Hot Hatch: 2004 Ford Focus SVT
The term hot hatch is tossed about like gonorrhea in a college co-ed dorm building, but what does it really take to be a hot hatch. First, you need a hatch. And then you need powahhhhh….maybe! What you need in a fast hatch is something that is equally at home in a parking lot dodging shopping carts or cones…and for that you need handling. Find this 2004 Ford Focus SVT offered for $2,500 in Houston, TX via craigslist.
The SVT Focus was built from 2002-2004 with small improvements added
each year, probably making this 2004 the most desirable. The standard
2.0 liter Zetec inline-4 cylinder engine was pimped by the folks at
Cosworth engineering, compression bumped up, high flow DOHC aluminum
cylinder head, and tubular 4-2-1 exhaust headers work together to make
170 horsepower (up 40hp from the base model). Finally, a six speed
manual gearbox (sourced from Getrag and shared with BWM’s Mini Cooper S)
was added to bring the full performance vision into focus.
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These were well built, and great fun. SVT also meant four-wheel disc brakes. Sadly, the CL ad has already disappeared. Since the interiors on these were pretty tough, that seat cover might point to high mileage. Did anyone notice what it was, while the ad was up?
I think it was in the 150k range.
I used to have one of these, what a fun car. I swapped in a high flow Cat, Diablo tune and Ford Racing suspension which made it even more fun!
I have always thought these were a bit under appreciated. Of course, I had an SVT Contour, so I may be somewhat biased. The availability of five doors also means the SVT Focus can child.
I had an SVT Contour also, another fun car!