grill surround, etc. I didn’t rush into the modifying by maxxing credit-cards. Just tried to do bits as and when I could
afford them. See, I didn’t want a show
car, not interested in that really, just wanted to make my Ka different. Of course now they’re more popular (to the
extent of being “common”) it’s getting harder to stand out. When I look back over the 2½ years I’ve had
the Ka, I still don’t realise how much it’s changed until I park it next to a
“standard” Ka.
So what
don’t I like about the Ka? Well very
little to complain of. It sits too high
on standard suspension, to the point where it looks a bit like an
off-roader. The styling is fine, apart
from the starfish wheeltrims. Only
really hate the way that the grey bumpers go really manky after a while. The engine is quite restricted in standard
form - try driving a modded one then back into a standard one and you’ll see.
My
main thing I hate about the Ka is other peoples attitude to it. The ignorant dismiss it without trying
it. Saying “it’s too slow” is just
nonsense, because when you ask them have they actually driven one, the reply is
“well, erm, no, but...” They don’t
appreciate that the handling is miles above the rest, and allows you to keep
the speed on the twisties. Okay it
takes a beating in a straight-line drag race, but that’s not what the Ka was
designed for.
So
if I like the Ka so much, why have I changed so many things? Well, I’d like to think it’s evolved. The styling bits are really just to make it
my own. The 15” wheels look in
proportion to the rest of the Ka. The
suspension and brake mods are just improvements to a decent original
set-up. The engine mods make the Ka
feel like it’s working freely; it’s how Ford should have made it in the first
place.
What
next? Well, finish off the bodykit with
sideskirts and rear skirt. Paint the
grotty grey bumpers in a contrasting dark metallic grey. Interior mods like different seats and
steering wheel. Tinted windows are
starting to become priority, ‘cos little kids keep staring when they pull-up
alongside! Engine wise, I doubt I’d
bother with a transplant, just too much money and hassle. I think the VAD turbo kit will be fitted one
day, but to be honest I’m happy enough with the performance of the engine in
it’s current chipped set-up for now.
After all, £1,500 will buy a lot of styling-goodies.
So
the Ka has got me well and truly obsessed, to the point where I collect toy
Ka’s - how sad. If ever there’s a Ka
parked up, I check it out in the hope of seeing a new mod or bit of kit. The Ka Klub is responsible wholly for this
illness. I’ve been a member for
eighteen months now, attended almost every meeting, and loved every minute of
it. There’s no better feeling than
driving down the road with 15 other Ka’s, and checking the public reaction when
they see us. It’s a bit like riding
motorbikes in a gang I guess. Did I
mention I used to be a biker...?
DervMan
chats with Spooky and discusses his Ka!
So, Spooky, tell me about your Ka experience!
I
guess I was one of the Ka pioneers! My
Ka was registered on the 30th January 1997, although the actual build date was
November 18th 1996, so my Ka was a very early one! I owned it from new, but I’ve just (October
2002) traded it in for a 1·6 Focus.
I always
tended to buy cars for practicality, but the Ka was the first car I bought with
my heart rather than my head. I simply
fell in love with the shape of it and decided that I just had to have
one! Thus, it wasn’t long before my
Fiesta got the heave-ho in favour of a Ka.
Sitting in it for the first time was like a breath of fresh air. It was modern and stylish, yet simple and
functional too.
I
still like the Ka – a lot – despite having replaced it. It still looks fresh even nearly six years
into it’s run. I think Ford will have a
hard job bettering the design. I’d be
very interested to see what they come up with next! The Ka handles and drives beautifully and does the job much
better than the competition. I never
once got bored driving my Ka and it held its own in town, in the country and on
the motorway too. It was also
wonderfully reliable and never had a breakdown during the five years I owned
it. The only replacement parts fitted
were what you’d normally expect on an ageing car, like a battery, exhaust and
tyres etc. It seems that the earlier Ka
models were better built from what I’ve been hearing lately.
