“None of this fits,” laughs Lewis Denslow, gazing admiringly at the vivid yellow Focus that's eaten up so much of his time over the last five years. “Absolutely everything under the skin has had to be modified, shortened or lengthened to work.”
It's certainly been a labour of love. And while the idea of a pre-facelift Mk3 Focus 1.6 Titanium with an RS bodykit might not sound like cover feature material, this car has come a very, very long way from its humble shopperspec roots. Indeed, Lewis hasn't just got a little bit carried away with this – he's found himself consumed by the intricacies of what evolved into a ridiculously in-depth project, sourcing and customising all of the hardware from genuine Mk2 Focus Touring Cars and stuffing it all into this unsuspecting shell. What he's achieved here really is mind-boggling.
All of this acts as the culmination of a lifetime of obsessing over Fords – and like so many feature car owners, his dad's automotive proclivities were a clear influence. “My first car was a Mk1 Focus 1.6 that I quickly put on Focus RS wheels,” he recalls. “I was working at Power Engineering at the time and that only grew my passion; when a family friend contacted me regarding some work he needed doing to a 3-door Cosworth, it turned out the engine was a little unhealthy and I ended up buying it. I fully rebuilt the
