Shifting the Focus: Cosworth-powered Ford
09 July 2009
Forget the new RS: this is the most hardcore Ford Focus you can buy.
And by hardcore we mean plain mental.
Because this four-wheel drive mega hatch has a modified version of the Escort RS Cosworth’s 2-litre engine which has had power boosted from 227bhp to 400.7bhp at the flywheel or 330bhp at the wheels.
To put this into perspective, the previous generation Ford Focus RS had 215bhp and the current ST has 225bhp. Even the new Focus RS only has 300bhp.
Gallery: 400bhp Focus
The whole project started back in 2001 when Andy Guy – spurred on by the news Ford wouldn’t build a four-wheel drive Focus Cosworth – set out with the intention of building the ultimate fast Focus.
He started with a brand new shell and had a 2-litre turbocharged Cosworth engine expanded to 2.3-litres courtesy of a Mountune crank.
It then got four-wheel drive, AP racing brakes and clutch, fully adjustable suspension and a custom exhaust.
There aren’t any performance figures yet but with this power and lightweight body you can expect acceleration and top speed to sit in the ‘oh-my-god-that’s-ballistic-quick’ department.
Although designed for track use, the Cosworth-powered Ford Focus is road legal and has just 45 miles on the clock.
And now, eight years after its inception, it’s up for sale now too through performance Mitsubishi dealer Xtreme UK for £29,995.
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