Any problems with your Ka
My
only gripes with my Ka during the time that I owned it were that the brakes
were a little lacking and the interior wasn’t very durable. The Ka’s brakes are about adequate, but many
owners agree that they could be improved.
The plastic interior fittings and dash were very easily scratched and
marked too, which I found annoying. The
interior looked quite scruffy in places after a while and there was no way of
putting it right.
They give him character!
So would you change anything about the Ka?
No,
not really, except perhaps the brakes, and use better quality plastics on the
interior! Oh, I guess a water temperature
gauge would be nice too. Like I say,
Ford will have a hard time topping the Ka.
You’d keep the Endura-E?
It’s
reliable, torquey and has proven cast-iron technology. Hence, there’s not much to go wrong with
it! If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!
Did you modify your Ka?
Yeah
– I fiddled about with induction kits, and that K & N panel filter that you
bought off me! And don’t forget the
KaTachMeter!
Oh, yes, right!
I
also did the side repeaters, but they went back to normal before we traded it
in. I’m an engineer by profession and I
built my own electronic tachometer, and a battery condition meter. Oh, and some nice alloys, too – 14s rather
than going up to 15s.
But now I need to ask you, but why did you a Focus?
Hmmm
. . . In a nutshell, I was attracted to
the Foci because I needed a larger, quicker car, which also gave more comfort
and safety on the motorway. The Foci
also has more goodies and comfort items.
And I guess you could say you don’t get the Small Car
Syndrome in the Focus, either!
Is there anything about the Ka that you miss – well apart from
the charming looks and the colour?
The
clock - I miss it! The Focus has a more
normal clock. Oh, yeah, you mean
Belladonna? Lovely colour – it suited
the Ka well. I never understood why
Ford dropped it!
Great: thanks for your time!
I hope to see you about!
Charlie
decides she wants to put the record right!
I
guess it would be unfair to pretend that from the start I was a diehard fan of
the Ka. In fact it has probably been
quoted somewhere, in the vastness of the DervMan website, that my first opinion
was “Ew!” Or words to that effect, so
yes it’s true; I didn’t like the Ka when I first saw it. So what did it take to convert me?
Not
to start the “gas guzzling you drive on the wrong side of the road argument,” I
always loved my 4x4 trucks, big engines, and muscle cars. But then I have the excuse of being an American. My first car was a racing Mercury Capri, but
don’t get me started on Tommy. . . But
let’s be realistic here, you ain’t gonna get a Dodge Ram down a one way street
in the middle of York are ya? Well, you
could but it would be a bit Monster Truck style.
After
deciding to trade in the DervMobile 2, Lucy, his
Derviness and I went to check out some cars.
While Dervy was number crunching facts and figures I had my own list of
requirements. I wanted: something
small, something that wasn’t cheap looking, something fun to drive, but most
importantly, something that had “kick butt” attitude.
And
the Ka was it.
The
Ka has all the makings of cult cars like the Mini and the Bug. They look weird. They make you stop and stare.
I know all the stuff that says the Ka is innovatively designed and that
the interior was cutting edge. I guess
so; it just looks cool to me. I like
the way the it’s is kind of modern-retro without being cheesey. Everything is Ka-branded, the bits in don’t
look like they’ve been pulled out of any other Ford. The car gives the impression that everything in the Ka was made
just for the Ka.
I
believe we looked at a basic model first and it was okay, but we wanted to take
it out for a drive. Of course they only
have the top specification model. It
was State Blue, white leather, sunroof, and spoiler. It was very nice, and I was sold long before they started the
engine. To put a long story short, most
of y’all know all about Kermit and his adventures with Dervy. We are just getting started with Kermit,
Dervy’s got the bug for modifying him, so there’s a lot left to do.
But
for me there are two things that I like best about our Ka. Firstly it is the way people have a laugh
with us about Kermit. It’s like some
people have cats or dogs or pet piranhas.
