Ford Commissions Five Customized Focus STs for SEMA, Most Are Yellow

Ford has revealed the five customized 2013 Focus STs it plans to show off at this year’s SEMA show later this month, and the hot hatches will join the group of tarted-up Fusions the company already revealed at its booth in Vegas. Last year, Ford’s SEMA display included a number of hopped-up regular-grade Foci, but with the ST being newest and performiest, it is the brand’s compact of choice this year. Read on for details on all five 2013 Focus STs:

Ford Focus ST by Tanner F0ust Racing

If the Focus ST warmed over by Tanner Foust Racing is anything, it certainly isn’t subtle. Of course, this being SEMA, subtle would be boring, so we think the red and black over dark gray paint job is pretty sweet. The aggressive paint coats an equally aggressive body kit, while a tweaked intake, MagnaFlow exhaust, and Mountune ECU calibration give the ST a bump in output. Foust also added an ACT clutch and flywheel to handle the extra horses. Besides rocking a mean-looking set of black and red Motegi 19-inch wheels, the Foust ST’s only true handling upgrade comes in the form of an adjustable suspension and Brembo brakes.

Ford Focus ST by Bojix Design

Bojix Design is back in Ford’s SEMA booth again this year, but this time with a Focus ST instead of the customized regular-grade Focus it brought to the 2011 show. We rather liked Bojix’s entry from last year, despite the car’s ludicrous 20-inch wheels, but the firm’s ST doesn’t seem to match its previous effort. That’s because besides a mild body kit, new wheels, and a dark, patterned stripe running from the front grille all the way to the rear edge of the roof spoiler, Bojix’s ST is pretty much stock. A set of Eibach coil-overs and swaybars, custom exhaust, and an AP Racing big-brake kit are the only performance mods. And what’s up with that gigantic EcoBoost graphic across the side of the car? And don’t get us started on what appears to be a set of car-lashes extending off of the tops of the headlights; actually, the graphics look more like car-mascara.

Ford Focus ST by M&J Enterprise

M&J Enterprise’s Focus ST may not be the wildest-looking of this bunch, but it is by far the one we’d most like to drive. Our, uh, enthusiastic urges towards the M&J car may have something to do with that Cosworth insert in its lower intake, or more specifically, the horsepower-filled party only a few inches behind that lettering. That’s right, M&J Enterprise roped in Cosworth tuning and Ford Racing to help with its Focus ST build. A Cosworth turbo, intercooler, pistons, connecting rods, head gasket, and camshafts, along with a Ford Racing intake and cat-back exhaust, results in a claimed 30-percent increase in horsepower—to around 330 hp—and a 20-percent increase in torque to somewhere in the neighborhood of 323 lb-ft. We don’t think we need to explain how those output figures sound better than the stock ST’s respectable 252 hp and 270 lb-ft. Other than the power boost, the only other changes include Cosworth-specified wheels and tires, Ford Racing coil-over suspension and big front brake kit, and a mild Cosworth body kit.

Ford Focus ST by Galpin Auto Sports

In sharp contrast to the tame-looking M&J Enterprises/Cosworth ST above sits this rally-ready effort from Galpin Auto Sports. The ST’s most readily apparent upgrade is its wide-body styling kit, complete with a giant roof scoop, louvered hood vents, and a kitchen-table–sized rear wing. Underneath the pumped-out bodywork, Galpin fitted H&R coil-overs, Steeda swaybars, a Brembo big brake kit, Borla cat-back exhaust, a cold-air intake, and methanol injection. The whole shebang is finished off with green Motegi 18-inch wheels and mirror caps and an asymmetrical blue, silver, and gray paint scheme.

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• First Drive: 2013 Ford Focus ST
• Instrumented Test: 2013 Ford Focus Titanium Hatchback Manual
• Long-Term Test Intro: 2012 Ford Focus SE Hatchback Manual

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Ford Focus ST by Steeda Autosports

Like M&J’s SEMA effort, Steeda’s steed visually is pretty stock, but it gets a mild overhaul underneath. Steeda’s ST rides on the company’s own G-Trac suspension and gets Brembo brakes, and the wheels and tires were swapped for a set of 19-inch HRE pieces. The ST’s powertrain benefits from a Steeda high-flow turbo downpipe, cold-air intake, and cat-back exhaust system. Curiously, the paint scheme Steeda decided to go with seems almost identical to the Bojix car’s dark stripe-over-yellow body color.

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