Ford unveils Fiesta RS World Rally Car livery

Ford has unveiled the scheme of colours that its all-new Fiesta RS World Rally Car will be wearing on the 2011 FIA World Rally Championship.

The unveil was made by team driver Mikko Hirvonen and Ford of Europe motorsport chief Gerard Quinn at the Autosport International Racing Car Show in Birmingham, motorsport's traditional start-of-season showcase event.

On the occasion Ford also confirmed the new name and logo of the team. In 2011 ford’s official WRC team will be competing as the Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team.

Abu Dhabi continues to be the main partner of Ford in WRC and its distinctive branding will also be a feature in the 2011 Fiesta RS World Rally Car. This season Emirati driver Khalid Al Qassimi will be driving a third car for Ford, supporting team-mates Hirvonen and Jari-Matti Latvala.

Castrol will also continue to be one of the team’s main sponsors, as it has happened since 2005.

"The preview version of the car we unveiled in September at the 2010 Paris Motor Show was dramatic in its blue and grey livery, developed specifically for the show by Ford of Europe's design team," said Quinn.

"But now we have a fully finished car in a really eye-catching new livery plus a new team name, and excitement is building throughout the squad as we prepare for the opening round in Sweden next month.

For the 2011 season and with the start of a new chapter in the sport, with the introduction of the 1.6 turbocharged engines, Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team is willing to fight for the world championship titles with its Fiesta RS World Rally Car.

Ford’s 2011 WRC challenger was developed by Ford of Europe and British-based rally partner M-Sport. The new rally car has derived from the best-selling Fiesta road car and is based on the Fiesta S2000 rally car, the winner of last year’s legendary Monte Carlo Rally.

The full specification of the car will be revealed in the beginning of February. Ford has been testing in Sweden over the last week, preparing for the 2011 WRC debut that will take place on that Nordic country on 10-13 of February.