Some people have kids. But Dervy
and I; we have a Ka. A Ka that has it’s
own website and music video, sigh; Dervy spoils him!
And
secondly, it’s getting to be one of the Ka Klub and no
it’s not plugging, it’s the truth! The meets, and hanging out with everyone, it’s when we stop 
off
somewhere and you see all these Kas, all the same but all different. The way everyone stops and stares as you see
us cruising by. The Ka Klub has got to
be one of the best owner’s clubs around.
When you join, or if you are thinking about joining, anything you want
to ask you can. Have a question about
insurance or new fog light designs and there is always someone to give you some
ideas. So in the long and short of it,
buy a Ka just to join the club, okay now that was plugging.
Why
did I fall in love with the Ka? I don’t
think I really answered that. I guess
it’s kind of the same reason I fell in love with the DervMan. Strange and beautiful, funny looking and
cute all at once and they make you smile.
So, I guess I’m the princess that got her frog and her prince.
DervMan
interviews Rachy-Poo about Millie!
Rach; can tell me how you came about your Ka, Millie?
It
all started back in 1998 when I passed my test. My first car was a Nova, which an Orion sent to the scrap man in
the sky a year later. Following that, I
bought another Nova which 
was
lowered, kitted with a bit of ice.
You mean, it had a fridge in the back? They handle as though they do!
Not
exactly, and no comment!
It
was coming up to it’s MOT time and a few dubious holes started appearing in the
wing, so I began looking around. I was
after an old Beetle or a Mini, but then one day, driving past a Ford garage in
Cheshire I spied an foxy looking aqua frost Ka Collection with free insurance.
I’d
just started my first full time job, and with more wages to spend than
previously I decided to go for it. I
had plans for the car, but after nine months of squeaks and leaks I’d had
enough. I had, however, fallen in love
with the Kas handling and looks, so went on a mission to part exchange for a
red Collection.
So Millie is your second Ka?
Yes! At the dealers, a part exchange was
discussed; no problem, but they’d no red Kas in stock. The salesman asked why in particular I
wanted red.
I
said I wanted a car to mod and stand out, he grinned and said “follow me.” In the lock-up behind the dealership he
pointed in the direction of a yellow roof.
I toddled off to have a peek. To my delight, it was a brand
new Millennium Ka, just like the ones I had drooled over the previous
year. I thought then they’d all been
sold (Ford only made a thousand) and that I couldn’t afford one at ten big
ones.
The
salesman explained the trouble they’d had selling them, because of the loud
colour. He’d knock some money off. I couldn’t believe my luck.
Sounds like a bit of a result, then?
Oh
yes! From that point onwards, I knew
Mille and me we destined to be a team.
The moss on her roof, and missing wheels and wipers were no deterrent,
so the papers were signed. I’ve had
Mille for eighteen months now.
So what modifications have you made to Millie?
So
far, I’ve added Wolfrace 15” urban racer 7s, a private plate, a rear spoiler, a
momo raptor gear knob, yellow side repeaters, chrome grille, K & N 57i
induction kit, double air horns, Eibach 35mm lowering springs and a flat Eric
window toy. But there’s a Sparco Strut
Brace in the garage ready to go on, along with the DTM cup mirrors we’ve
customised to fit, which are currently being sprayed (by me).
All rather subtle modifications!
I
think subtle styling is the way to go!
Her interior is standard black embroidered leather, which needs no
changes, now that we’ve gotten the special edition model number.
Is there anything you don’t like about the Ka?
If
I could swap one thing on Mille, it would be the boot pop, for remote central
locking (good for in the rain) apart from that I LOVE HER TO BITS!
Do you reckon if we introduced Kermit to Millie, we’d get orange
Ka Kubs? Ah, the patter of little
wheels . . .
We’d
get puce green – and you’re nuts!
