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  • FORD FOCUS RS MK1 BUYING GUIDE

    Hailed as an instant classic, the original Ford Focus RS Mk1 is now one of the more-affordable Rallye Sport Fords. Here’s our buyer’s guide to help you find a good one. 

    Words: Christian Tilbury. Photos: Matt Woods

    Six years after impending legislation and dwindling demand killed off the Escort RS Cosworth and banished the Rallye Sport brand to fast Ford history, Ford breathed new life into its legendary performance division with the 2002 launch of the Ford Focus RS Mk1.

    ‘RS is back’ shouted the advertising campaign and it wasn’t just marketing spiel either. Granted, the new Focus didn’t have the all-wheel drive or the power of its immediate predecessor, but Ford ensured it delivered on the promise of the haloed RS tag.

    The all-important performance was provided by a turbocharged, 1998cc, Duratec-badged engine, although, truth be told, it was actually a development of the Zetec. That said, it was no simple rebadging exercise as the Zetec was heavily reworked with the likes of forged pistons and conrods plus a host of detail changes, such as a WRC-style oil pump and injectors, to help it cope with the rise in power generated by the addition of a water-cooled Garrett GT2560LS turbocharger. An air-to-water intercooler and a lowered compression ratio of 8:1 helped keep it all together when the turbo started boosting towards the RS’s maximum 212 bhp. Ford turned to another proven component for the transmission, rolling out the MTX75 five-speeder. As with the engine, it was given a significant makeover, which included bespoke ratios, a Quaife automatic-torque-biasing differential and a short throw shifter. There was also a heavy duty AP clutch and thicker driveshafts. The drivetrain also included heavily upgraded suspension, a wider track and whopping 325 mm vented front brake discs.

    Ford Focus RS Mk1

    Outside was a lesson in less is more, with Imperial Blue paint, flared wheelarches, subtle spoilers and exclusive 8×18 inch OZ Racing rims giving the RS a distinctive yet understated appearance. Inside wasn’t half as restrained though, with striking Sparco buckets, carbon fibre detailing, a very loud steering wheel and even a push button start.

    Whether the interior was a little OTT mattered not one iota, though. When the Focus RS went on sale, the 2002 production rapidly sold out and there was a six-month waiting list. Today, demand isn’t as high, but with growing appreciation, good examples are becoming increasingly sought after. There’s no denying it’s a bona fide classic Ford.

    Ford Focus RS Mk1

    Ford Focus RS Mk1: Engine & Transmission check points

    The Ford Focus RS Mk1’s Zetec engine can take over 350 bhp on the stock internals, but there’s still plenty to check. Early cars suffered from weak jubilee clips not sealing the hoses properly, while all models are prone to a leak around the thermostat housing. Loose wastegate hoses can cause overboosting and while it’s easy to cure, the Power Control Module (PCM) will need to be flashed to allow it to relearn the normal settings. Good history is essential and you want to see evidence of quality 5/40w oil being used and cambelt changes. It’s also vital to check the chargecooler reservoir to see if water is being squirted in when the engine’s running. Many cars will have been remapped, but it’s not unusual for a standard car to hesitate at around 4500 rpm. All models can be affected but later cars with the revised AF management seem to be in the majority. However, some owners have upgraded to the AF map from the original AE map and are pleased with the results.

    The RS-specific MTX75 gearbox can take the standard power and more. If there is an issue, then it’s likely to be third gear. First and reverse gears can be problematic on high-mileage cars, but this is usually down to gear selector adjustment or the oil level. Clutches aren’t quite as strong, although if not abused they can handle significantly more than the standard power and some cars are still on the original at 90,000 miles.

    Chassis

    OE-specification front discs and pads are readily available for the Ford Focus RS Mk1, so any judder under braking, squealing pads or corroded rotors aren’t an issue. The standard pads can be noisy and many owners have already swapped to superior Ferodo DS2500 items, but if more power and track outings are on the cards then a significant brake upgrade is considered to be the first modification to make. A lot of cars are already running aftermarket kit, so look for quality parts. Cars registered between December 6, 2002 and December 13, 2002 should have had recall work to stop the possibility of the flexible rear brake hoses rubbing against the plastic arch liners.

    Front dampers and bushes aren’t the most durable, so listen for any noises front the front end. Clips for the power steering hoses have been known to rub against other hoses, giving rise to damage and leaks.

    Interior

    Seat bases of early cars are susceptible to sagging, with Ford even offering an official fix of firmer foam bases with additional stitching. This solution was worked into the production of April 2003-onwards Phase 2 cars. Check the exclusive RS floor mats are still in place as decent second-hand items cost as much as £300.
    If you’re looking at a UK car, the glovebox should also contain a leather pouch with a 16-page RS supplement. Steering wheels can get grubby, but several owners have had theirs refurbished via the owners’ club. A lot of plastics are shared with cooking models, but watch for damage to the unique carbon fibre centre console.

