Four ferocious Ford Focuses heading to SEMA

Image: Ford Motor Co. via AFP Relaxnews

Ford always goes all out at SEMA, and for the 2017 show, it is promising the biggest stand of any original equipment manufacturer (OEM) plus over 50 customized and hot-rodded cars and trucks, starting with four very different takes on the current generation Ford Focus.

The Focus is one of very few Ford cars that’s universally popular, loved as much in the United States as it is in Europe and, since the launch of the fire breathing, self-drifting RS model, it has found even more fans, particularly in the aftermarket tuning community where mechanics and grease monkeys are queuing up to squeeze even more performance out of its engine and intelligent all-wheel drive system.

So, to help give them some ideas and to show what Ford itself can do, the company is bringing four very different thematic takes on the Focus to this year’s SEMA.

The first tries to imagine tuning and trackdays as part of a modern, cosmopolitan lifestyle. Developed in partnership with Bloodtype Racing, the car is finished in midnight purple paint and boasts a SoCal Garage Works body kit. There’s a helipad affixed to the roof for carrying a drone, while under the hood, a FullRace turbo kit, an improved turbo intercooler unit and exhaust system eliminate any turbo lag and significantly boost the performance of the car, which started out life as a 2-liter Focus ST.

The second, the brainchild of VMP Performance, is an attempt to turn the Focus RS into the ultimate performance car, regardless of racing discipline: drag race, circuit or back roads. So, a huge amount of work has been undertaken to significantly increase power via turbocharging and to make the forced induction as instantaneous as a naturally aspirated engine. Outside, the stock hood has been ditched from one made from carbon fiber while there’s a new front splitter, rear spoiler and diffuser package. The car sits on Air Lift Performance series suspension and the 19-inch racing wheels are wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires.

The Ford Focus RS built by Universal Technical Institute is a knife-sharp track car with beefed up turbo intercooler, Baer Brakes and BC racing coilover suspension. A host of cabin elements from the instrument cluster to gearshift have been reimagined in carbon fiber for extra rigidity and weight saving, and an Anderson Composite carbon fiber body kit completes the package.

Rally Innovations has taken a stock Focus RS and turned it into an homage to rallying past and present, a racing series where both the Focus, and its predecessor, the Escort, have had a huge impact. As such it’s ready for a stage in the WRC with Rally compliant lights, body kit and engine upgrades. As well as coilover suspension, there are front and rear sway bars, and an X brace under the hood for ultimate stiffness. The car sits on OZ Racing wheels, complete with tire pressure monitoring sensors, and inside, the rear seats have been ditched in favor of a 4-point roll cage, while the instrument cluster gets added oil and air gauges, and gear selection indicator. JB

RELATED STORY:

Say a big goodbye to the Mercedes-Benz G 500 4×4²