The Competitors
.Spatakula said:FOTY... seriously someone pinch me. I can't believe I am in this position. First off, I shout out HUGE thank you to everyone who voted for me. You guys rock my freaking socks off. To even be in the running with these Focus thoroughbreds has me in complete awe.
This year has probably the biggest year of new styles, go fast and turn fast goodies I have seen since my conception of [FJ]. But... my story doesn't start there.
My Focus journey started back in early 2004. I was finishing up high school and looking for a new ride. At this time, I drove a green 1990 Indy Beretta with a nice big pink "INDY" decal on the side. If 80's hair metal created a car, this was it. My mom bought the car new in 1989 and I inherited it when I turned 16. I put some ADR phase I wheels on it, a nice stereo, and I always had "big" plans for it... just like every other snot nosed 16 year old kid. I drove it for 2 years then I wanted something new.
I remembered watching a Car and Driver (or some other new car review show) episode a long time ago and they were featuring some sort of a fancy Ford Focus. From that, I started searching the web to find this mystery Focus. I really didn't expect much because I figured this car would still be way out of my price range, even buying used. After a few minutes of searching I found this "SVT" model. It had to be the car from the show. I saw a few Pitch Black cars, some Infra Red cars and this Sonic Blue car. I immediately fell in love with the car and started me search. To my surprise, a 2002 SVT was going for around 12k used with lower miles. I was so happy because maybe, just maybe, I could find one for sale locally.
After some more searching, I found this FocusSport website. I began looking at all of the cool parts they had for this car I was looking to get and literally looked on the site for hours on end. What the hell is an aluminum flywheel? I didn't know, but I wanted one. :lol: I had all of these trick parts laid out that I was getting for a car I didn't even own yet.
So, I started looking around for this car. I looked for about 2 months and found absolutely nothing. I got really discouraged and opted to get a ZX3 instead. Nothing wrong with that, in my eyes, FocusSport had more sweet parts for a standard ZX3 anyways. :lol:
In West Mufflin, PA, they had this loaded 2000 Maliblu Blue ZX3 5 speed for 12k. My father and I went to go check it out and it already sold since my discovery of it 2 days prior. Man, I felt terrible. Oh well back to the drawing board yet again.
After visiting practically every single dealership in western PA while finding nothing I liked, I was about to just give up. My dad says "Hey, lets go check out Graft Dodge is Scottdale" I just looked at him and laughed. This Dodge dealership was and still is the smallest dealership I have seen to date. The showroom barely fit the SRT-10 Ram it was showing off. So, we decide to check it out.
Scottdale is an old coal mining town that my grandfather grew up in. The old vacant shops and parlors hinted at its once prosperous past, just like many of the other small sleepy towns dotted across the area. It was more of a ghost town than anything.
We get the dealership and go check out the used cars. We are walking around the corner and there it was. A freaking Sonic Blue SVT Focus. I literally could have **** a brick. My dad swears on his life he had no idea that the car was there, he said we found it from divine intervention. Being that my grandfather just passed away and we were in his old stomping grounds, I believe it. We get up to the car and I began taking in every little detail. I turned to my dad and joking pulled the door like I was getting in it and the son of a bitch was unlocked. LOL! So I ever so diligently sat down in the seat and began checking it out. Around this time the salesman showed up. He wasn’t one of those parasite, annoying, “hey lets be pals” car salesman’s either. He had the keys in his hand and told my dad to take it for a spin. We barely made eye contact and said hello. Who does that?
To make a long story somewhat shorter, I drove that car home later that evening. It was January 30, 2004 at 8:40pm and I pulled the car into my driveway at home. I stayed inside of the car in my driveway listening to music messing around with everything until about 2 in the morning.
Here is the earliest pic of my car I can find from 2004.
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Stock as stock can be. Shortly after buying the car I found [FJ]. It took me sometime to join up after lurking for a few months. The rest is all pretty much history from there.
The modification started and this is the first one.
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After that I got the bumpers re-sprayed and got some Machs, facelift grill, and a Mach 1 lip.
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A kid I grew up with and was a great friend of mine got a Focus too.
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His name is Nate (FJ username; Lordgoldthroneroom). We began constantly hanging out and working on our cars. Wow, those were the good old days.
New suspension time shortly after! (Sportlines/ Prodampers)
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Next it was off to my first biggest Focus meet, the Carlisle All Ford Nationals. This was in 2006. Look at Ray’s car for a time reference. :lol:
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Oh yeah baby! Shortly after, a few random parts ended up finding their way on my car. More significantly the Konigs wheels.
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This was my first taste of tire rubbage…. :lol:
A few of the local crew I ran around with.
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I was fed up with the tire rubbage and the stockers went back on. Around the same time, I got some blacked out Machs.
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With a 442 that my dad just was getting ready to restore.
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Spring came and so did smaller tires. I could run my old wheels again! SCORE!
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Around the same time was my first FOTM appearance it was for SVT: Round 2, April 2007. http://forums.focaljet.com/team-rigz/548014-vote-may-fotm-svt-round-2-a.html
Got my bum bum kicked. :lol:
Next up was Carlisle ’07.
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Shortly after Carlisle, new suspension time! KW V1’s with some LCR sexyness.
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Winter ’08.
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Summer ’08. New state, old car.
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Met a few cool peeps.
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Winter ’09. Got myself a daily driver and my Focus’ daily driving days were put behind her.
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Spring/Summer ’09. New bumper!
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Loving the cars new home.
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Carlisle ’09. This time I had a 450 mile drive ahead of me. I miss only being 2 hours away from the place. I had to prepare myself.
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Remember that white SVT? Well he showed up with his new “Ford” at the show this year. Heheh.
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A few peeps…
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JFord even sprinkled a little pixie dust my way…
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Fall 2009-Present
The only noteable thing is the wheels.
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And most recently… as of the weekend…
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Ok I am done.