Fast Ford – September 2019

S

ubtlety. It’s a much underrated

quality in this day and age. With

the hysterical excitability of

social media, constant

connectivity and fashionable one-

upmanship, it would be easy for us all to end

up with extreme, shocking and jarring cars

that push the envelope of uniqueness to an

absurd degree, wearing 14in-wide neon-

blue split-rims and rhodium-plated Recaros,

with carbon-fibre bodywork hand-woven by

the Kevlar-tipped fingers of virginal sirens.

But thankfully there’s a hardcore of tuners

that keep us balanced, focusing upon

performance above all else and allowing a

more natural aesthetic flow to emerge – the

purposeful look that’s achieved by the

judicious application of quality upgrades.

With this level-headed approach,

equilibrium is restored and reason returns

to the scene. Ostentatiousness is happily

balanced by subtlety, the yin and yang of the

modifying world.

Now, you might argue that suggesting a

car with bright red side stripes, a low-slung

gait and a distinctly rorty exhaust rasp is

in any way subtle might be rather pushing

the boundaries of what the word means,

but stick with it. It’ll all make sense. You see,

what Liam Merrick has achieved here is to

start with a strong base – a Mk3 Focus ST-

• and make it exponentially stronger where
  it matters. This all slots into place when we
  learn that, as well as being his daily driver,
  Liam takes the ST out on track whenever
  he’s able, and that includes an annual
  pilgrimage to the Nürburgring.
  “This is the fourth car I’ve owned since
  passing my test, and they’ve all been
  modified in a track day manner,” he explains.
  “I started out with a Mk3 Fiesta, then a Mk
  Fiesta Zetec-S which had a 150bhp

MK3 FOCUS ST

ȭѵ FAS T FOR D SEPTEMBER 2019

S

ubtlety. It’s a much underrated

quality in this day and age. With

the hysterical excitability of

social media, constant

connectivity and fashionable one-

upmanship, it would be easy for us all to end

up with extreme, shocking and jarring cars

that push the envelope of uniqueness to an

absurd degree, wearing 14in-wide neon-

blue split-rims and rhodium-plated Recaros,

with carbon-fibre bodywork hand-woven by

the Kevlar-tipped fingers of virginal sirens.

But thankfully there’s a hardcore of tuners

that keep us balanced, focusing upon

performance above all else and allowing a

more natural aesthetic flow to emerge – the

purposeful look that’s achieved by the

judicious application of quality upgrades.

With this level-headed approach,

equilibrium is restored and reason returns

to the scene. Ostentatiousness is happily

balanced by subtlety, the yin and yang of the

modifying world.

Now, you might argue that suggesting a

car with bright red side stripes, a low-slung

gait and a distinctly rorty exhaust rasp is

in any way subtle might be rather pushing

the boundaries of what the word means,

but stick with it. It’ll all make sense. You see,

what Liam Merrick has achieved here is to

start with a strong base – a Mk3 Focus ST-

• and make it exponentially stronger where
  it matters. This all slots into place when we
  learn that, as well as being his daily driver,
  Liam takes the ST out on track whenever
  he’s able, and that includes an annual
  pilgrimage to the Nürburgring.
  “This is the fourth car I’ve owned since
  passing my test, and they’ve all been
  modified in a track day manner,” he explains.
  “I started out with a Mk3 Fiesta, then a Mk
  Fiesta Zetec-S which had a 150bhp

MK3 FOCUS ST

ȭѵ FAS T FOR D SEPTEMBER 2019