SUPERCHARGED COYOTE V8, REAR DRIVE FORD FOCUS ST IS OUR KIND OF HOT HATCH

When Ford discontinued the Fiesta ST, Focus ST and RS in North America, car enthusiasts everywhere lost an affordable and practical, yet fun daily driver. Still, there is a great community surrounding Ford’s hot hatches, and they are a favorite for tuners. But while most stick with tunes and aftermarket exhausts for the most part, this Focus ST built by JRods Customs doesn’t just take things a step further, but a whole leap. That’s because they’ve managed to stick a Whipple supercharged Coyote V8 out of the Mustang under the hood of the Focus. And make it rear-wheel-drive. Mind = blown.

The build, as you’d expect, is very comprehensive. The Coyote V8 gets stuffed under a much larger hood, as the Focus platform wasn’t exactly designed to get the Mustang motor in the first place. We don’t know exact power figures, but Whipple say their stage 1 GEN5 supercharger kit can push 650 hp on the dyno. In a vehicle that weighs significantly less than a Mustang with the same engine, it’s got to be seriously quick.

But all that power would be pointless (and likely undriveable) if sent through the front wheels alone, as the Focus ST comes from the factory without the all-wheel drive system of it’s RS sibling. Instead of just giving it that system, the team have made it fully rear wheel drive. There’s some very complex engineering that goes into sending the power to a completely different axle than intended, so hats off to JRods Customs for making it work. They’ve also been track testing the car, proving it’s not all for show.

In addition to the power and drivetrain mods, the exterior has been given a more aggressive design with widened fenders front and rear, much lower suspension, a modified Focus RS front grille and carbon splitter, new wheels and a massive rear wing. There are also a number of orange details popping against the black exterior, which are also carried to the interior.

Inside, there’s a full orange roll cage, carbon backed Alcantara and leather seats with orange stitching, retrimmed door panels and dashboard, a Mustang steering wheel, and dashes of orange and carbon fiber accents all over the place. It’s one of the most interesting mashups of Ford Performance vehicles out there.

The Ford Focus ST might be gone in America, but this build proves the Fiesta and Focus hot hatches are still very much alive in the car community.