    A faulty bonnet switch is the usual cause of a misbehaving alarm when it comes to electrics, although it’s also easy to upset it if the battery has been removed. Check the GT fobs are present and the condition of the outer rubber loop, as this part is often damaged and costs £55 alone to replace. Issues with the factory CD changer have been known to drain the battery. A dodgy relay is usually behind the ‘one shot’ wiper action not working.

    Ford Focus RS Mk1

    Style

    Common rust spots include the sills, rear arches, base of the front wings, around the door mirror housings, below the windscreen, door bottoms and underneath the handle on the tailgate. Unique RS panels are hard to source and expensive, with NOS rear quarters changing hands for four figures and quality rear arch sections at circa £250 per side. However, the commonly rusted sills can be repaired with modified items from a normal Focus by any decent bodyshop. Standard paint is known to be a bit soft, so check for road rash, particularly on the bonnet and base of the rear arches, especially if the latter’s original stonechip protectors are missing. Heat from the engine compartment can cause the bonnet skin to come away from the frame and also warp the plastic top grille on later cars.

    Ford Focus RS Mk1

    Tech Spec: Ford Focus RS Mk1

    Engine:

    Zetec, 1988cc, forged pistons and conrods, aluminium cylinder head, cast iron block, Ford EEC-V engine management, sequential electronic fuel injection (SEFI), Garrett stainless steel, water-cooled turbocharger, water-cooled intercooler.

    Power:

    212 bhp @ 5500 rpm, 229 lb.ft @ 3500 rpm

    Gearbox:

    Uprated MTX75 five-speed manual, Quaife automatic torque biasing differential, AP Racing clutch

    Suspension:

    Front: MacPherson strut suspension with uprated offset coil springs/Sachs racing dampers, 65 mm increased track width, revised lower A-arms, 18 mm anti-roll bar

    Rear: independent, Control Blade multilink suspension with increased stiffness, Sachs racing monotube dampers, uprated springs, anti-roll bar, increased track width

    Steering:

    Rack-and-pinion with power assistance 2.9 turns lock-to-lock

    Brakes:

    Front: Brembo four-pot, twin-opposed piston callipers and 325 mm ventilated discs
    Rear: Two-pot callipers and 280 mm solid discs

    MK25 Bosch ABS system

    Wheels and tyres:

    OZ Racing 8×18 inch five-spoke alloys, Michelin 225/40R/18 Pilot Sports

    Ford Focus RS Mk1 key contacts

    Burton Power
    020 8518 9127
    www.burtonpower.com

    Co-ordSport
    0121 6616263
    www.coordsport.com

    Ex-Pressed Steel panels
    01535 632721
    www.steelpanels.co.uk

    OC Motorsport
    01268 906380
    www.oc-motorsport.co.uk

    PumaSpeed
    www.pumaspeed.co.uk

    SiCo Developments
    www.sico-developments.co.uk

    Clubs & Forums:

    Mk1 Focus RS Owners’ Club
    www.mk1focusrsoc.com

    Focus RS Owners’ Club
    www.focusrsoc.com

    The Ford RS Owners’ Club
    www.rsownersclub.co.uk

    Source

  • BAGGED AUDI A4 B6: INTO THE RED

    Scarlet style makes Adam Waggott’s 287bhp, bagged Audi A4 B6 an Audi like no other.

    Fast Car magazine. Words: Emma Woodcock. Photos: Rich Pearce

    Class. You know it when you see it. It can’t be measured like ride height or g-force but automotive elegance makes every journey special. Sometimes it’s the way a paint job works under every kind of light, or how a minor styling tweak lifts the best out of the bodywork. Maybe it’s the style of an interior that’s been tailored to the driver’s tastes. Or the way a perfect set of rims looks so right you can’t imagine the car rolling on anything else. For Adam Waggott and his bagged Audi A4 B6, class is all that and more. It’s how they stand out without compromises.

    Coilovers and a set of BBS LM alloys kicked the build into action but it wasn’t long before the Audi got serious. Adam wanted to go lower and air ride was the answer. Working with a friend, he installed a full set of AirREX air springs, 12-level adjustablestruts and digital management in a single day. “It took us from eight in the morning till half seven that night but I was over the moon with it!” The fit was flawless and the Audi can lay frame at will.

