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The long, at times fraught history of the Ford Focus occasionally produced some spectacular oddities. From the original RS we never got in the States, to the dreary “second-gen” we unfortunately only got, the Focus represented the potential of what the Blue Oval could achieve when it threw its global weight behind a small car—even if that potential was rarely realized. On this side of the pond, it did result in a few stunning one-offs for shows like SEMA, and wouldn’t you know such a creation is for sale on Facebook Marketplace.
This papaya orange build, located in Sarasota, Florida, combines one of those original RS widebody kits with a Whipple-supercharged, Coyote V8 delivering a purported 725 horsepower. This was well before the days of the all-wheel-drive RS, though, so all that power gets directed—where else—but to the rear axle. A full cage, Eaton limited-slip differential, Cobra brakes, and Tremec T45 five-speed manual complete this tuner’s fever dream, which apparently dates back to the mid-aughts. You know, if the shouty paint job, absurd cowl hood, and big-ass subwoofer in the cargo area didn’t give that away.
Now, this Focus happens to look a lot like one that recently sold in January at a Barrett-Jackson auction in Arizona, for $35,200. A story from Ford Muscle says this build, based on a 2001 hatch, churned “over 500 horsepower” and employed an 8.8-inch live axle out of a Mustang. Either the word “over” is doing plenty of heavy lifting there, or this thing is even more monstrous than it was six months ago. Today, it’s listed for $53,500, or a “cool trade.” Hey, it’s 2024—did you think we were getting out of this without someone turning a big profit?
In any case, we don’t know who was originally responsible for this screaming-hot hatch, but experiments like these weren’t extremely uncommon in the Focus’ heyday. Ford even tried its hand at one itself, called the RS8. Armed with a 5.0-liter, 420-hp Cammer crate motor, this one-off was the ultimate sleeper back in ’03, masquerading as a standard Euro-market RS from the time, from its blue sheetmetal to its rally-style bumpers and big five-spokes fit for a tarmac stage.
Personally, it’s more my speed than the Need for Speed Underground-cosplaying example that brought us here today, but to each their own. The important thing is that if this Focus is your style, now’s the time to make your move.
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