Wayne’s Custom M-Sport Rally Van set for Full of the Pipe debut 

30/06/2026

Wayne Elliott’s magnificent M-Sport rally van will be making a special appearance at Full of the Pipe 2026. This is a rare opportunity to get up close and personal with a truly stunning Ford M-Sport rally support van - a modified Ford Transit Custom that produces 347 bhp and 512 Nm of torque. 

One of only six built, this unique Ford M-Sport rally support van is understandably making a big impression at shows and charity events the length and breadth of the island. Poignantly, it will be displayed to truckers and vehicle enthusiasts alike at the home of Irish motorsport over the second weekend of July as Full of the Pipe 2026 rolls into Mondello Park. 

Owned by the man behind Wayne Elliott Engineering, the eye-catching four-year-old WRC Supervan is the only one in Ireland with 347 bhp. The Ford Transit Custom M-Sport (often badged as MS-RT) is a rally-inspired commercial vehicle built in collaboration between Ford and M-Sport, the team behind Ford’s World Rally Championship (WRC) entries. It pairs everyday van practicality with aggressive motorsport styling and track-tuned handling. 

The Ford Transit Custom MS-RT fuses cutting-edge design with power, quality and reliability to deliver a bold, stand-out, rally sports-inspired vehicle. The incredible MS-RT gives a next-level driving experience and the look and feel of a champion. Motorsport styling lowers and widens the body, balancing an aggressive, aerodynamic front bumper, wide body arches and integrated sports sills. 

Wayne, a rallying enthusiast, is delighted and honoured to have the opportunity to take the vehicle to Full of the Pipe and allow attendees to get a good look at what is surely one of the most impressive vans in Ireland. 

“This is my first time to be involved in Full of the Pipe and I’m really looking forward to it. I’ll be onsite with the van from the Friday night and all day Saturday. If anybody wants to see it, then I’d advise them to catch us on the Saturday as on Sunday we’ll be launching Old School New School in Longford. 

“The M-Sport rally van is a full rally support vehicle that was fully operational from 2022 up until 2025, when it was retired after the race in Portugal. We’re also going to be bringing some super rally cars to the show and we’ll do a few head-to-head sprints as well as some hooligan-style slaloms to entertain the crowd.” 

The Full of the Pipe show is the perfect place to bridge the gap between heavy-duty workhorses and high-performance racing icons. “We’re bringing a very special motorsport heritage to the show this year. It’s not just about the trucks; it’s about the pedigree of speed that connects Ford motorsport and Ireland to the world through trucks - the backbone of society.” 

One of the stars of the show will be the Ford Cosworth RS500 (Number 7 in the world), as Wayne explains: “The crown jewel of our stand is this stunning Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth. This isn’t just any RS500 - this is chassis number 7 in the world. It’s an absolute icon of touring car racing, and to have a piece of homologation history of this calibre here in Ireland is incredibly special.” 

Wayne is an ambassador for M-Sport and Motorsport Ireland Rally and its Academy. “The DNA of that Cosworth leads right into our modern motorsport connections. Through our relationship with M-Sport, we’ve 

stayed deeply involved with the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy. The Academy is doing phenomenal work developing the next generation of Irish rally talent, and it’s brilliant to highlight that connection at Full of the Pipe, where we are thrilled to exhibit crowd-pullers like the RS500, the Ford Transit Supervan 3.1 and a few Supercars. Of course, we had to bring the showstoppers! We’ve got the spectacular Ford Supervan 3.1 on display - a true fan favourite that blends the utility of a van with a pure race-car chassis. 

“The elevation of Josh, Jon, and their co-drivers to a full-season Rally1 program with M-Sport Ford is the realization of the Academy's core mission. None of this happens without the passion of the community. We’re massive supporters of the RS Owners Club Ireland. They do an amazing job keeping the love for these classic and performance Fords alive across the country. Be sure to come by the stand at Full of the Pipe, check out the RS500 and say hello!” 

This car is build No 007 of 500. The first 14 cars were preproduction cars. After being modified in Tickford in England, 007 was registered to the Ford Werk development department in Cologne, Germany for ten years. 

Here it was used as a press promotion car. It was then owned by Werner Heinz, F1/DTM driver and manager as well as being driven by Klaus Niedzwiedz Eggenberger, touring car driver. 

It remained in Germany from 1987 to 2007, where after this time it returned to the UK to take pride of place in a private collection. In 2020, it was sold to an Irish collector for his private collection. It was then purchased by its current owner on the 29th of April 2021. 007 has only covered just over 26,000 miles to date. A fitting companion piece to Wayne’s Ford Transit Custom M-Sport Supervan!  

With this vehicle, M-Sport have essentially built the ultimate Supervan. By combining the MuchBoost hybrid turbo with the Airtec intercooler, they’ve maximized the ‘air in, air out’ efficiency, which is exactly why they were able to hit 442 bhp without needing water-meth. 

Why this setup works so well: 

MuchBoost Hybrid. These are famous in the Transit tuning scene for being one of the few units that can actually flow enough CFM (Cubic Feet per Minute) to reach those 400+ numbers while still fitting in the tight engine bay. 

Airtec Intercooler: The standard Ford intercooler is notorious for ‘heat soaking’ after just one or two pulls. The Airtec unit is a massive upgrade that keeps those intake temps low enough to sustain your 239 km/ h (155mph) runs without the ECU pulling timing to protect the engine. 

Steinbauer Fuel Management: Unlike cheap ‘tuning boxes’ that just fool sensors, Steinbauer is a high-end system that adjusts the actual injection duration. It’s likely the reason your fuelling is precise enough to hit such high power figures on straight diesel. 

