Are you freaking kidding me? I bought the wrong car!

[Sirl]

^^^ I think if they did, it would be in the same price range at the Evo and STI, upwards of 35k+

Thats a lot of money for a Focus... great car, dont get me wrong, but 35k is a lot of money.

 

[HISSMAN]

Jimmy, the reasoning you state above is why I ended up with a 135i BMW. It is like driving a go cart around the twisties compared to my 04 cobra. And not to take anything away from my old cobra because it was nasty.

 

[SBTerminator]

Remember part of the 03/04 Cobra changes from the 01 Cobras. Colletti was so pissed when doing the desert driving of the 01 Cobra and he couldn't lose a SVT Focus in the twisted roads.

 

[TroyV]

Welcome back Jimmy! I'm not surprised you liked the lighter more agile car. These types of cars reward good technique more than a brute like a blower Cobra....sorry Carlos. Driving a car that can typically carry higher average speeds through turns can be exhilarating, and sometimes even more terrifying than having 400hp and having to mash the brakes every time a turn comes up that you can only carry 50mph in. The only way to understand is to give it a try for yourself.

Jeff and Dell run a great event, and I'm glad you had time to spend with them. They have a lot of experience and are all around great guys to do this activity with. They have a good instructor corps and really care that everyone has a good time in addition to learning about high performance driving.

 

[03 DSG Snake]

SVTF has always looked like fun.

I've been wanting a Fiesta ST for a DD, but for some reason I'm more excited to try it on the track. :burnout:

 

[gcassidy]

Glad to hear your back!

Greg knew Gary Kole. His WAS race preped. Fun cars, just no rumble.

He was one of my first instructors. First time I saw a full cage in a Focus. What a car...what a guy.

 

[racebronco2]

Welcome back Jimmy! I'm not surprised you liked the lighter more agile car. These types of cars reward good technique more than a brute like a blower Cobra....sorry Carlos. Driving a car that can typically carry higher average speeds through turns can be exhilarating, and sometimes even more terrifying than having 400hp and having to mash the brakes every time a turn comes up that you can only carry 50mph in. The only way to understand is to give it a try for yourself.

Jeff and Dell run a great event, and I'm glad you had time to spend with them. They have a lot of experience and are all around great guys to do this activity with. They have a good instructor corps and really care that everyone has a good time in addition to learning about high performance driving.

Don't be sorry, I know exactly what you guys are talking about. My old bronco2 could out corner every street car mustang at most events. At one svtoa event i was 4 second faster then the quickest car/truck. That was back in 2000 when i only had about 150rwhp running on 245 bfg r1's. Now with the modded cobra the cornering is about 1.2g's in the sweepers. The speeds are alot higher and sometimes i am not mentally in the game. It is a compeltely different scenario entering a turn at 105mph and maintaing it thru the sweeper (pedal to the metal and the vehicle just won't go any faster)and entering it at 130mph and slowing down to about 115mph thru the same sweeper.

As for Jeff and Dell, i met them guys back in 2000 or so. I have instructed for then guys a few times when they had events in socal. They have a great bunch of instructors and are a blast to hang out with.

 

[gmsux]

Looks like a great car:

2013 Ford Focus ST | Focus ST. Experience the Thrill. | Ford.com

 

[BlackBolt9]

If you guys want to see what the new Focus ST will do start watching the Continental Tire Sports Car races on Speed Channel. Multimatic had one of them at Daytona and two last weekend at Barber Motorsports park. The Barber race will be shown on Speed Channel this Sunday, April 8 at noon (yeah I know it's Easter, but Jesus wants you to watch it after getting home from church, I'm sure of it!)
The car is still being developed but is doing rather well. Right now their biggest issue is putting down power since they still have an open diff. That will hopefully be remedied soon, and hopefully that racing development carries over into a limited slip available to the general public through Ford Racing. Support that development by watching the races and helping promote them to your friends

Sorry for the shameless race plug! LOL

 

[gcassidy]

Been set up on my TiVo since last week.

 

[a1yola]

Because of this thread I'm now looking for a SVTF for a DD! May end up as my secondary track car if all works out!

 

[TXPD]

ive had the focus st on my radar since the budget couldnt fit a new boss 302. a used boss 302 is still more likely.

that said there will be a focus st-r sold. it is the focus version of the boss 302r. i am told it will retail for more than a Boss 302S. ugh.

ive never raced small bore nor front wheel drive, but one of those cars for the future as a less expensive option to V8 racing is a real possibility

 

[David Hester]

I started with a formula Vee back in the '80's and then moved to a formula Ford to do time trials (SOLO I back then). Never got over how fast you could drive a lightweight 4 cyl. There was a Colt Turbo, Honda CRXsi and the SVT Focus. Funny after all the V-8 Mustangs racecars (4)-love the rumble-, I'm back to a 2.3 4cyl racecar. Go figure.
racer bios

 

[Admiral]

So Jimmy, how about an update on the Focus track car?

 

[fastduo]

Glad to hear you are doing well and you were able to get out on track. Love the TrackGuys,inc events. One of my favorite events of the year is when they come to Sebring in May!

 

[gcassidy]

Jimmy's to blame for this....

...well, and that I retired the Cobra.

 

[Rotzs99]

Well since this thread is revived, I had a 5 door SVTF. That thing was sooo much fun in the mountains, it just needed a little more torque for the daily grind. It also was WAAAY roomier than a mustang. I came so close to trying my first HPDE with it.

They're so cheap now if I ever find a 3 door sonic blue euro package I may have to scoop it up.

 

[a1yola]

What kind of mods are available for these svtf's? I sold my 98 cobra that had full MM suspension on it and now I'm looking for a smaller, more nimble track car. Are there mods for the svtf that can make it handle like a full MM sn95?!?

 

[Rotzs99]

Just standard bolt-ons compared to mustangs I believe. Steeda has a few parts. H&R has race springs, coilovers and sway bars. Stickier tires and weight reduction and you'll probably be able to extract more from it than your cobra. As far as power I think there's headers, a head, camshafts, full exhaust.

 

[edz]

Loved the SVT Focus, Just needs a power steering cooler, and some scoops to catch air for the front brakes. Lap time as just a little slower on short tracks than the Cobra, it does suffer on long straights like Sebring or VIR. About 1/3 the cost of running a Cobra for tires, gas, brakes etc. You can put everything you need for a weekend in the car, Track tires, luggage, tools etc.

http://ezerbe.smugmug.com/Cars/Focu...SVTOA SEBRING May24-25, 2008 DL - 7 135-M.jpg