A brief history of SVT, RS, and ST is described in the ST supplement to the manual.
PRODUCT HISTORY
The Ford Special Vehicle Team (SVT) was established in 1991 to polish the Ford Oval by creating low-volume, factory-produced vehicles designed for those select few whose idea of driving is a high-powered, passionate experience ā not just a means of getting from point A to point B.
In a move to support this spirited enthusiasm, Ford Motor Company carefully integrated the wide array of talent in the company into a small, cross-functional group of engineers and product planners, housed together under one roof with a common mission: to create vehicles specifically designed to meet the unique needs and desires of the knowledgeable driving enthusiast.
Nearly 200000 SVT vehicles have been produced since the 1993 model year. These include the SVT Mustang Cobra and the Cobra R, the SVT F-150 Lightning, the SVT Contour, the SVT Focus, Ford GT, Shelby GT500, GT500KR and the F-150 SVT Raptor.
TEAM RS HISTORY
TeamRS traces its roots back nearly 60 years from the Lotus Ford Cortina and Twin Cam Escorts of the mid 1960ās, through the first RS branded Escorts of the 1970ās to the founding of Special Vehicle Engineering (SVE) in 1980. Through the 1980s and 90s, SVE delivered a breadth of vehicles from exciting XR and RS branded road going performance cars through homologation specials such as the iconic Sierra Cosworth RS500. The first ST (Sport Technology) vehicle appeared in 1996 as the ST24 Mondeo. The first collaboration between Fordās European and North American performance teams appeared in 2002 as the ST170 in Europe and SVT Focus in North America. In 2003,
TeamRS replaced SVE in Europe as performance car and motorsport personnel were brought together as one team. TeamRS subsequently created the 2004 Fiesta ST, 2005 Focus ST and 2009 Focus RS.
GLOBAL PERFORMANCE VEHICLES
The Global Performance Vehicle group was formally established in 2009, joining the performance product development excellence and heritage of SVT in North America and TeamRS in Europe. The Fiesta ST is the second vehicle to emerge from this group and represents the best of what Ford performance has to offer from around the globe. Your ST vehicle has been designed and developed with the four hallmarks of the Ford Global Performance Group in mind: Performance, Substance, Exclusivity and Value. We are proud and passionate about what we do, and we are glad you have made us your choice.