Matt LeBlanc worked hard this season on Top Gear. His efforts paid off, since he’s slated to take over the show’s hosting duties solo next year. In between now and the start of next season’s filming, beginning in September, he’ll have plenty of time to rest, relax and annihilate tires. That last part comes courtesy of his new daily driver, a Ford Focus RS.
Ken Block recently Instagrammed a snap of a particularly enthused LeBlanc giving a thumbs-up in front of the Blue Oval smoke machine. Block, a Ford spokesperson and hooner of many their vehicles, also donated a license plate holder for LeBlanc’s wheels. On his own feed, LeBlanc joked that very holder would add three horsepower.
While LeBlanc has proved time and again he’s a proper gear nut and solid hot shoe, it’s most evident when you look at his current garage lineup. It includes a few Porsches, including a 996 and a 911 GT2 RS, a Ferrari 458 Italia, a Mercedes ML63 AMG and a Caterpillar bulldozer, which LeBlanc uses to build motocross tracks.
Still, it’s a little hard to imagine him tearing around Los Angeles in a Focus RS. It’s loud, though LeBlanc has plenty of experience being around unnecessarily shouty things, so that probably won’t bother him. It also may be hard to find sufficient room to get slideways in L.A., and he’ll spend more on tires over the course of ownership than the average car. (Not that he can’t afford the excess rubber.)
Then again, apparently owning a Ford Focus RS is wholly worth it. Don’t take it from us, though.Take it from a fellow who owns one . . . and writes for us: Matt Farah. The Smoking Tire recently broke down all the things he learned about the King of Hatchbacks after purchasing one.