Given the tight bonds between Ford and racer/videomaker Ken Block, I'm surprise that Ford hasn't tried to sell more vehicles with a bit of Block's go-fast touch. The Ford Focus ST is a good start, but for the Chicago Auto Show Block and a team of tuners took that idea to extremes with the Focus TracSTer, an idea of what a streetable race car might be.
Built by Los Angeles-based fifteen52, the TrackSTer pumps well more than 300 hp from a thoroughly upgraded 2-liter EcoBoost turbo mill, still driving the front wheels through race-quality limited-slip differential, reworked ECU and competition clutch. Inside, there's four-point harnesses, aluminum pedals, a short-throw shifter and a race-ready steering wheel among other mods. While a few of the bits come from the Ford aftermarket catalog, others have more exotic origins; the fender flares were borrowed from the Chinese Touring Car Championship Focus.
Block says the car was his idea of trying to build a Focus that could compete on most road courses and still be tame enough to use as a daily driver. There's no production plans behind the TrackSTer, and its engine likely tests the boundaries of how much power can be pushed through the front wheels. But I suspect there's a sizable number of enthusiasts who wouldn't mind testing those theories and mimicking their favorite YouTube star.