Lovely, well I think that draws that to a close; thanks for your
time!
<Ce n’est pas de problem!>
The
Scottish Regional Secretary discusses his Ka with Dervy
So why do you have a Ka?
Well,
back in ‘98, I think, my old car had died big style and I needed transport that
would handle an 80 mile round trip to work, five days a week. The Ka was going with the right deal at the
right time. It looked unusual and stood
out all the more because it was Ribena Purple!
(Belladonna for all the purists).
After a test drive I was hooked!
So what did you have before you joined Ka ownership?
I
had a completely shagged, 100,000+ miles, B-reg Mazda 323 5-door, bought for
£190 cash from an Arthur Daley type in Falkirk. The Ford Dealership took it as a trade-in for £500. Ha Ha!
Muppets! The day I traded in the
Mazda for the Ka was interesting.
Old
“Syrup” (so called because it used to be Gold-coloured and the interior always
had an unexplained stickiness - nothing to do with me I might add!!) had passed
an MOT but stalled all the time, sort of leaned to one-side, none of the tyres
or the wheeltrims matched, it let the rain in, leaked oil everywhere, no two
panels were the same colour and it needed £200 worth of welding just to remain
safe.
It
knew that I was getting shot of it, because 500 yards from the garage it died -
terminally I think. Nothing I could do
would get it started so my brother pushed it into the carpark at the Ford
Dealers while I “drove” slowly in. We
picked up the keys to the Ka and disappeared over the horizon, leaving the old
Mazda to leak all over the place with a filthy, bookmarked Haynes manual in the
boot along with two litres of oil, a fuel pump, other bits that had fallen off
and a note saying “sorry!”
Heh /laughter/! A
decent swap, then! What’s your
favourite thing about the Ka, then, apart from the colour?
The
fact that every time I drive it, it puts a smile on my face. It’s a happy car!
It’s
great to be in a convoy of Ka’s slowly going through some sleepy town. Whether it be in the lake district or Wales,
the locals don’t know what’s hit them!
It’s like the Martians have landed or something... Even 5 years after it’s launch the little Ka
can provoke a reaction - that’s one of the best things about owning one!
And is there anything that you don’t like?
Slooowwwwww...... And the engine’s really noisy. Plus it gets unwanted attention from drunks
in Edinburgh City Centre who seem to like dancing on it. Bar-stewards! Oh, and no CD player for when the radio’s shite.
Heh! /more laughter/ So is yours modified?
Oh
yeah! I’ve fitted lowering Springs to
improve the stance and the handling. Of
course, that needed wheels – and sticky Yokos, too. It’s wearing a K & N 57i induction kit, which is meant to
provide more power but hasn’t really made that much difference. Still, it sounds good!
I’ve
also got a Peco backbox – again, meant for more power but looks and sounds
better more than it improves the performance.
Finally,
I’ve got a mesh grille and I’ve removed the rear wiper – again, I’m aiming to
improve the appearance again there.
Well, okay, so a drunk removed the rear wiper for me, heh.
Some quite extensive modifications, then! Have you finished modding it, then?
No! Maybe a Turbo kit, a new Zorst and manifold,
superchip it of course, then fit grooved brake discs with fast road pads. Oh, and coilovers to give the Ka a much
needed kick up the bahookie and improve the handling again. Then I’d like all the bodywork smoothed and
colour coded along with sorting out the worn interior and fitting a CD
player. Before that though I want to
have the engine reconditioned - it’s been caned!
See
this cartoon? Stick a goatee on Peter
Griffin and I am that man!
Dervy
chats to another Ka Luxury owner.
Why do you have the Ka?
I
have the Ka because I got to try one as a courtesy car when I wrote off my
Sierra Sapphire 2·0 DOHC. I was very
impressed as to the chuckability of the Ka and how it managed quite a decent
turn of speed. After suffering 2 years
sharing the girlfriends Citroen AX it was time to trade in and we decided on a
Ka in the guise of Ka2 or Ka3 to get a few extras until
we saw the Luxury Ka. Plus I’m a big
Reeves and Mortimer fan and there blatant use of the “Ulrika-ka-ka-ka-ka”
inspired the naming of my car!
