The jump from the Ford Escort to the Ford Focus wasn’t a big move for Ford. Instead of a curvy, small front-driver nobody cared about until it was time to pay for the fuel, we got a small front-driver composed of odd triangle-ish shapes that nobody cared about until it was time to pay for the fuel. Yippee. Pick your poison: the old school or the new, the Budget Escort you never wanted to be seen in or the brand-new FucUs that tended to have electrical gremlins. You got what you got, right?
Except that some enterprising companies like Kugel looked straight at the Focus, measured the engine bay, and went, “hmm…”. RWD-converted V8-swapped Focuses are a thing…and somehow, they make the car a thousand times more acceptable. I get the feeling that it’s the same feeling you older types get when you see a legitimately fast Pinto or Mustang II…it’s cool, but that’s a lot of work for a pint-size throwaway. Whatever the case, I’m digging this sedan. Can you get that with plates on it? I’ve got some people in Nashville who need a good bit of shock therapy while I’m driving through.
Best part of these conversions, all of the big parts (engine, trans, diff etc) are all factory type parts from the ford parts bin. No custom length axle, no weird 1 off bellhousing or anything like that. A trip to the pick a part and you can get most everything.
Buy their swap kit (not the cheapest, but its complete) and you can have a rwd v8 focus in no time. Plus being a throw away you can get a complete car for a few hundred bucks.
Take the sloppy mechanic sbe in a crap box to a whole new level.
I have only seen one Focus sedan where I live in the UK for over a year. That’s a shame as its better looking than the hatchback. But what would really take the biscuit would be a Probe or Cougar fitted with an adapted RWD/V8 kit….