Gambit
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Registered: 5th Jun 00
Location: Common Sense HQ
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http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/ae_news_story.php?id=43389
Meet New Focus Cossie
Ford's legendary Cosworth is back! And the big news for blue oval fans is that the name will be used on flagship versions of hot Fiestas and Focuses all developed by the company's new performance division - Team RS.
Jost Capito, the German boss of the newly formed Team RS division, has exclusively revealed the first details of the new Focus Cosworth, allowing us to bring you these exclusive pictures and giving us an exciting taster of the supercar-chasing hatch, which is due for launch next year.
Capito revealed that the RS and ST brands will also be expanded to cover other Ford products. And although these will be the top-sellers, it's the Cosworth models which will be the true 'hero' cars. He told us that some within Ford thought that Cosworth should become a luxury sporting brand. "This was wrong," he said. "The Cosworth should be even more ex-treme than the RS Focus. It should be lightweight, stripped out, have more performance and be more extreme. Maybe it wouldn't even have air-conditioning."
Capito - whose past experience includes working on BMW's M3 and Porsche's 911 - also told Auto Express that a future Focus Cosworth is unlikely to be front-wheel drive. "Would a Cos-worth ever be front-drive? A Cosworth would have to deliver 225bhp-plus. When you see what we had to do with the front differential on the RS Focus to make it work properly, that power would be too much for the front wheels.
"There's a limit on front-wheel drive. But it depends on how the power is deployed. You can take it off with the traction control system - so in theory you could have a 300bhp front-drive car. But what's the point? The driver would not feel the power. For real performance we need 220-240bhp - that's hard in a front-drive car like the RS."
According to insiders, the new Focus Cosworth would see it based on the next Focus (due to be unveiled in May) and powered by either a turbo-charged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine or a new version of the Volvo V50's 225bhp turbocharged five-cylinder unit. But Capito hinted that the new powerplant would have to be able to rev freely to 7,000rpm and beyond.
This car would also use the same basic 4x4 chassis as the new V50 T5 AWD. But the Cossie - which won't appear until late next year at the earliest - would be much lighter and more raw than the baby Volvo. Expect minimal noise insulation, lightweight race-style seats, a quick-shifting six-speed manual transmission and suspension and braking components directly inspired by Ford's WRC Focus cars. On the outside, it will take its cue from today's RS, although stylists want the Cosworth's trademark wing to return. And the chassis will also be honed for driving pleasure by Team RS engineers on UK roads - unlike the RS Focus.
Said Capito: "Not enough of the chassis work on the Focus RS was done in the UK on B-roads. It was set up for German roads and the Nürburg-ring race circuit - it is fantastic there. Yet some drivers really wanted a beast of a car - and why not? But we rec-ognise that the majority of Ford's performance car customers are in the UK.
"If the new car can be made to handle well on UK B-roads and motorways, it should work on any roads. Every change we make to the chassis during development will be tested on B-roads and motorways."
By establishing the Cosworth brand, Capito says that the next-generation Focus RS can be less extreme. His team has already sat down to define Ford's three performance brands - ST, RS and Cosworth. "We had to agree what an ST is, what an RS is and what a potential Cosworth is. We thought of analogies with animals - an ST is a dolphin, an RS is a shark and a Cosworth would be a white shark." He describes how this will translate: "An RS will be for driving fun and track day use. And it should be a surprising car that might only be on sale for 18 months or so." Capito hinted the next RS wouldn't have a turbo engine and would be able to rev up to 8,500rpm - like key rival, the Honda Civic Type R.
But Capito pretty much ruled out an RS Mondeo, which would be too big for B-road driving. However, the next-generation Mondeo (due in late 2005) will have the option of four-wheel drive, so a stripped-out Mondeo Cosworth, inspired by touring cars, is possible.
Capito's team will also be developing ST versions of the Fiesta, Focus and Mondeo. "I want the ST brand to be better known," he said. "I want the ST experience to be consistent, like VW's GTI brand. It should be a great compromise between sporting handling and everyday use."
Capito wouldn't say, but it's thought the next Focus ST will have a light-pressure turbo engine delivering around 180bhp - enabling it to challenge the MkV Golf GTI. At last, it seems that Ford is finally back in the fast car game and fighting for supremacy.
[Edited on 21-01-2004 by Gambit]
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Icy
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Registered: 31st Jan 01
Location: Edinburgh Drives: Mk3 Golf Gti
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sweeet
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Marc
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Registered: 11th Aug 02
Location: York
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Using on both Fiesta and Focus sounds like a cash in to me.
