Monday 7th July 2014

Ford Focus RS Mk1: PH Carpool

With fast Fords in the family it was only a matter of time before this Carpooler joined the ranks

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Name: David Growney
Car: Mk1 Ford Focus RS
Owned since: June 2012
Previously owned: Mk3 Fiesta Si (still got), Mk3 Fiesta RS Turbo (still got)

FFSH, low miles... it's a peach

Why I bought it:
I have always been into fast Fords (I blame by dad as he owned a Mk1 Escort RS2000, Mk2 Escort Mexico and Mk2 Escort RS2000!). Once I started earning enough to treat myself to a higher end fast Ford, I narrowed it down to two options, the Mk1 Focus RS or the Mk2 Focus ST. In the end, it had to be the RS, due to the greater feel of heritage, the classic status, the investment potential and also the badge (yes, I'm an RS snob!).

I looked around for a good while for the right car, and finally stumbled on this one. It was exactly what I was looking for in that it was completely standard and unmolested, low mileage (45K, now on 47K), full Ford service history and only two previous owners before me (both of which I have the contact details of). My initial plan was to drive it and enjoy it, but the precious side soon kicked in (as it has with all the other cars I have previously owned!), and I have had it off the road for the past two winters slowly restoring it underneath so it is factory fresh.

I am keeping it original and have used all genuine Ford parts for the resto, as this will ensure it retains its value in the future (as standard cars are always command a premium against modified). All that is left to restore is from the front arches forward this coming winter, then just maintain it at the high standard I have been aiming for. I'm doing the restoration in 'sections' so it can be on the road during the summer months so I can drive and enjoy it.

That hasn't stopped a restoration though!

Things I love:
Almost everything about it! The way it drives and handles at seemingly any speed, the way it feels so well set up as a completely standard car (although 70 per cent of these cars are non-standard Focus, and Ford made a £4,000 loss on each of the 4,501 cars it sold as a result), and also the attention it gets from a wide mix of people. I also live close to the Peak District so it's great to go out for a blast on a summer evening and enjoy the car for what it was built to do. The feel and sound of the turbo kicking in is excellent, and always brings a smile to your face. I also like taking it to shows, the main one being Ford Fair at Silverstone, and chatting to fellow enthusiasts.

Things I hate:
The main thing really is fuel consumption. These cars can only be run on 97+ octane fuel, so each fill up requires a bank loan and they do drink the fuel if you are giving it some (about 15-18 mpg...). Also, the fear of leaving it in a car park or public place and coming back to it being damaged. With bumpers at £500 a piece and the usual nightmare of possible door dinks, its always a worry (although this is the same with any nice car I suppose).

Fuel consumption the biggest bugbear

Costs:
The only necessary cost was a new charge cooler pump for £80 as the old one had stopped working. Other than that is has been the cost of a service including cambelt, then the full underside restoration (which I count as self-inflicted work/cost, although it could also be classed as preventative maintenance!).

Where I've been:
Out into the Peak District plenty of times, down to Northampton for a car show last May then to the Cotswolds in August for a long weekend including Ford Fair at Silverstone, and in the garage for two winters lying underneath it....

What next?
Drive it and enjoy it this summer, including the annual Ford Fair trip, then finish off the rest of the underside restoration this coming winter. After that I want to keep it and preserve it at the standard I am after whilst driving it and enjoying it every summer. I wouldn't want to sell it, although I have always had a hankering for a Mk1 Escort RS2000 in Olympic Blue, so who knows...

 

 

[melvster]

Absolutely love the MK1 RS

[Itsallicanafford]

Cool car, Love the Mk1 RS. IMO the Mk1 Focus 3 door is a geat shape and the added 'purpose' of the RS only improves it.

[simundo777]

Great cars, had one years ago and loved it but couldn't live with that interior. It makes the car feel so cheap which is such a shame as the exterior styling still looks great today.

[j90gta]

Still can't get over the fact that a low mileage 10 year old Focus requires such extensive restoration! If this was a good one, how bad were the rest?

[pSyCoSiS]

A beautiful example of an iconic car.

Keep enjoying it!

[TheBALDpuma]

I do love these, and if I didn't need an estate (mondeo st220) then it would have been high up my list.

[dukebox9reg]

I would have bought the ST and actually drove it and enjoyed it personally. I need to be earning a hell of a lot more before my cars sit in the garage just looking shiny.

