fifteen52 Tarmac 17×8 ET42 Square / 215/45-17 Hankook Tires RS3 + H&R Coilovers
If you’re a fan of The Smoking Tire, this Focus ZX3 might be familiar. (If you haven’t seen Matt Farah thrash the **** out of the car check out the embedded video below.)
This speedy little banana belongs to our own warehouse inventory control specialist Eric Nelson, over in the Order Fulfillment Department here at ModBargains.
While the unassuming yellow exterior may not look that crazy to the untrained eye, under the hood, it hides quite the host of goodies. From the moment you see that COSWORTH Manifold, you know this thing is serious. The Mark 1 Ford Focus was a surprisingly competent handler, and with an added injection of horsepower, it can be quite the little monster. Complimenting that is a Stage 3 Turbo kit, sporting a Garrett 2871R turbocharger with a .86 housing. Fed by 60lb fuel injectors and dumping into a 3in downpipe, this thing will lay some rubber.
The motor also sports an oil cooler, and to handle the extra power, a Exedy stage 1 clutch and flywheel has replaced the stock friction material.
Inside, a set of Sparco pro2000 seats fitted Schworth harnesses are nestled safely into a full roll cage, and the radio is long gone, replaced instead by an AFR gauge.
Up front, the Intercooler gives it a toothy smile, and the Mach SVT HID projector headlights give the car a lot more of a “face” than your average Focus. It seems to suggest the glee of a kid about to school you during an online multiplayer game.
fifteen52 Tarmac 17×8 ET42 Square / 215/45-17 Hankook Tires RS3 + H&R Coilovers
After spending some time on a set of black OZ oem Focus RS wheels imported from the UK, Eric finally decided to upgrade to a new set of wheels from our friends at fifteen52.
fifteen52 Tarmac 17×8 ET42 Square / 215/45-17 Hankook Tires RS3 + H&R Coilovers
After some back and forth figuring out what he wanted, Eric decided on a set of fifteen52 Tarmac 17×8 wheels in Speed Silver, wrapped in sticky Hankook RS3 tires to help keep all that power to the ground rather than just spinning the front wheels.
fifteen52 Tarmac 17×8 ET42 Square / 215/45-17 Hankook Tires RS3 + H&R Coilovers
Giving the car the drop you can see here is a set of H&R Coilovers, which paired with Massive Endlinks, Toe Arms and Camber Arms. Enhancing handling further is a set of Eibach Sway Bars to keep everything tied together and Front and Rear Strut Bars to reinforce the chassis.
fifteen52 Tarmac 17×8 ET42 Square / 215/45-17 Hankook Tires RS3 + H&R Coilovers
The 5-spoke design of the fifteen52 Tarmac Wheels goes brilliantly with the classic Mk1 Focus bodystyle.
fifteen52 Tarmac 17×8 ET42 Square / 215/45-17 Hankook Tires RS3 + H&R Coilovers
This is what it looks like when you bring a project car to completion – there really isn’t much else Eric can do without crossing the line from streetability into outright race-car territory.
fifteen52 Tarmac 17×8 ET42 Square / 215/45-17 Hankook Tires RS3 + H&R Coilovers
The MACH HID package really adds a lot ot the car, and the housings are quite rare, as they were only an option on top spec Focus SVT models.
fifteen52 Tarmac 17×8 ET42 Square / 215/45-17 Hankook Tires RS3 + H&R Coilovers
Spicing things up in the rear is an FSWerks Exhaust system to match the downpipe, and a Mk 1 Focus RS rear spoiler has been fitted, also painted matte black to match the rest of the car’s trim.
fifteen52 Tarmac 17×8 ET42 Square / 215/45-17 Hankook Tires RS3 + H&R Coilovers
We love how the car came out on the fifteen52’s, so enjoy the rest of this gratuitous photo gallery below.
fifteen52 Tarmac 17×8 ET42 Square / 215/45-17 Hankook Tires RS3 + H&R Coilovers
fifteen52 Tarmac 17×8 ET42 Square / 215/45-17 Hankook Tires RS3 + H&R Coilovers
fifteen52 Tarmac 17×8 ET42 Square / 215/45-17 Hankook Tires RS3 + H&R Coilovers
fifteen52 Tarmac 17×8 ET42 Square / 215/45-17 Hankook Tires RS3 + H&R Coilovers
Interested in modding your Ford, say a Fiesta ST or Focus ST? Talk to the Mod Experts at ModBargains – give us a call at 714-582-3330 or chat live with us on ModBargains.com – between the Mod Experts and ST Vehicle Specialist/Sr Content Marketer Nick (yours truly), we can help make your Ford better to drive, whether your goal is to be a loudass racecar or get more power out of a stealthy daily driver.
Thanks for reading, see you next time!
Story & Photos Nick Gregson