Ford has announced that the facelifted version of the Focus ST hot hatch is to receive its worldwide debut at this week's Goodwood Festival of Speed, before going on sale during the summer. So far only a single teaser of the car has been released, but even from that shot it is obvious that the ST will follow in the footsteps of the rest of the redesigned Focus range with an Aston Martin-esque trapezoidal grille and slimmed-down headlights up front.
Perhaps the biggest benefit for ST buyers is that the car will also gain the interior and technology tweaks that the regular car is getting. Subtle chassis changes are also in the pipeline, as well as a revised steering mount designed to reduce wheel hop and eliminate steering thump. The Focus ST will participate in the 'First Glance' category in Goodwood with racing drivers taking it up Lord March's driveway over the three days of the event.
Anything else?
Potentially bigger news on the Ford stand is the debut of the first diesel ST Focus. Aimed squarely at the Volkswagen Golf GTD the new car will use a 185hp version of the 2.0-litre TDCi engine, which is said to be good for a sub-eight-second 0-100km/h sprint and emissions of just 114g/km. No word yet on what exactly the car will be called, though you have to assume Ford has vetoed calling it the ST-D...