What do you like about it?
I
like the luxury Ka because Ford have done a good job of trimming up the
standard model. The alloys, the full
leather interior all make the car great to just look at and think “that’s just
rolled off a production line but looks absolutely stunning.” Also the fact that most companies provide
tuning parts for Ford cars and the Ka is no exception meaning that it can be
tweaked a plenty with good results.
What don’t you like? Any
pet hates?
My
major complaint about the Ka is, “where the hell is the Zetec engine?” My opinion is that if they had put the Zetec
engine in the Ka Ford would never have sold another Fiesta! Other than that I wish they had put a four
speaker set up in the Ka rather than the 2 speaker set up as this means a bit
more work if you want to upgrade your audio.
There’s
nothing else that worries me other than other people’s attitudes towards
it. Recently whilst returning from
Devon the amount of driver’s in BMW’s and Audi’s coming up behind me in the
third lane of the motorway and flashing at me to pull over was phenomenal. But I went past them later on as the reason
I had been travelling “slow” was to maintain safe distance between myself and
the vehicle in front.
What modifications have you made to Ulrika-ka-ka-ka-ka?
Modifications
so far are limited to a brake upgrade of EBC Turbo Groove discs, Greenstuff
pads, Goodridger braided hoses and DOT4 fluid along with a 35% window tint all
round (except for the windscreen of course).
I’m from an old school of modding where you make it stop quicker before
you make it go faster. But in the next
week or so a Magnex stainless back box and Ramair replacement filter element
are to go on and the next step is an Evoloution chip (if the suppliers ever get
back to me).
What’s this about a flat tyre on a steep hill?
Well
I was following you at the time! We
were on our way back down to Skipton after a little trek in the hills, after
installing KITS for you, and some unhelpful woman in a
BMW had stopped in the middle of the road to let us past. You went through, missing this rock by a wee
bit, and I, err, didn’t miss it.
Rock? What rock? I didn’t see it!
Me
neither. Anyway, the nearside front
tyre went, “pop!” It was brand new, as
well, having just been replaced.
Unfortunately, we were on a 25% hill, so stopping and replacing it there
and then wasn’t really an option.
But
rolling down the hill on a deceased tyre didn’t seem too appealing!
Well,
in the end, we did roll it down the hill, and had to replace the wheel. It was then that I discovered that the
Luxury comes with a skinny 13” spare tyre, with a speed limit of 50 mph when
using the tyre. So I had to drive back
home at a rather slower rate than my trip there.
It was fun! How does the
Ka compare to your Sapphire?
It’s
much more entertaining for me to tell you about the RS Turbo! I was travelling a local route which I
travel everyday and came as I usually do up to a set of traffic lights. I shall set the scene in that it was nearly
midnight, a dry night with nobody around and the 
road is
straight for about a mile and the first few hundred yards are flat before it
starts to go uphill. I was in the
outside lane of the dual carriageway and the Escort was on the inside. Through my tinted windows I saw the Escort
driver looking across and then I heard the rising engine revs. Now, I don’t advocate street racing at all
but because the conditions were right and I know the roads and traffic light
sequence so well I thought “right - here we go.” I got the drop on him at the light change and floored it, which
surprised him at first, but then obviously he started to make ground. I held him for a good half a mile and then I
backed right off because I knew something that he must not have - and I could
only imagine the look of shock at not only being held by a 1·3 litre Ka but
also the double flash of the speed camera he went through!
Heh heh heh! Thanks for
your time!
The
first ever Klubber to physically talk with Dervy now tells him about his Ka!
Greetings! Now I know
that your Ka used to belong to your Mum – could you tell me a bit more about
it?
