NEWS

See what’s going down in the world of fast Fords...

The Focus will stop production in 2025

OUT OF FOCUS

P

roduction of the Focus will end in 2025, Ford has announced. The demise of the family hatch is also likely to mean the end of Ford production in Saarlouis, Germany (home to some of the greatest fast Fords we’ve ever seen) – although the firm has yet to confirm that the plant will be closed.

“We don’t have in our planning cycle an additional model that goes into Saarlouis,” commented Stuart Rowley, Ford of Europe boss, although the company is said to be looking into ‘other alternative opportunities for vehicle production’.

Ford’s next priority is its new-generation electric car family, which will be built in Valencia, Spain from next year. Meanwhile, the Focus has dropped out of the UK top ten in recent months, with Ford’s strongest sellers now being its Puma and Kuga SUVs.

The original Focus was introduced back in 1998, bringing new levels of handling, grip and driver appeal to what was a golden era for Ford, with the company’s New Edge styling bringing cutting-edge looks to match the car’s dynamic driving style.

The original (Mk1) Focus remained on sale until 2004, since when there have been three further generations of what was Ford’s biggest-selling model. We will miss it.

FORD FAIR HUGE SUCCESS T

housands of Blue Oval fans rolled into Silverstone on 14 August 2022 to be part of the biggest Ford show of the season. Now in its 37th year, Ford Fair attracted Fords of all shapes and sizes and thousands of Blue Oval fans, who all enjoyed the fabulous weather, excellent displays and live demos – and, of course, the very best Blue Ovals the fast Ford scene has to offer. We were there (naturally), and you can read our full show report over on page 40.

CAPRI GT4

SYNTHETIC FUELS INSTEAD OF EVS

Ever seen a Capri GT4 before? We hadn’t until now, but Mick Skipp took his freshly restored example to the Classic Ford Show in July. It’s quite possibly the only one currently on the road.

Never heard of the GT4? We’re not surprised. Produced in 1980, it was the first of a long run of special edition Mk3s, with a choice of three colours (Stratos Silver, Diamond White or Signal Red), a 1600cc Pinto, one-off decals, and Chocolate Brown GL trim.

Capri GT4 is a rare car

Are synthetic fuels the answer to lower carbon emissions?

T

he world is focused on electric cars right now, but are we in danger of missing out on alternatives in our blinkered approach for plug-and-play motoring? The Historic & Classic Vehicles Alliance (HCVA) – the not-for-profit organisation created to support the historic vehicle sector – has joined forces with industry specialists involved in the development of synthetic fuels. The HCVA sees synthetic fuel research as essential if the sector is to achieve the government target of ‘net zero’ by 2050. The HCVA is working alongside specialist CKL Developments, which has been testing a customer’s race car at Goodwood using synthetic fuels developed by Coryton Advanced Fuels. The test using a mix of conventional and synthetic fuels proved successful, with the car performing exceptionally well at Goodwood. Garry Wilson, CEO of the HCVA, commented: “We’re pleased to support the future of our historic and classic industry and vehicle owners through the development of these fuels, and are extremely grateful to Coryton and CKL Developments for this first test. By retaining internal combustion engines for historic vehicles but switching to synthetic fuels, we can create a virtuous circle.” The HCVA plans to seek extra funding to help with ongoing research into the use of synthetic fuels. Director of the HCVA, Guy Lachlan, told the Classics World website: “Using sustainable and synthetic liquid fuels is clearly vital for the future of classic motoring. There’s much support from legislators, who are increasingly understanding that investment must be deployed in technologies such as future liquid fuels, and not just electrification.”