Coyote-Powered RWD Focus Brings $42,000 on Bring a Trailer
Dropping a big engine into a smaller car is a simple recipe for performance and fun. That’s how we got the Pontiac GTO, the Sunbeam Tiger, and the Shelby Cobra. Of course, the recipe isn’t limited to ’60s cars, or even cars that start as rear-wheel drive, as proven by this custom-built 2001 Ford Focus ZX3 that sports a supercharged 5.0-liter Coyote V-8. It churns out more than 600 hp at the rear wheels and just changed hands on Bring a Trailer for $42,000, including fees.
Built by Troy Seyfer of Seyfer Specialties in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, the Focus received a tremendous amount of custom work to shoehorn the wide engine into the compact engine bay. Rotated 90 degrees from the original transverse layout, the V-8 required a custom cross-member for the engine, one for the Tremec five-speed manual transmission, and an entirely new rear suspension. And because a 400+ horsepower Coyote wasn’t enough, the engine was topped by a 3.0L Whipple supercharger that gives it somewhere in the neighborhood of 700hp at the crank.
At first, the thought of a Focus with more than 600 hp at the rear wheels seemed a bit unnerving. That’s an awful lot of power in a small package. It must be a total handful, right? We started flipping through the auction photos. The rear suspension looks like a torque arm design, similar to a 3rd-gen GM F-body. The 8.8-inch live rear axle is centered with a Watts link, and it all fits under the Focus quite nicely. Then we looked up some numbers. The first-gen Focus, even the three-door, has a 103-inch wheelbase. That’s longer than the contemporary SN95 Mustang’s 101.3-inch wheelbase. It’s still a lot of power, but we were very quickly able to rationalize the idea of owning a 600hp Focus. We weren’t the only ones.
Bidding for the pint-sized powerhouse ramped up on the last hours of bidding and the winning offer came from a buyer who’d already been quite busy on the site: eight of their previous 21 purchases were first-gen Focuses. It seems they’ll appreciate the detailed fabrication that went into making one of the coolest MK1 Focus ZX3s we’ve ever seen. We hope the Coyote V-8 gets a workout.
An interesting idea. So what does this do for the front/rear weight balance? One would think this does not help better it but maybe it did. I bet it’s crazy to drive.
I’ve fantasized about doing the same thing with an early Audi A3 hatch, but mounting the engine behind the front seats.
Ironically, the problem I see with this build is one shared by most Audi production cars; front axle weight bias. I think it’s a fantastic build, but it’s not just about wheelbase: look at where the engine sits in relation to the strut towers (the approx centerline of the front axle), can you say “terminal understeer”?
Yeah,but….
Couldn’t be any worse than a V8 Vega. Motion built those with up to454 Chevy power, till the government got upset with the lack of smog equipment.
I see this thing as a drag car more than a handler.
I built a V8 Vega years ago. Don Hardy kit.r 400HP small block, turbo 350 with high stall converter, narrowed rear with 4:10 gears. Never again – it almost killed me!
I’ve talked to a few SBC Vega owners — they are a handful!!!! Great for the drag strip, not for the street.
Years ago I read about folks modifying the Vega in the late 70’s putting by putting in the Buick/Olds 215 c.i. aluminum V8. It weighed nearly the same as the Vega boat anchor four. Went well, handled great. That GM engine tooling was sold to Rover in U.K. and was made for decades up to about 250 c.i. If only I could find a decent early 70’s Vega (pre-huge bumper), but they all seem to be gone – rust buckets.
What a great sleeper! I feel sorry for the person who pulls up next to this car at the light and wants to race.