    Bagged Audi A4

    Adam built up the bagged Audi A4 in JDM style and turned heads around the country, but winter 2019 came and it was time for a change. Faced with the cold, quiet months, Adam tore down the car to take it in another new direction. “I wanted to go really high end, with too much carbon and too much leather.” When lockdown hit and the show season disappeared, he went even further. The engine, running gear, sound system and paintwork have all been transformed. But it started with the interior.

    The colour. That’s the first thing you notice because the rich red is everywhere, from the seats and steering wheel to the doorcards and rear bench. Chocolate brown flocking provides a counterpoint on the doortops and dashboard, creating a unique combination. The plastics have been swapped out too, Adam fitting C6 Carbon Reflex Red tinted carbon fibre in its place, and an Audi B7 RS4 donated the flat-bottomed steering wheel and front Recaro seats. Every memory of entry-level executive commuting has been banished, to the point that almost none of the original cabin remains.

    Twin Rockford Fosgate twelve-inch subwoofers add equal might to the audio system, which also benefits from a Pioneer 1200 watt monoblock amplifier and a heavy duty four-gauge power cable. Vibe component speakers provide support and it’s all controlled by a Kenwood doubleDIN headunit. “I’ve always liked minimal audio builds in my earlier cars but I had to go all out on the Audi. I’m putting my twist on every part of the car.”

    In sharp contrast, the bodywork received its most important alteration straight from Audi. Adam’s car is fitted with a full Votex bodykit, an official package that combines full-length sideskirts with a deeper front apron and redesigned rear bumper. It’s a rare package and one he’s only altered by smoothing the front assembly and teasing out the rear wheelarches. “The Audi already looks aggressive with this kit, so I didn’t want to do much to the outside.” A vanishingly uncommon JE Design rear window spoiler tightens the rear quarter even further.

    Other styling modifications are subtle but effective, bringing the nineties Bauhaus look right up to date. Debadging declutters the shape, HEKO front wind deflectors add definition and a full set of front and rear DEPO LED lights brings the B6 in line with modern Audis. “They’ve got a slight tint to them which looks really 2020 and I love how all the lights cluster together at the back. It really works with the paint.” A full respray at PMC Paintworks ensures the Audi Misano Red has the intensity to match.

    A gloss black roof breaks up the scarlet shade and keys in with a collection of race-ready exterior details. Adam has fitted a Maxton Design RS4 splitter to skim the road, while the door pillars and mirror base plates have been replaced with glittering red-weave carbon. It’s the same tinted material  that upgrades the interior. “When the sun pops on the carbon it just looks absolutely insane,” Adam grins. A pair of Audi B7 RS4 door mirrors complete the conversion, replacing the chunky B6 generation items with a smoother, more aerodynamic shape. Adam loves their dual mounting points and chose them to stand out.

    Bagged Audi A4

    Get behind the Audi and there’s no missing the other twin-pronged modification – the four-inch exhaust finishers dominate the wide Votex rear bumper. Built by fabrication experts Read Performance, the rolled tips emulate the legendary Ford Sierra RS Cosworth and form the last stop on a custom three-inch system that starts with a decatted turbo downpipe. “The tips look so aggressive, they really make a statement. I don’t think I’ll ever change them.” There’s the sound to match the looks too. “You can drive it quietly but, really, it’s loud. When the turbo comes in the noise is immense.”

    The exhaust improves airflow with the help of a Ramair induction kit and a larger, eight blade K03s turbocharger to give the Audi serious power. Combined with Audi S3 fuel injectors and an Ozmo Motorsport ECU software calibration, it’s enough to push power up by almost 100 horsepower. The standard 1.8T produces 188bhp and Adam’s car puts down 287bhp. “It’s not about going fast with this car but I still want it to be nippy and reliable!” Engine trouble almost brought the build to a halt in 2020, when the cambelt snapped. Adam’s friends convinced him to keep going and – with the help of Josh at ICON Automotive – he’s rebuilt the motor to be stronger than ever before.

    Bagged Audi A4

    More mechanical heartache was in store when Adam went to fit a set of Porsche Cayenne Z18 brakes. The upsized calipers bolted to the front hubs without issue but the rear end was nothing but trouble. “We bolted the backs into place with adapter plates and only then – at half nine that night – did we find out my current wheels didn’t clear the brakes.” A set of 30mm spacers got the alloys spinning freely but pushed the tyres way outside the arches, so Adam started hunting for a set of adjustable camber arms. 034Motorsport parts provided the solution.

    The handbrake provided yet more strife. Audi built the A4 with a self-adjusting emergency brake mechanism and it just wouldn’t function with the manually-adjusted Wilwood replacement caliper. “It was a nightmare of little changes and new cables just to get it working,” says Adam. After all the heartache, the A4 finally rolled back onto the road on a set of 19-inch Ispiri FFP1 Carbon Grey alloys. “They’re the best wheel I’ve had to date. I always try to do something different and a mesh design really suits the B6.”