My
mum previously had a beautiful mercury grey XR2i, which I wanted her to keep,
but as my 17th birthday approached, the parents decided to trade in a group 14
(or so) car that I would never have been insured on, for a brand new Ka. The Silver Ka1 was bought from
new. We went to look for a Fiesta, but
my mum saw the Ka, nice features, small blah blah, and took it for a test drive. She was hooked, so off to Sandicliffe in
Loughborough to order it. What colour
though? Amparo Blue was the first
choice, but they were a bit scarce, so silver it was.
It’s
a Ka1 - no power steering, ABS, CD player, no nothing. Just standard, well yeah apart from the Ford
spoiler! Thus is was cheap!
Then you got your hands on it?
For
almost four years it remained standard.
Then as I got a placement year away from Uni, the Ka became mine, and my
mum got a nice new State Blue Collection with everything.
Right! Why do you like
the Ka?
I
like them because they were different - not quite so any more, but still a
little different. They have excellent
visibility, handling is pretty good and they are economical.
Is there anything you don’t like?
The
lack of power. You can never have too
much power. That’s really about
it. Well, yeah, I also don’t like many
people’s perception that it is a girlie car.
Sod them, what do they know!
Heh; so what have you done to yours, then?
In
chronological order? First, the side
repeaters and gear knob! For my 20th in
2001, I took a trip to In Car Electronics, Leicester for a Sony CD flip
headunit (can’t remember model), Boston Acoustics Mids and Tweeters, MTX 4244
Amp and a JL Audio 10W3 plus a shed load of expensive cabling!
Next
came some 15” TSW Evo wheels, wearing Yoko A539 195/45s, with Tarox drilled and
grooved discs, plus fast road pads (which are excellent, by the way!). I’ve got the Eibach lowering springs, a
Powerflow CAT back stainless exhaust system with 3½” tailpipe. I had all of this fitted in one day at one
place.
I
then thought, hmmm, security – now I have a CAT 1 alarm and immobiliser, a
Tracker.
Then
to improve performance a bit, I’ve got a Superchip and the Green Induction Kit.
Then
joined the Ka Klub!
You weren’t in the Klub . . .
Didn’t
know about it! But since then I’ve
blacked out the rear lights, done the MS Designs grill extension thing, light
brows, indicator film (thanks to “Ginger” Phil for this!), I’ve painted the callipers and
drums, had a new exhaust tailpipe fitted, done the door sills, bought myself
another new gear knob and hand brake cover, replaced the induction kit with the
Simota one (plus about 300 cold air feeds!).
Finally,
I’ve gotten my hands on a Skindemon number plates, replacement aerial – and I
think that’s about it!
That’s pretty extensive!
Surely, you’ve finished now?
Finished! /laughs/
I’ve just bought a tacho, but it’s not fitted. And I’ve got plans. . .
Go on . . .
I’m
going to paint the bumpers - not silver, either state blue, black or dark grey
(might wait and see what Andy T’s look like first!). Then I’ll tint the windows.
And looking further into the future, some more engine modifications,
some side skirts and maybe a lower body kit.
Oh
and I need some more shiny bits in the engine bay. You can never have enough shiny underbonnet bits.
Splendid! Right; thanks
for your time!
Dervy
decides to sip some Guinness when he chats with Graham.
Hi Graham. We’ve never
met, heh, but I’ve heard a lot about and from you! Could you tell me a bit more?
Yeah;
I bought my Ka back in June 2000, brand new.
It’s only been two and a half years, but I’ve done one or two things to
it.
I should say! So what
have you done?
When
it comes to the appearance, I’ve got a colour coded Ford RS rear spoiler,
Ford’s RS Cosworth alloys – the fifteen inch ones. These are currently wearing 195/45 Kumho tyres. It’s not yet been lowered – that’s to follow
– so in these pictures, it looks a bit tall.
