We know! This isn’t strictly a European car. Although we could argue it’s as European as US-built VW Passats, Mercedes ML and BMW X5 as well as Mexican-built Jettas. Furthermore, many Europeans consider the Focus to be their own since they are built and designed in Europe for that home market.
In the past, US consumers were offered watered down products to help Ford meet CAFE standards, while overlooking the more exciting RS and ST products. All that changed when it was announced the first Focus ST would arrive here in summer 2012, however.Sure, we aren’t ones to hold a grudge, though it took Ford three generations of Focus to acknowledge there was a need for a performance hatchback in its own domestic market.
The 2012 SEMA automotive show was poised to be the ST’s big moment. It would enjoy the spotlight along with other new products like the Toyota FR-S, Chevy Spark and VW Beetle.
Along with its traditional truck and Mustang offerings, Ford would concentrate on its new Focus ST at SEMA. The 252hp 2.0L turbo four-door was poised to make a big impact, particularly with its European reputation for a class-leading chassis and a -60 time of 5.9sec. It was easy to understand why Ford was eager to emerge with both barrels blazing and invited us to be part of the action.
With Editor Emmerson having owned both a Sierra RS Cosworth and Focus RS, we were excited at the prospect of adding Ford’s hottest-ever US hatchback to our garage. It needed to be for SEMA on our terms, however.So, it would need Porsche-style wheels, pulled fenders, stretched tires, GT3 RS paint, a black leather and alcantara interior, carbon body additions, etc.
The build
We enlisted the help of several seasoned European car specialists, but had one name at the top of our list. It was the VW tuners at Euro Sport Accessories in Anaheim, CA. They’ve built large numbers of modified VWs and Audis, manufacturer their own parts and entered our Tuner Grand Prix as often as we’ve run it. You might be unaware they also run FSWerks from the same premises, however.Unfortunately, it didn’t drop the car as low as we’d like for the SEMA show, but on the street at least it seems to ride well.
For added performance, Steeda threw in a prototype rear sway bar. Better known for its Mustang mods, the company has a range of Focus parts and was happy to be involved.
The choice of wheels was a critical one to pull off the transformation. We looked at many designs, including the classic BBS RS but decided to stick with the Porsche theme. Fortunately, Privat Wheels has its Kup design based on the Porsche Cup wheels. The Ford’s 108PCD and ET50 offset would prove challenging, however.
We started with a set of 18×8.5 front and 18×9.5 rear Kup wheels, which were re-drilled to fit the Ford PCD by LTMotorwerks. This is a relatively common practice where adapters aren’t available, but should only be undertaken by a wheel specialist.Also give it a Euro-look, the tires have a slight stretch on the wheels, even though to gain extra clearance.
Getting a pre-production car for the SEMA build brought many challenges throughout the process. The biggest problem was that parts didn’t exist, so everything was either custom-made or delivered at the last minute once available to us. When it came to the body mods and unique aero package, we turned to the talented team at LTMotorWerks in El Monte, CA.
Best known as BMW specialists, the company’s in-house bodyshop and paint booth means it can adapt to any scenario. In this case they tackled our Focus with gusto, despite a very tight deadline that gave them a matter of weeks to complete it.
Undeterred, they didn’t cut any corners and developed a custom carbon fiber front spoiler, side skirts, rear diffuser and rear wing from scratch. The fenders also needed pulling to cover the dished wheels, and the factory bumpers were modified to follow the new lines.
At the same time, body kit manufacturer Advan Carbon Technology in Rancho Dominguez, CA developed a carbon fiber vented hood for us. We had a pair of carbon Focus RS vents shipped from SFS in the UK but Advan’s Modular Multi Piece CWT Design hood included molded vents, so they were never needed. The hood was painted body color because we believe carbon should be shown tastefully, although the integral vents were left expose, and despite all their workdOur unique wheel fitment and insufficient time to test fit anything meant we ran out of time for a big-brake kit, however.
There was time, however, to work on the interior. So the rear seat and door cards were removed by LTMW and trimmed in black leather and alcantara to match the wonderful Recaro Sportster CS seats we fitted up front on custom rails.
The seats are similar to the OE Recaros offered by Ford as a new car option. However, we preferred the classic approach of the Sportster CS and the more subtle finish of the colors and materials.
Developing the painting and partslocal, NASA and SCCA club events.
Whatever is decided, our new ST has made its mark on the show scene and now its time to prove itself on the tarmac.
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