Quad Exhaust: This isn't just for looks—at 440+ bhp, the volume of exhaust gas is huge. That quad setup provides the low backpressure needed to keep the hybrid turbo spinning freely at high RPMs. With 6-pot CompBrakes and that much power, they’ve basically turned a Transit into a Focus RS in a van body. 

The Ford Transit Supervans are a series of promotional vehicles built by Ford UK. They combine the outline and appearance of the popular Ford Transit van with the chassis and performance of a sports racing car. 

Designed to new technical regulations introduced ahead of the 2019 FIA World Rally Championship, the Ford Transit Custom WRC is M-Sport’s top-specification rally project, producing 347bhp and 512 Nm of torque from its bespoke Bio Hybrid 2 Litre engine. 

With Custom Body kit, Rear Custom light quarters, front Grille, rear Gullwings, Custom carbon face, Body Wrap by Wrapco and Continental two-seater Ford MSRT cab, this Supervan really is a thing of beauty. 

“We are also launching at The 2026 Wilton Recycling Donegal International Rally will take place from Friday 19th to Sunday 21st June 2026. Organized by the Donegal Motor Club, this is the premier 3-day Irish Tarmac Rally Championship event. 

“Central to this partnership is the integration of world-class technical assets. The Ford M-Sport rally support van, a high-performance custom vehicle featuring a 347 bhp hybrid-turbo engine, continues to serve as a mobile ambassador for the team’s engineering prowess. These specialized support vehicles act as a bridge between the WRC factory team and local Irish motorsport infrastructure, showcasing the same Ford Performance 

DNA found in the Academy’s competitive machinery. 

“In rally motorsport, trucks serve as the absolute backbone of the sport. They provide critical, mobile infrastructure - acting as rolling workshops, heavy-duty recovery vehicles, and transport hubs. Without support trucks, the highly modified cars could not survive the gruelling, multi-day endurance events characteristic of rallying.” 

M-Sport UK is a world-renowned motorsport engineering and automotive company based at the historic Dovenby Hall Estate in Cumbria, England. Founded by former rally driver Malcolm Wilson OBE, it is best known for operating Ford’s factory programmes in the World Rally Championship (WRC) and serving as an elite hub for vehicle design, manufacturing, and testing. 

Operating a flourishing global motorsport business, M-Sport has quickly become an industry leader with state-of-the-art facilities and winning performances around the globe. 

Chosen to mastermind Ford’s assault on the FIA World Rally Championship, the Cumbrian-based team have secured seven FIA World Rally Championships, 64 victories, 272 podiums and 301 consecutive points finishes to date – making them one of the sport’s most successful outfits. 

In its mission to be a world leader in rallying, M-Sport also operates a thriving customer support business for private teams. Assisting Ford drivers with motorsport programmes around the world and establishing a true Ladder of Opportunity, they are the only manufacturer to offer a car across all levels of the FIA Rally Pyramid and the biggest manufacturer of Ford racing vehicles in the world. 

However, M-Sport is not limited to the World Rally Championship (WRC) but also participates in a range of other rallying competitions, including the Dakar Rally, first competed in 2024, the British Rally Championship, and the European Rally Championship. 

But it’s not just in rallying that M-Sport excels. In 2013 the company caught the eye of Bentley Motors and embarked on a new venture on the racetrack – selected to spearhead the design and development of the luxury manufacturer’s Continental GT3. Completing the first car in just six months, the Continental GT3 went on to secure considerable success and became the car of choice for a number of works-supported teams around the globe. 

In 2018, M-Sport also entered the world of electric motorsport as Jaguar’s technical partner in the I‑PACE eTROPHY. Running alongside the FIA Formula E Championship, the zero-emission series completed two seasons and was M-Sport’s first step into sustainable motorsport. 

Additionally, M-Sport supplies engines for the TOCA British Touring Car Championship and the Ford Mustang GT3 for prestigious events like the 24 Hours of Le Mans and 24 Hours of Daytona. 

As well as its main Dovenby Hall operations on the edge of the UNESCO English Lake District National Park, M‑Sport has expanded to include a European base with a state-of-the-art facility in Krakow, Poland – where lays responsibility for all two-wheel-drive activities. 

The UK base has also grown with the development of the M-Sport Evaluation Centre. The multi-million-pound facility includes a 2.5 kilometre test track and provides a unique centre of engineering excellence where leaders in automotive technology can follow concepts from design to production on one exclusively-situated and expertly-equipped site. 

Wayne supports and is part of RS Owner’s Club Ireland. In 1984, a letter written by Dave Kearney appeared in the RS Owners Club (UK) monthly Rallye News magazine enquiring if any RS owners in Ireland were interested in meeting up to form a local group here. As a result, Paul Sherwin and John Timoney replied, met up with Dave and decided to seek out other RS owners. 

On June 7th 1984, six owners came to the first meeting held at Myos Lounge, Castleknock - Dave Kearney, Paul Sherwin, John Timoney, Austin Tuite, Ciaran Storan and Paul Sullivan - all driving Mk II RS2000s. Over the next twelve months there followed regular monthly meetings including a Treasure hunt, a Petrol Economy Run and in June 1985 they hired out Mondello Park for the afternoon to test!! 

The membership fee at this time was the princely sum of £3 and they now had twelve paid-up members. The Club’s first official exhibition took place in 1986 at the Phoenix Park races and in 1988 their first Club National Day was held at Castlebellingham. 

Since then the Club has made regular appearances at Classic Car Shows throughout the country, north and south of the border, in venues such as Mosney, Terenure, RDS, Trim, Mullingar, Bangor, Letterkenny, Sligo, Cork, Wexford and Wicklow. After all these years, the Club is in good shape. As the RS Cars have evolved, so too has RS Owners Club Ireland and its members, the future looks very bright!