I’ve
also got a reflective black tinted sun strip and stainless steel sill
protectors with the Ka logo. Up front,
I’m using Lucas rally blue 100W head light bulbs, and ABC smoked side
repeaters. At the back, there’s RS
Supplies’ tailpipe extension.
In
the engine bay, I’ve had all of the standard yellow caps sprayed in Cosworth
Imperial Blue, a polished chrome manifold heat shield and in the boot, I’ve
installed a hyper-blue LED.
Right. What about the
interior?
I’ve
done a bit more to the interior! I’ve
kept the Ford 6000 CD player, but this now drives a SPLx 12” 1,000w sub, which
sits inside a custom made 0·8 cubic foot sealed box, Power Acoustic 300w two
channel bridged amp with a perspex top and a built in neon, running off the
Ford high line input.
I’ve
also got myself a Puma brushed aluminium gear knob, and some Neon lighting
under the Ford CD player.
Hokey. Can I guess that
you don’t like the engine, then?
Yes. That old 1·3 pushrod is awful! But the handling makes up for it. I especially like the lift off oversteer!
Lovely: thanks for your time.
Next time Charlie and I are in Northern Ireland, we’ll look you up.
Is
it an RS Turbo? It is a Ka? Neither, but both. Read on . . .
I think that yours is the first turbocharged Ka that I’ve seen
in action - so how did it all start?
I
bought my Ka on the 23rd of October 2000, three days before my 21st birthday as
a present to myself. I actually bought
it from my boss at a very good price for a 98R Ka with only 24,000 miles on the
clock.
What do you like about it?
What
attracted me to this Ka was the colour - Amparo Blue. I never really took a shine to the Ka when it was first released;
those big black bumpers really put me off.
But as the Ka was cheap to insure and run it made sense to buy one and
sort that problem out.
So what did you do to the Ka?
The
first modifications were purchased for the Ka before I actually picked it up!
I
started off with the usual changes like the gear knob, side repeaters and such
like. Then I decided to lower her as
she sat too high in my opinion. The
garage that lowered it were offering finance on wheels at the time so shortly
after lowering it along came a set of 15” TSW edge alloys. Then through the course of the next year
little mods happened like a scorpion exhaust, K & N 57i Induction kit and a
personalised plate (P2KKA).
In
Jan 2002 I went a bit mad on a trip up to Demon Tweeks and spend on some Evo2
Sparco Bucket seats and 6 point harnesses.
That was it all the interior was striped out and the back bordered flat. The same month I decided to purchase the
Ford Racing Wide arch kit and also a set of 5 17” Masitaly VT7 Alloys with
Yokohama AVS sport tyres, with the bordered out rear I decided to store a spare
17” for emergencies and for a display purpose.
That months spend was nearly so I decided to ease off for a bit after
that and concentrate on the interior a bit.
Along came a Pioneer Organic display CD Player, Kicker 5x7 front
speakers, Pioneer 4way 6x9 for the rear, 2 12” JL Audio W3 Subs and a hefty amp
to run it. While out purchasing that
lot I saw this really cool 5” widescreen TV and thought I must get me one of
those. Next thing you know its all
wired up to a PS2 in the car and also a CCTV camera in the grill to record the
road ahead. Things started to die down
for a bit after that sudden madness and I started to enjoy showing my Ka off as
everyone I drove past would always stop and stare.
Then
in August I went to the absolute extreme and decided to fork out nine grand on
getting a new engine. Three months
later I got back my Ka minus a 1·3 engine but with a 1·6 CVH RS Turbo engine,
fully tuned on Cosworth management, with a bigger turbo, custom radiators,
custom chargecooler, the full works; I could spend a whole day telling you
what’s been done, but I’ll keep it short!
I had the brakes upgraded to Mondeo V6 jobbies, which do a great job in
slowing her down, especially from 140+mph, which it is more than capable
of. She’s just been on the rollers, and
pushes out 194 PS and 241 Nm so it is an absolute animal!
