Ken Block, famed rallycross and gymkhana driver, is working with Ford and Los Angeles–based tuner fifteen52 to create a burly Ford Focus ST dubbed the Project Focus TrackSTer. The TrackSTer is the first of an intended three-car lineup that offers stepped levels of performance that range from streetable to full-on competition.
Underhood sits the ST’s 2.0-liter direct-injected turbo four, of course, but it’s been augmented by additional parts from Mountune in England. Those include new forged rods and pistons, plus turbo plumbing and an intercooler to go with a larger Garrett turbocharger. Mountune also supplies the ECU. The car was finished just in time for the Chicago auto show, and power is estimated at 350, but the feeling is that output could be cranked to as much as 400 and still be usable on the street. Torque at this point is 380 lb-ft with the potential for 420. A regular ST has 252 horsepower, so, yeah, this sounds ridiculously fun. (The Popeye forearms will be a bonus.)
Teamed with the Ford six-speed manual gearbox are a Quaife limited-slip diff developed for the Focus ST-R race car and a Centerforce Focus ST-R clutch/pressure plate. The TrackSTer squats lower than stock thanks to a coil-over kit and remote reservoirs developed by fifteen52 and Eibach. The wheels are 9.5×18 fifteen52 Tarmacs. The car also incorporates Ford Racing parts, including a short-throw shifter and a performance exhaust that will soon be available to ST owners. The front brakes have been beefed up with ST-R four-piston calipers from StopTech.
Interested? Don’t get too anxious. Fifteen52 figures it could be up to year before it will be ready to start pumping out customer TrackSTers and, of course, offers no prices yet. When the firm is ready to take orders, the customer will buy their donor car from a dealer and ship it to fifteen52 for the modifications, as is done with some Shelbyfied Mustangs.
DIGITAL JUICE
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank's!