A Rather Bright Focus ST3

Decided it was time for a new car, as much as I've enjoyed my GT86 it wasn't really suitable for my 50 mile motorway commute. It had occurred to me I'd never owned a fast/warm Ford, but finding one was harder than I though. Fiesta was too small, to me the pre facelift mk.3 Focus looks ugly, and would have to be an ST3 since only they came with heated seats. So when I spotted this on AT I drove to the middle of nowhere Norfolk to collect it. The advantage leaving at 7am to the middle of nowhere though was I could say goodbye to the GT86 with some lovely driving roads whilst the 42mph brigade were still in bed. Whilst they may have been out in force on the return journey I did manage to get some scenic pictures. Safe to say that you won't be losing it in the car park:







Although I did pick it up 4 miles too late




Not quite completely standard as I'd wanted, but it has seemingly every factory option, refitting the rear wiper should be simple enough and the main thing is there's no god awful exhaust or map. Whilst I would have preferred an estate, they're even rarer so I had to compromise.

I'd normally defend fitting an exhaust to a fast ford but with the Mk3 it just makes more noise, unless you're going down the sports cat route for stage 2 I probably wouldn't bother anyway

Good timing ,there’s a thread going on Car Buying about ST3 models. Your car looks great, my wife decided the colour was too bright for us two old gits but I’m happy with frozen white.

I currently have the "pleasure" of living 2 doors down from someone who has done similar to their Scirocco, suffice to say I will not be doing the same.


Too early for me to judge the Focus aside from that it's faster, but the GT86 feels like a sportscar in that you sit very low with a small windscreen very direct steering feel and almost no body roll. Was perfectly usable day to day as long as you don't have more than 1 passenger, but did tend to drone on the motorway, you had to work it to get peak power which could be annoying, and it had what might be the worst standard sound system I've ever heard in a car released in the last 25 years. Ride was hard and could feel jittery, but the alcantara seats were honestly some of the best I've ever experienced.

That looks fantastic - I do like a stand-out colour on a lairy car!

Yes, my S1 exige is painted the same colour.

If they offer a colour like this it wouldn't make sense not to have it! I've come across plenty with the usual exhaust and pop/bang map, and like most modern turbo-four-cylinders, they all are horrid. Like the golf GTi and golf R, it's just noise. It's nice to see one relatively unmolested!

I don't mind the wiper delete, though. As popular as it is with people we don't usually like to be associated with, it does tidy up the look of the rear end a little, plus weight-saving, bro! That rear wiper motor must weigh at least a kilo!