    Now the brakes are mounted and working, the Acid Green calipers form an integral part of a three-hue colour scheme. Adam has painted the rear show rollcage in the same vibrant hue and – when fitted – it gives the Audi an unmissable side profile. “I went one step further with the cage and the feedback has been insane. Red, black and green. It all flows now.” The bagged Audi A4 has only made it to two shows in 2020 but the high class aesthetic has gained recognition at both, with a show and shine win at 24/7 Modified UK and best interior at a TUCKED Automotive Meet & Eat. You can’t buy class but you can sure as hell build it.

    Bagged Audi A4

    Tech Spec: Bagged Audi A4 B6

    Styling:

    Audi Votex full bodykit, JE Designs rear window spoiler, Maxton Design Audi RS4 front splitter, Audi B7 RS4 wing mirrors in gloss black, smoothed front bumper, PMC Paintworks full respray in Misano Red with gloss black roof, DEPO front and rear LED light conversion, HEKO wind deflectors, C6 Carbon Reflex Red tinted carbon fibre mirror base plates and door pillars, carbon fibre engine cover, scuttle panel, ECU cover, battery cover and bonnet strut

    Tuning:

    Audi 1.8-litre turbocharged inline-four with Ramair induction kit, K03s turbocharger, decat, Read Performance three-inch custom exhaust with twin four-inch rolled finishers, Ozmo Motorsport
    ECU calibration

    Chassis:

    Ispiri FFP1 alloys in Carbon Grey, 8.5×19-inch front and 9.5×19-inch rear, 235/35×19 tyres throughout, AirREX air ride conversion with AirREX struts and management system, Porsche Cayenne Z18 brake calipers throughout, 380mm brake discs front, Wilwood handbrake caliper

    Interior:

    Marana Upholstery custom retrim in quilted red leather, brown flocked dashboard, glovebox and doortops, black flocked centre console, Audi B7 RS4 steering wheel, Audi B7 RS4 Recaro front seats, Audi RS4 headlining and pillar covering, C6 Carbon Reflex Red tinted carbon fibre front seat backs, pillar covers, steering wheel, rear view mirror and armrest, rear show rollcage in Porsche Acid Green

    Audio:

    Kenwood doubleDIN headunit with Vibe component speakers, Pioneer 1200 watt monoblock amplifier, Rockford Fosgate twin 12-inch subwoofers, four-gauge power cable

    Source

  • 2021 Ford Bronco production is underway

    The agonizing wait for reservation holders of Ford’s reborn Bronco is almost over as the first customer examples have rolled off the line at Ford’s Michigan Assembly Plant and are already on their way to dealerships.

    The plant, located in Wayne, Michigan, has been home to the Bronco since the original launched in 1965, and it’s also home to the Ford Ranger pickup truck, which features an earlier version of the Bronco’s body-on-frame T6 platform. The Ranger will move to the updated platform when it undergoes a redesign later this year.

    Ford invested $750 million in the plant to upgrade it for the new Bronco and future Ranger, adding approximately 2,700 direct jobs in the process. Part of this investment has gone toward constructing a separate modification center where a range of accessories are fitted, such as sport bars, roof racks, graphics packages, and much more. Ford has also added pre-wired switches to the Bronco to make adding electronic accessories easy.

    It’s hard to believe that it’s been almost a year since the 2021 Bronco was first shown. Deliveries were due to start in the spring but supplier delays related to coronovirus shutdowns meant Ford needed to push the start to summer.

    2021 Ford Bronco

    2021 Ford Bronco

    2021 Ford Bronco

    2021 Ford Bronco

    2021 Ford Bronco

    2021 Ford Bronco

    It means some reservation holders already promised their Bronco in 2021 will have to wait until 2022 to receive their vehicles. The delays have also seen manual-equipped Broncos with the Sasquatch package pushed back to the 2022 model year.

    The 2021 Bronco is offered with a base 2.3-liter turbocharged inline-4 rated at 300 hp and 325 lb-ft of torque (with premium fuel), and an available 2.7-liter twin-turbocharged V-6 with 330 hp and 415 lb-ft of torque. Buyers can choose between a 7-speed manual or 10-speed automatic, as well as between two- and four-door body styles. A pickup body style is also a possibility at some point.

    More powertrain options are also coming. A high-performance Raptor-like model has been spotted testing, and Ford has also hinted at a battery-electric version.

    The starting price for the 2021 Bronco is a very reasonable $29,995, including destination.

    Source