[Quickmoose]

Utterly utterly gorgeous exterior design, has to be near to if not at the top of the tree for performance hatchback design.
Brilliant over engineering
Questionable road test results originally
Balls-up of an interior.

A car I know I'll wish I'd bought...but couldn't due to the insides

Turns my head every time, though.

[Baz Tench]

j90gta said:

Still can't get over the fact that a low mileage 10 year old Focus requires such extensive restoration! If this was a good one, how bad were the rest?

The way the article reads to me is that it's a personal choice by the OP, not essential restorative work.

[Patch888]

Fantastic motor, enjoy them roads!

[J4CKO]

Can see these going up, now is the time to grab one before they go silly.

[RacingBlue]

Still looks great today. The interior however, hasn't aged so well.

[Nick_Johnson]

I feel that the interior works better now than it did over 10 years ago.

I am totally smitten with my current MK1 Focus RS which is the second one I've owned, I even consider the £8850 I paid for my 38,000 miler nearly two years ago a complete steel as I think the prices are slowly on the up. Fortunately mine is also a toy and I've spent a lot of my time slowly restoring bits to get back to an "as new" condition.

Nick

[Nick_Johnson]

Here's a quick picture of mine....

FocusRS by johnsonick[/pic]

Nick

[MikeyBoy2000]

Always liked these - just wondering is it really true that you can no longer get body panels and other RS specific parts? That's got to be a pain if that's true...

[squirdle]

Not my cup of tea at all. It's a hatchback, get over it.

[rtz62]

Nick_Johnson said:

I feel that the interior works better now than it did over 10 years ago.

I am totally smitten with my current MK1 Focus RS which is the second one I've owned, I even consider the £8850 I paid for my 38,000 miler nearly two years ago a complete steel as I think the prices are slowly on the up. Fortunately mine is also a toy and I've spent a lot of my time slowly restoring bits to get back to an "as new" condition.

Nick

Now there's a man who's on his metal.....!

Seriously, that's a lovely looking car Nick, and if I may say to the OP, please don't mod it, it deserves to be kept standard.
For some reason, and I don't know if I'm alone in this, the Mk1 RS, whilst more simple in design than the Mk2 RS, is, to me, more aesthetically pleasing.

[iloveboost]

I think these are a bit of a Marmite car because they are FWD with loads of LSD created torque steer and a slightly OTT aftermarket or motorsport look inside and out.

I like them though. I remember one went FLYING past me at about 90mph on a B road once swerving a bit weirdly. The car looked like it was unstable in a straight line as it kept accelerating up the road (it was a bumpy road). At the time I thought 'what the h**l?' then later learned it's probably the diff that caused that. I think it's the only hot hatch I've ever seen on the road that was being driven like it was a getaway car.

I think these are like a FWD Escort Cosworth some don't like the image or looks or price but I think they are a rare car compared to many turbo hot hatches and more interesting than some other FWD cars.

I'd rather have a later Focus RS with that lovely sounding torque monster engine, though they are more expensive.

[Nick_Johnson]

squirdle said:

Not my cup of tea at all. It's a hatchback, get over it.

Correct it is a hatchback, but I don't really understand your point? Just because it is loosely based on a car that would normally be seen doing the school run or parked in Sainsbury's does that mean it's no good and can't be desirable?

It might not be your cup of tea but the fact of the matter is that the MK1 Focus RS is 70% different to its closest model the ST170, it is almost a completely reworked car underneath.

- Sachs Dampers With Increased Track
- AP Racing Clutch
- Quaife Torque Biasing Helical Diff
- Garrett GT 25 Turbo
- Forged Pistons same as used in WRC Focus driven by Colin McRae and Carlos Sainz
- Brembo 4 Pot Callipers
- O.Z Racing Wheels
- Stainless Steel Exhaust System
- Limited Production Run of 4501 Units / 2147 in the UK

Not just a Hatchback in my opinion.......but your welcome to your opinion.

Nick

[leedsutd1]

j90gta said:

Still can't get over the fact that a low mileage 10 year old Focus requires such extensive restoration! If this was a good one, how bad were the rest?

A lot of the owners like the cars to look like the day they left the factory ,it did not doing it bcould have been left i am in the ford RS owners club and every week people are doing this ,on the focus its changing old parts for new and getting the underneath spotless ,on some of the older cars ,sierra ,escorts
its getting all the old underseal off etc and a garage will charge anything up to £10k ,but then the owners love the cars, have a look under a 10 year old car you will be surprised how filthy they are