A funny thing happened on my way to the Internet a few months ago. I popped onto a Ford Focus bulletin board--I don't rememeber why--made a single post and never had time to return. About a month later, I got a phone call from Randy Robles at FocusSport. The company had been working hard on my challenge, he informed me, but he wanted to be clear on the rules.
Challenge? What challenge?
To make a short story even shorter, apparently something in my single post to that bulletin board had taken on a life of its own. I must have said something about wanting to see a Focus run a 14-second quarter mile. Or, maybe I didn't.
Either way, it had become net.fact that I had issued a challenge to the Focus community, offering to feature the first Focus in the 14s in the magazine. I was ready to deny the allegation when Robles pointed out that "my" challenge had given the company the motivation to accelerate the development of cylinder head and camshaft packages. If this challenge I never actually issued was being used for the power of good, perhaps I should take credit for it.
Forced to improvise, I made up these ground rules on the spot. The car had to be naturally aspirated, had to be a street car and, most importantly, had to be built with parts that another Focus owner could buy. I didn't want to see some one-time-only, tailwind timesheet either, I wanted to see a car that could run 14s anytime, anywhere. They haven't quite met the challenge yet, but if you read our "Power, Weight, Grip" cover story (SCC, January 2001) a few issues back, you may have noticed they're very close. They have the speed, easily running 14.7 on a slippery airport runway with no VHT in sight, but the car's gutted interior raises questions about whether it's really a street car, and many of its go-fast parts are still prototypes. I expect them to meet that challenge soon.
If a simple misunderstanding could inspire the development of the fastest Focus we've tested, imagine what could be accomplished with a real challenge. Let's find out.
The Focus is a particularly poignant starting point; its first year of production generated a huge number of Focus show cars, and a fair number of Focus-shaped drag cars, but surprisingly little in the way of real, tangible performance for the guy on the street. Given the aftermarket fever around this car when it was launched, we expected to see more fast Foci by now. The Focus is hardly alone in this respect however, there are several cars brimming with potential that still haven't had their deep wells of performance tapped. Maybe a few more challenges will help.
Ford Focus
The 14-second, naturally aspirated Focus challenge still stands, but let's add a few more. A force-fed Focus, be it turbocharged or supercharged, should be able to run under 13.5 seconds in street trim. Not only that, it should be able to do so three times within a 10-minute window. Why three times? I've seen far too many un-tuned or partially tuned turbocharged and supercharged cars that can make power under perfect conditions, but fall apart at the first sign of heat soak or the first change in weather conditions. A fast car should be capable of being fast all the time.
Power isn't (quite) everything, so I'll also throw down a challenge to break 0.95 g on a 200-foot skidpad with non-R-compound street tires. AEM's Focus already did 0.88g with Eibach's suspension and Toyo T1-S tires, so you only have 0.07g to go. Of course, if one car can hit both the acceleration and lateral grip targets, so much the better.
Volkswagen/Audi 1.8T
When we first learned that the 1.8-liter turbocharged five valver was going to make its way from the A4 to the New Beetle, Golf and Jetta, we expected to see Volkswagens lining up against Hondas and Acuras at the dragstrip every weekend. In fact, I think I predicted just such a happening in this column back in the June '98 issue. Nostradamus, I am not.
Most tracks require a roll cage for 11-second cars, and that pretty much rules out the daily-driver qualification, so let's put the 1.8T target at 12.5 seconds and see what happens. You'll notice I only specified the engine here, not the car. This, of course, opens the door for some hybrid freakshow like a Lotus Seven with a 1.8T to show up and meet the challenge. But while that isn't exactly in the spirit of this challenge, the thought of such a car is so appealing, I wouldn't mind seeing one anyway.
Volkswagen TDi
OK, I'm going to expose a strange side of myself here, but I would really like to see Volkswagen's remarkably efficient, 1.9-liter turbodiesel go fast. TDi-powered cars have been known to do exceptionally well in endurance racing where a slight penalty in power can be made up for by skipping pit stops, thanks to their remarkable gas mileage. It doesn't seem too unreasonable to ask almost 2 liters of turbocharged diesel to run a 14-second quarter mile, does it? Strange, perhaps, but not unreasonable.
Toyota Celica
As Toyota's very effective answer to the Integra, the Celica really should be out there racing against them. Surely it will be before long, but the Integra's six-year head start means there is a lot more knowledge about making power with the B18 than with the 2ZZ-GE. Lack of experience really should be the only reason we haven't seen a fast Celica yet, as the Toyota/Yamaha powerplant appears to be every bit as good. To make me happy, a Celica should run 13s naturally aspirated, and low 12s with forced induction.
While we're at it, the Celica should be a skidpad champ as well, so let's see one break 0.97g. (The Celica should be able to hit a higher target than the Focus, don't you think?)
Mazda V6
The Ford Probe, Mazda MX6 and Mazda MX3 show such promise with their lightweight aluminum V6, but extracting power from these engines seems to be tricky. With 2.5-liters to work with, a 13-second target seems reasonable. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if such a car already exists; maybe this challenge will help bring it to our attention. Forced induction or not, I don't care, but nitrous oxide is not allowed.
Dodge Neon
I get asked fairly frequently why the Neon doesn't receive the same sort of hot-rodding attention that the Civic does. Frankly, I don't have a good answer. Yes, engine compartment packaging is tight, and yes, the thrashy Neon engine isn't as refined as a Honda, but come on, people! It's got more displacement and a lower price than a Civic, and the ACR has already proven that it can handle well, so where's the power? The Neon has had more development time than the Focus, so let's see 14.5 seconds naturally aspirated, and 12s with forced induction. Just remember, the same rules apply to all the cars. If it isn't reasonably repeatable, it doesn't count.
OK, you have your assignments. My e-mail address is davec@mcmullenargus.com; I expect an overflowing inbox in the morning. You are dismissed.