Ford Focus RS Project
In March 2019, I bought my realistic dream car. A Ford Focus RS Mk2 2010 2.5L single turbo producing 301 bhp in standard form. The car had a Mongoose section 59 exhaust system and a sports cat fitted and a SS alloy plenum. 68K miles on the clock and it set me back £17,750.
The first step for the RS was to have it carbon cleaned, where they inject carbon cleaning solution into your air intake to remove the carbon deposits from the internals of the engine. An absolute waste of time in my opinion, as it made no difference what’s so ever!
The first set of modifications to the Focus were a set of BC Racing coilovers, a front upper strut brace and an oil and filter change. The car did come with a full-service history which was great, but it was due a minor service to keep the stamps up to date.
The first proper outing in the car after its service and coilovers was to Demon Tweaks in Wrexham, North Wales to buy a helmet and gloves to use on the track days. Considering the fact that this had been my dream car ever since 2009, it was a fantastic first proper drive.
I also went on an outing to Ripples Water Life in Lichfield to buy some fish for my fish tank. They are called blue Acara’s.
The first wash for the car was covered on the YouTube channel a few years ago and this was partly done to get it ready for the first track day event.
In preparation for the track day, I removed the rear seats so it would be a bit lighter and also so I could hear the exhaust better. It did make a bit of a difference after all.
Donington Park race circuit in May of 2019 was my first track outing and I had such a fantastic day. It was an evening session so it ran from around 2pm until 6pm and you could hit the track as many times and for as long as you wanted, within those hours.
A car like this needs to be put on the race track so you can get as much out of it as you can. Pushing the limits on public roads is a terrible idea and is asking for trouble. The race track is the place to do it as you’re surrounded by fellow motoring enthusiasts who take great care in what’s around them.
A random drive out early one morning before work to a place in Staffordshire called Blithfield Reservoir. By this point I had also bought a private reg for the car which is RS10 WAX. (It only cost £280 fitted all in.)
Another wash for the Focus after a bit of driving as it had become quite grubby.
The next modification to improve chassis rigidity, safety and the interior aesthetics was a Clubsport half roll cage. Purchased from SCC Performance for around £575. It was always my dream to buy one of these cars and to turn it into a capable track car.
The next track day where I got a bit of positive attention from two BMW M4 owners was to Silverstone and what a cracking day of fun it was. Shame it was damp for most of the day.
I woke up very early one morning and had no cars booked in at the unit so I turned to www.trackdays.co.uk and happened to notice available spaces at Silverstone for the entire day. I jumped in the car and headed straight to Northamptonshire at 5am.
The first step of cleaning was to remove the rear lights which I’m sure had never been done before. I did this to clean the dirt/debris that was behind them.
I stripped the interior out to give it a full-on deep clean including the door cards, carpets and seats.
Nothing and I mean nothing was left untouched.
The engine bay was next to be treated which again I don’t think had been done for quite some time. I bought this particular car over several others that were listed for sale because the mechanics were on point (every service had been carried out by proper garages), the car looked fantastic, no rust underneath or on the arches, but the car did need a big detail to bring the best out of its features.
Even the scuttle panel was removed to allow a thorough cleaning process of the entire engine bay.
Next was the underside of the car which definitely hadn’t ever been done before. I enjoyed this process so much and I’m so glad I did it. It did take a bit of time to achieve but the results are going to last for the lifetime of the vehicle.
Next was the wheels off detail where I removed all arch liners from the car to allow for a full detailing process. Preservation of this vehicle is my primary aim, as I plan to keep this car for many more years.
The brake callipers had never been painted in its life so this was an area that I wanted to cover. I painted them black as to keep them nice and subtle. (They’re only standard callipers after all.) I removed the callipers from the car as I also had upgraded discs, pads and braided brake lines fitted. So, it was an ideal opportunity to fully paint them.
Next was the big detail of the exterior which took around 150 hours to complete, with a few new purchased toys. A Rupes palm sander and a 200L air compressor.
Wash, decontamination, 2 stages of wet sanding, 2 stages of compounding, 3 stages of polishing, 3 layers of ceramic coating, plus the removal of all emblems/badges and number plates.
I replaced the faded RS badges with carbon fibre effect ones which I think look pretty good. Although the front one has since peeled off.
I even went to the lengths of colouring in the Michelin name on the tyres, which is a track day inspired sort of thing to do. (The white didn't last very long.)
The next ‘track day orientated’ thing to do was to fit a new OMP WRC steering wheel and a fine set of Sparco Evo II bucket seats. I ended up selling the standard interior for the same price that I paid for all of this lot, so I was a very happy bunny.
All in all, I spent the best part of 300 hours on the big detail which has been fully covered on the YouTube channel. I added the tow straps and some track decals for the tracks I’ve been to on the rear bumper, although these are going to be removed in the future. (The track decals.)
I fitted the rear upper strut brace to add further rigidity to the chassis and a fire extinguisher for safety.
The first maintenance wash for the Focus was quite a good one carried out at 5am, as I also changed the wheels to a brand new freshly powder coated and ceramic coated set of 19” Sparco Assetto Gara’s in Nissan gold.
I went on another visit to Donington race circuit with my mate in his 2013 Porsche Carrera S, but it was a damp day so we had to keep things chilled. Especially him in his RWD motor.
Here’s a shot with the new wheels and front lower strut brace fitted.
Next, I had a full polybush kit fitted, front and rear anti roll bars, another strut brace or two, a gearbox torque mount and an engine stabiliser. These modifications are magic; they have improved the handling endlessly.
I also had new grooved and drilled discs and pads, braided brake lines, 5.1 performance brake fluid and new Frodo brake pads fitted. The braking power with standard callipers is now incredibly good.
The next not so sensible investment was this little guy named Sparco who’s now 6 years old. (8 weeks old in the photo.)
I dropped about £8k into the car to make it a Revo Stage 4 + example running 425 bhp. This included a bigger intercooler, carbon induction kit, 750cc injectors, alloy boost pipe, recirc valve, full samco hose kit, 6 paddle race clutch, lightened fly wheel and a remap. I had the work done by SCC Performance who are based in St Albans.
I went on a track day to Brands Hatch where the car sounded amazing, went like stink and handled superb. All the mods had come together nicely.
I love the carbon fibre effect so I added a few touches including wing mirror covers, battery cover, coolant cover and an engine oil cap, although the battery cover is not fitted in this photo.
My friend popped to the unit for a Sunday morning cleaning session. He’s got the Golf Gti Mk5 running 356 bhp. (Rolling road proven.)
Nothing new has been done to the car recently, I’ve simply been enjoying it whilst also keeping it clean. Future plans include a CAE gearbox shifter, Toyo Proxies R888R tyres and a set of Rotiform 19” wheels to use on the track days. I’m considering forging the engine for around 600 bhp but for £6K - £10K, it may have to wait.