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Mug shot
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Registered: 13th Sep 02
Location: Sheffield
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bout time an all
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Scott
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Registered: 11th Mar 01
Location: Kilmarnock,Scotland
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ill be aving one of them for sure 
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dave17
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Registered: 3rd Sep 02
Location: Greater London
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"For real performance we need 220-240bhp - that's hard in a front-drive car like the RS."
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SetH
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Registered: 15th Jul 01
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About time they sorted out the ST range and did a decent fiesta or KA, none of this sport KA or Zetec S shit.
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Ditch
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Registered: 29th Nov 02
Location: St Albans Drives: JDM Celica GT4 WRC
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So there will be a N/A Fiesta RS, which you would think has to better the ST150..... and am I right in thinking the ST150 will have 150bhp???
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MULLER2
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Registered: 3rd Jun 02
Location: LONDON
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One of my mates works for a motorsport company and one of the projects they have been working on is taking a standard 1.6 focus, stripping it and putting a cossie engine in. The have almost finished it - just putting the standard trim back on so no1 knows.....
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Tom
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Registered: 3rd Apr 02
Location: Wirral, Merseyside
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"40 bhp is not overly impressive I would like to see 300bhp +
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Siberia
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Registered: 9th Oct 03
Location: Leprechaun Land Drives : Zafira GSI
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what about this monster
http://www.focusfanatics.com/news/view.asp?linkid=310
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Ditch
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Registered: 29th Nov 02
Location: St Albans Drives: JDM Celica GT4 WRC
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they probably just bought out the companys, if Aston Martins had Ford build quality they wouldnt be the car they are today
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Tom
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Registered: 3rd Apr 02
Location: Wirral, Merseyside
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quote:
Originally posted by Siberia
what about this monster
http://www.focusfanatics.com/news/view.asp?linkid=310
Yep beats and rwd 
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MatthewR
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Registered: 21st Oct 02
Location: Rickmansworth
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quote:
Originally posted by Ditch
they probably just bought out the companys, if Aston Martins had Ford build quality they wouldnt be the car they are today
I thought PAG owned all Aston, ford, Volvo, Jag? Werent there two mondeo engines in the new DB7?
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Tom
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Registered: 3rd Apr 02
Location: Wirral, Merseyside
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quote:
Originally posted by Evisu
quote:
Originally posted by Ditch
they probably just bought out the companys, if Aston Martins had Ford build quality they wouldnt be the car they are today
I thought PAG owned all Aston, ford, Volvo, Jag? Werent there two mondeo engines in the new DB7?
Never heard that b4 mate 
I know noble has a mondeo motor with 2 turbo's strapped on
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Ditch
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Registered: 29th Nov 02
Location: St Albans Drives: JDM Celica GT4 WRC
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yea they do
but they didnt always own them
A noble M12 uses a mondeo engine as a base, but its been tinkered with a little 
ie. supercharged and probably alot of new internals....
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Ditch
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Registered: 29th Nov 02
Location: St Albans Drives: JDM Celica GT4 WRC
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ok then, they are turboed not supercharged
knew they forced induction to make massive power increases over your average ford mondeo family wagon!
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MatthewR
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Registered: 21st Oct 02
Location: Rickmansworth
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PAG=Premier Automotive Gp.
Own=Jag, Mazda, Lincoln, Mercury, land/ragne rover and Aston.
They used two 3.0Mondeo V6 platforms in the Db7 vantage
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Tom
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Registered: 3rd Apr 02
Location: Wirral, Merseyside
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Was that to make a W12 evisu, remeber sum mention of that but dunno if it was from mondeo, anyways take your word 4 it
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MatthewR
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Registered: 21st Oct 02
Location: Rickmansworth
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Ditch
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Registered: 29th Nov 02
Location: St Albans Drives: JDM Celica GT4 WRC
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a W12 would be just one engine tho wouldnt it?
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MatthewR
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Registered: 21st Oct 02
Location: Rickmansworth
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It was stuck together mate
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Tom
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Registered: 3rd Apr 02
Location: Wirral, Merseyside
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Yeah a w12 would be one engine but he's saying they used two mondeo V6 blocks to make it
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Tom
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Registered: 3rd Apr 02
Location: Wirral, Merseyside
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Wasn't laughing at u evisu 
was laughing at 'isn't it one engine tho'
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vibrio
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Registered: 28th Feb 01
Location: POAH
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quote:
Originally posted by Tom D
Was that to make a W12 evisu, remeber sum mention of that but dunno if it was from mondeo, anyways take your word 4 it
no it would make a V12 which the DB7 has . twat
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