Tim Blackwell-Chin was inspired to buy a Ford Focus RS by a particular rally car. So guess what he did next?
What do you do for a job?
I’m a property manager, with duties that stretch from hospitality to the odd spot of gardening.
What are you driving?
A 2011 Ford Focus RS (Mk2) WRC replica.
So it started as a standard road car?
I have owned this car since new. It was one of 10 imported and sold here in New Zealand, before Ford NZ decided it was a good idea to get in on the action, and one of a handful in white.
I traded the family Focus XR5 turbo (also a great car) for it and had to meet the dealer in Taupo (he was bringing the car to me from Palmerston North), before heading back to Hawke’s Bay in the RS. What a drive that was!
Why this model?
In 2010, Jari-Matti Latvala drove the Focus WRC to victory here in NZ, and I saw the car and fell in love with it. When Ford released the Mk2 Focus RS soon after (here in NZ anyway) I just had to have one.
What motivated you to change what is such a superb road car?
It has now done over 100,000 miles [160,000km]. A few years ago I hit a parking bollard and broke the front bumper pretty badly (they sit very low and hit all but the flattest driveways).
After recovering from the heart attack I got from finding out how much it was to replace the front bumper and associated parts, I found a company in the UK that made replica WRC bumpers and spoilers and there was no stopping me.
It all arrived just before the big nationwide lockdown in 2020, so fitting the panels became my project. I just had to do it, as having my own version of the car that inspired me to buy one was all the motivation I needed.
Who is your favourite WRC driver of all time, and why?
Too close to call. Years ago, during Rally NZ, I worked in a hotel in Auckland. I met many drivers during this time and remember Richard Burns, Colin McRae, Tommi Makinen and Marcus Gronholm as not only great drivers, but amazing people too.
What has been modified on the car?
The question should almost be ‘what hasn't been modified?’. Suspension, brakes, intake, exhaust, interior, exterior (that spoiler), WRC parts, you name it… even the wheels have been modified.
The body and overall look of the car is what makes it special for me. Everything forward of the A-pillar has been swapped out or modified to replicate the 2010 Focus WRC, driven to victory in NZ by Jari-Matti Latvala; I hope one day to get him to sign the car somewhere.
The front and rear bumpers are ex-UK, as is the rear spoiler. Roof scoop is Focus WRC. The bonnet is from a 1.6-litre Focus station wagon with the WRC vents added. The rear spoiler is attached to the rear windscreen with the same glue used by sailing teams; it hasn’t come off at 150mph [240km/h], so safe to assume it’s never coming off.
Custom exhaust, upgraded intake manifold, fuel pump, all intake piping swapped for hard aluminium with heavy duty spherical clamps. Current power is 380-400hp [280-300kW], with just a bit more on the way soon. Amazingly, the car still has its original clutch.
It handles beautifully, with tarmac-spec brakes front and rear, Pagid tarmac rally pads. They work from cold and bite harder as they get hotter; I can’t recommend them enough.
Suspension is XYZ ClubSport, with upgraded front and rear adjustable sway bars and camber. Engine mounts are solid urethane, giving the car a very ‘agricultural’ feel.
What’s your favourite part of the car?
The original 2010 Focus WRC had stickers over the front lights and bumper to mimic this shape, as the Focus RS (Mk2.5) had just been released, but M-Sport was still using the pre-facelift Focus bare shells to build the Focus WRC.
The front of the car forward of the A-pillar is pure WRC, about as close as we can get to the real thing for road use without spending moonbeams on real WRC panels (which don't exist for this car anyway), or going too extreme. The WRC front wheelarches go as high up as the bonnet. The light pod is an obvious feature that is both period-correct and an essential part of the whole WRC package; I can't imagine the car without it.
Anything you don’t like about it?
I'd like a set of OZ Racing gravel wheels and high-sidewall gravel tyres to really knock the rally-style look out of the park, but they won't fit over the brakes, and would be rubbish to drive on every day.
The rear spoiler is a bugbear of mine, too. It’s a replica and I’d really like to have an original M-Sport rear spoiler to complete the look properly. But they are very hard to come by, and if I could find one it’d cost upwards of $10k to get it on the car.
What do you always have in your car?
The car doesn't move without me in it, or at least very close to it. Driving gloves for the suede steering wheel, a full-size spare wheel, and some tools.
Is the interior standard?
The seats and dash are standard, but that is going to change very soon. No rally car would be complete without a roll cage of some sort, and it would mean I could do club events like hillclimbs or bent sprints and use the car for what it was made for – going fast, looking cool, and making lots and lots of noise.
There’s a Terratrip intercom and headsets in the car, along with a CB radio, integrated trip meter on the Android screen, and a full size spare wheel (just in case).
Money no object, what’s your dream car and why?
BMW E30 M3. Extremely understated, but a halo car that in the right hands could well and truly punch above its weight. After watching the E30 tear around Bathurst taking it to the V8s (when Bathurst was still run properly, with multiple classes in the Great Race together) I have always wanted one. Should have bought one while they were still cheap.
Maybe an obvious question, but what is your favourite WRC era, and car?
It’s 1990s Group A for me: so many great cars and drivers, before extreme aero and tech took over. The Subaru vs Mitsubishi vs Ford vs Toyota battle was the peak of the ‘win on Sunday, sell on Monday’ philosophy that has sadly taken a bit of a back seat as of late.
But after all that, the Focus WRC in this livery was a real standout (one of the best liveries ever, I think), and a championship winning car too.
Have you ever been stopped by anyone, either public or police?
Both! I've been stopped by police doing warrant and rego checks a few times (one constable even asked for some photos and got one of him sitting in it), and people stop and ask if they can take photos all the time.
It's a really great thing to be able to share it with all kinds of different people, from primary school kids to retirees - they all seem to love it. People wave and beep on the motorway, take pictures and videos.
I guess to most people it looks like the real thing, so it’s a great feeling to know we've built a really good replica. I especially love it when people go looking for a roll cage; it means we've tricked them!
The OE Recaro seats are very comfortable and supportive. I’d even go out on a limb and say that they’d be up there with seats from much more expensive sports cars.
The shifter is a prototype unit that I have been helping to develop. It not only totally pulls off the rally interior but enables shifting in a smaller pattern higher up next to the steering wheel, and it looks amazing. I never get tired of shifting gears with it!
What are your future plans for it?
I have started collecting parts and doing research in order to do a 4WD conversion later this year. It's the one thing I felt Ford could have added to this car to improve handling, launch, grip, etc. It shares the floorpan and chassis with Volvos of the time, so it's relatively straightforward, although that said we will add our own touches to make it a little bit more special.
It would be nice to add a roll cage of some sort to make it possible to do club events like hill climbs and bent sprints, but that will be subject to family approval. Right now, we're just enjoying it as it is.
