Ford Focus ST MR300 | Spotted
Considering a Focus ST with a Mountune-liberated 300hp? Doesn't have to be a new one...
Anyone with even a passing interest in fast Fords will know the name Mountune, what their work comprises and how good the end result often is - be that on road, or on track. The latest m330 package for the Focus ST is the perfect example: take very good fast Ford, free some extra power through some ECU tinkering, back it up with a warranty, charge not much for it and away you go. Chassis upgrades are often available as well, though typically the Mountune work simply brings a car to life with extra power rather than overwhelm it.
But that's just the Mountune Performance stuff, the upgrades that used to be manufacturer supported and which, in the grand scheme of tuning, are pretty mild. There's another level of Mountune work, though, which is more labour intensive, costly and yields far greater gains: Mountune Racing. Still offered on the road cars, MR upgrades are when hardware is changed as well as the software.
For the old, 2.0-litre Focus ST, a Mountune Racing kit meant 300hp, a healthy 20 per cent upgrade from standard. It also provided an enormous 347lb ft, which matches to the pound foot the overboost torque of a Mk3 Focus RS. While weighing a heck of a lot less. You can read the full details of the upgrade here but the important stuff includes a larger downpipe and exhaust, a high-flow air filter and new intercooler; all the basics for getting extra out of a turbo, by getting more air in and out of the engine as quickly as possible.
Why mention that here? Because this seemingly immaculate, very low mileage (26,000), two-owner Focus ST has the MR300 kit fitted. Indeed, it was given its Mountune makeover just 8,000 miles ago, in 2016, at a cost of more than £3,000. Not an insignificant investment to make on an ST given its value, and presumably done as soon as this 2013 ST was out of warranty.
Given these old Focuses never felt short of grunt as standard, this surely promises to be heroically rapid with the Mountune Racing work. There's no mention in the advert of any further work, though, so it might be worth getting familiar with the Mountune catalogue to get a proper handle on the performance. There's a Quaife differential offered that sounds almost mandatory, for starters...
Whatever the next owner's plan for it, what an opportunity this Focus appears to be. It must be rare that so much is spent on modifying to then have a car used so little, giving the buyer of this one, in theory, many more years and many more miles of (really) fast Focus to enjoy. The upgrades, as is so often way, haven't done much for the value, either, this car's £12,995 comparable with cars of a similar mileage (albeit the newer, facelifted ST).
Is there a downside? Well, this ST is going to go through front Goodyears even faster than standard, there might be an additional cost for insuring it, and it'll likely use a chunk more fuel as well. But given the performance that is surely on offer here, they will be small prices to pay. Oh yes, and this particular Focus is near Edinburgh, which won't be convenient for some; but if it is, what an enormous amount of fun this Focus promises to be.
SPECIFICATION | FORD FOCUS ST
Engine: 2,000cc, 4-cylinder turbocharged
Transmission: 6-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Power (hp): 250@5,500rpm (standard car)
Torque (lb ft): 250@1,750rpm (standard car
MPG: 41.5 (NEDC combined)
CO2: 159g/km
First registered: 2013
Recorded mileage: 26,000
Price new: £22,995
Price now: £12,995
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