M-Sport World Rally Championship team begins testing 2017 mule car

The test machine features the 2017 engine and running gear cut into a current car.

Outwardly, the only difference is understood to be the addition of a mock-up rear diffuser to imitate the new chassis.

After an initial rollout at Kirkbride Airfield, team principal Malcolm Wilson undertook the first tests himself in M-Sport's Greystroke forest facility.

"I'm very, very excited by what I found with the car," Wilson told Autosport.

"I've tended to drive most of our new cars, just to get a feeling for what they're doing.

"From that test, I would know if there was something wrong and there's nobody who can put more pressure on the guys to put it right."

The actual 2017 car's debut is understood to be pencilled in for a mainland Europe test in September.

It is complicated by the fact the fact Ford has yet to confirm a launch date for the roadgoing version of the car on which it is based.

Wilson's son Matthew is now commencing an intensive test programme, running four days per week for the next three weeks.

Malcolm Wilson added: "It's going to be a very expensive car [to develop and build], but it's beautiful.

"There's so much workmanship in it, it looks absolutely lovely. The guys have taken a really big step with this car.

"There's nothing wrong with the current car, but there have been areas to improve on and we've done that and more with this one.

"We've been doing some endurance running in Greystoke, but we're also doing set-up work while also building a bank of data."

The Fiesta is the last of the five 2017 World Rally Cars to turn a wheel in anger.

Volkswagen's Polo R WRC has been testing for more than a year, Citroen has been running its C3 WRC since April, with Toyota Gazoo Racing's Yaris WRC breaking cover in the following weeks.

Hyundai's 2017 i20 WRC is running in a three-door mule form at the moment, but that car has been worked on since the start of the season.