Traction
is a problem: when up against something like an Escort Cosworth, he’ll be
quicker from low speed over roundabouts, but we’ll be gaining in the straits.
Surely, things have just about finished, then?
Nah. I’m not happy with all that and in six
months time, or so, it should be up around the 300+bhp mark with a further wad
spent on it. I’m also after the Rally
ka Rollcage just to complete it then I think I’m there after a full re-spray in
a flipped purple, green colour.
300 PS from a CVH?
Hmm. But you must have had some
fun in it, then?
The
best bit about this Ka is when people see me chewing a Cosworth that makes me
laugh every time; their faces are a picture!
Yes; I’ll bet they are!
Thanks for the time. Any chance
of a drive? Okay, I didn’t think so.
DervMan
and Charlie drive the best part of 250 miles just to meet up with Pete at Bluewater.
So when did you get this one?
/Dervy points at the black Ka/
I
got my Ka in August 2002, I am lucky as my Mum bought it for me, as a kinda
present for going to University. It
wasn’t new, it’s a ‘99 V-reg. But soon
it will soon have a new plate; S6YKA.
What do you like about it?
I
like the Ka as it is a small, fun, nippy little car that’s great looking and
has a personality all of its own that I don’t see in many cars today. I love the look of them when they’re nicely
modded with phat alloys and a cool bodykit.
So what don’t you like about them?
I
don’t like the fact that you can’t get bigger rims on a Ka without major
reconstructive surgery. Did you know
that you can apparently get 19” alloys on a Renault Clio without much work at
all? I don’t like the fact that the
current models have never come in a larger engine size, until the new release
models. Maybe they couldn’t release an
Si because it would then be a KaSi?
Yeah; but have you driven a Clio? What have you done to
it so far?
I
have made quite a few modifications.
I’ve got green under-Ka neon’s on a remote control, green high intensity
sidelight bulbs, a green replacement bulb for the interior courtesy light. I’ve also got a replacement gear knob with
multi pattern green flashing LEDs. Oh,
yeah and the Tireflys: I’ve got green flashing ones for valve caps!
I’ve
also replaced the standard black grill for Ford’s 
silver
version, fitted silver Type-T windscreen wipers and a silver bee-sting aerial.
To
complete the job, it’s wearing clear side repeater lenses.
There’s a bit of a theme emerging . . . do you have anything
else planned?
The
personalised registration plate, “S6YKA,” is coming at Christmas! Eventually I’m thinking of the full MSD kit
with front fog lamps, unless I fall into serious cash - in which case I would
go for the K9 kit.
I’d
like 15” alloys, most probably TSWs, but I’m not sure which design yet
though. Unless, of course, I get the K9
kit fitted in which case I’ll have to go larger, maybe 18s.
In
the short term I’m going to get some silver mesh for the front
indicators and some lightbrows, but in the
longer term I’m thinking I want the Morette twin headlamp conversion.
And
I also want a custom twin exhaust setup.
I’m not sure what style I want at the moment - either O-------O,
OO-------OO or -----OO-----.
In the interim, I’ve recently ordered an exhaust trim with Green LEDs
inside!
I’d
like a custom boot install with either a 12” sub or two 10” subs, two 6x9s in
an acoustic shelf and 2 replacement 5x7s for the front doors. This will all be Fusion ICE as their stuff
has green cones!
And
I think I need some more green interior neon’s for the footwells!
Wow! Big plans!
Yeah, well sadly at the moment she doesn’t get driven an
awful lot as she is parked 3 miles away from my Halls in Canterbury most of the
year and thus I cannot drive her much as I am a poor student! My mate did ring me today to tell me that my
car had been stolen from outside his house where he is looking after it for me,
only for me to tell him that it was sitting outside my window and had been for
3 days! But alas she is away once more.
I’m sorry to hear that!
But thanks for your time!