SALEEN REWORKED THE FORD FOCUS INTO A HOT HATCH FIT FOR THE FAST & FURIOUS GENERATION

Many younger gearheads are well-versed in the church of Fast & Furious. The movie franchise, which consists of 11 total films, is responsible for turning millions of folks into car enthusiasts. Sure, we can make fun of the series, but the fact of the matter is, it's served as one of the best recruiting methods for gearheadish-ness over the last two decades. Those of us who were kids at the time of the first few movies' debut were especially taken in by the raw, and slightly cheesy, effects and, most importantly, the cars.

Because the Fast & Furious franchise is so famous, some carmakers and tuners were interested in creating models that looked as if they stepped right off the set. One such model was produced by Saleen, the famed tuning company responsible for building the S7 supercar, along with a slew of high-performance Ford Mustangs. It was called the Focus S121, and featured both mechanical and appearance upgrades that gave it the look of pure movie stardom.

The Saleen Focus: Fast, As Well As Furious

Quick Facts About The Saleen Ford Focus S121

• Introduced in 2004
• Features extensive body shell upgrades
• Utilized a 2.0-liter inline-four engine
• Also offered with a nitrous system under a different model name
• Axed following the 2005 model year

While the Ford Focus is no longer in the US these days, it was once one of the most popular compact cars in the United States. Back before its original 1998 release, Ford was looking for a way to replace its long-standing Ford Escort. However, during the as-yet-unnamed Focus' development, Ford's top brass decided to keep producing the Escort for a time, as the model was still deemed viable in the compact sedan market. Nevertheless, the Focus continued its R & D anyway.

The original Focus design sketches, reportedly, closely resembled the finished product, which was unveiled to the public for the first time at the 1998 Geneva Motor Show. Initially, the finished product's look was considered polarizing, with some folks loving it and others hating it. The man in charge of actually penning the Focus' design was John Doughty, a member of Ford Australia's design team. The Focus adhered to Ford's then-new design language called "New Edge."

Once the Focus was finally launched, it was quickly successful, despite its supposed "polarizing looks." It became an extremely popular, cheap vehicle that served its time as more of a disposable item, rather than a beautiful, or impressive, car. In other words, the Focus was a great way for those who needed a car simply to get from A to B without any fanfare, and many were used and abused in this endeavor. However, the Focus was well-equipped for that, and served its purpose well during the beginning of its life.

But, gearheads being gearheads, performance-oriented iterations of the Focus began cropping up, with tuning company Saleen having a crack at the Focus.

The Supercar Maker's Ford Focus

Saleen's informal partnership with Ford began over two decades prior to the Saleen Ford Focus S121's introduction. So, the company's desire to get involved with the Focus was nothing new. However, most of Saleen's Ford-based models were Mustangs, and were almost exclusively relegated to V8 engines. The Focus, though, was to be a tuner car through and through. The tuner car scene had gotten hot in the US in the early 2000s, thanks in part to the Fast & Furious franchise.

The Ins And Outs Of Saleen's Tuner Car Creation

The tuner-ization of Saleen's Ford Focus begins underneath the hood. The engine selected for the S121 was a 2.0-liter inline-four-cylinder mill, which belongs to Ford's Duratec engine family. The Duratec motor as a whole can trace its roots back to 1993, and variations of it are still in production today. As for the Focus S121's 2.0-liter powerplant, Saleen didn't actually do very much in the way of tuning. A new intake was installed, along with a revised exhaust system, allowing for more flow.

Its transmission was a five-speed, close-ratio manual unit, which had been specially-built for the model by Saleen. The S121 also boasts a rather high axle gearing ratio, coming in at 3.82:1. Its suspension system was also tuned by Saleen, with a litany of Racecraft upgrades such as new shocks and upgraded urethane bushings. More robust sway bars are also featured. Stopping is taken care of by a pair of discs up front and a pair of drums in the rear. Buyers could upgrade the front discs to Saleen-branded rotors and quad-piston calipers.

Most of Saleen's upgrades came in the way of exterior and interior changes. The S121 received an extensive and all-encompassing new body kit which added a large amount of tuner car clout to its overall appearance. A pair of centrally-mounted exhaust tips sprout out of the S121's rear end, and its front and rear end sport more aggressive splitters. A large rear spoiler is mounted above the S121's rear window, despite the thing boasting front-wheel drive. Color options boasting decidedly-2000s names include CD Silver Clearcoat and Cloud 9 White. There's even an "Egg Yolk Yellow." Inside, white-faced Saleen gauges, a new gear knob, and racing seats were featured, along with an all-black color scheme.

*Specs courtesy of Saleen

Pricing

Now these were quite obscure when new, and 20 years on, they certainly aren't getting any more common. Examples do crop up for sale every now and again, but if you are hankering after one, patience is key. Fortunately, though, these Saleens aren't bank-emptyingly expensive when they do come up for sale — previous examples have tended to swap hands for between $10,000 and $15,000.

The Final, Truly Hot Focus: The RS

While the Focus RS namesake had been around since 2002, we didn't get to see it in the US until 2016. While we already had the hot-ish Focus ST, the RS stormed onto the scene with even more power, prestige, and rally-bred blood. Underneath the Focus RS' hood lives a turbocharged 2.3-liter inline-four, which is shared with the Mustang. It produces 350 horsepower, 30 more than the Mustang's 320 ponies, and an identical amount of torque. A six-speed, close-ratio manual transmission is the sole gearbox on offer.

Underneath everything else lives a complex, rally-bred all-wheel drive system. The setup is a Torque-Vectoring system with a rear-drive unit designed by GKN, a British aerospace company. The Focus RS was the first mass-production model to feature a dedicated "Drift Mode" in its drive mode selections, which also includes a Launch Mode. Using Launch Mode, the Focus RS can rocket from 0 to 60 mph in roughly 4.7 seconds.

The Focus RS was only around for two years, with its final model year taking place in 2018. Ford introduced 1,000 limited-edition Final Editions, sporting a few special upgrades like a different spoiler, black roof, and special mirror caps.

While the Saleen Focus and the Focus RS are worlds apart in tech and power, they both embody the same sort of athletic prowess exhibited by the otherwise-tame Ford Focus.

Sources: Ford, Saleen, TheTruthAboutCars.com

2025-10-27T10:09:37Z