Andreas Tatt - Ford Focus ST 2014
My MK3 ST is my 5th car but my first "performance" car and certainly the first car I've modded. I started off with an S reg Fiat Punto, then a Corsa before moving to Fords - MK7 Fiesta and MK3 Focus Titanium. The ST was the perfect car for me. Best "bang for the buck," I think. It's easily modified, cheap to run and fun to drive.
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Andreas Tatt
Ford Focus ST 2014
Photographer: @lyonsautomotive
I'm 30 years old and I'm based in Canterbury, Kent.
After graduating from University in Bristol, I managed to find a job in open cast mining in Western Australia. What was meant to be 6/12 months of "real-world experience" turned into a 5-year stay in Perth. A change in circumstances meant I headed back home to the UK to go into the family business which publishes Greetings Cards. My hobbies include tinkering with my car, smoking meat and to keep fit, I play a lot of badminton.
My dad got me into cars. We watched Top Gear a lot and other motoring shows. In Perth, once I'd built up enough money, the first thing on my mind was to buy a car. I'd previously had an MK3 Focus in England which I really liked but wished it had more power, therefore the MK3 Focus ST was the car for me.
I found an ST owners club on Facebook - WA 5 Pots and EcoBooST4's and quickly made some great friends. Soon the mod bug bit me - most likely from fellow ST friends in the area. Going to the few car shows there are in Perth spurred me on to develop my car and make it my own.
My MK3 ST is my 5th car but my first "performance" car and certainly the first car I've modded. I started off with an S reg Fiat Punto, then a Corsa before moving to Fords - MK7 Fiesta and MK3 Focus Titanium. The ST was the perfect car for me. Best "bang for the buck," I think. It's easily modified, cheap to run and fun to drive.
When I was looking for a car, I quickly narrowed my options down to two - a Golf GTi and the Focus ST. I looked at the Golf first. I was quickly put off by the salesman who was trying to sway/bully me into buying a car there and then. His attempt to impress me by speeding down backroads was not working. The car itself was impressive but without extras was already more expensive than the ST. To me, although the GTi was a good car, it didn't put a smile on my face.
The ST on the other hand was cheaper, better looking in my eyes, more fun to drive and most importantly, had me smiling all through the test drive.
I absolutely love my ST. It's very cliche, but like a lot of car fanatics, I can't help but turn and look at it when I walk away. I've made it my own and it makes me feel really good that others really like it too! I never set out to have the fastest/most modified ST in the car scene but something that would turn a few heads. My ST is now quite distinctive and I often have people ask me at shows whether this is the Australian ST?
Tips/Advice
My advice would be, start with a stock car if you can. The enjoyment of working on this car has been mainly due to learning as much as I can about how it works and how it's put together. To fully appreciate modding it, start from scratch, do a LOT of research and ask as many questions as you can - no matter how silly you think they are!
Also, find a great mechanic, preferably someone who actually cares for customers cars and understands your wants/needs. In Australia, a good friend of mine, who is a professional mechanic, set up his own business - Perth Performance Parts, which I regularly took my ST to for adding parts and servicing. In the UK, I found BRC Performance who are fairly local to me. They specialise in Fast Fords so know these cars like the back of their hand which puts my mind at ease.
This tip is well known throughout the car scene but when I came to do it, I had very few options.
Early on, I decided to purchase a Quaife LSD in Mountune's Christmas sales. If you can, whilst installing the LSD, upgrade your clutch too. It'll be the same amount of labour whether you do the clutch at the same time or not, so effectively the labour for the clutch would be free. At the time, the only aftermarket clutches available for the MK3 ST were for bigger power 400hp+ from the US - something I didn't need, nor had the money for.
The obvious "feature" of my ST is the wrap. It's 3M's Satin Flip Volcanic Flare. I loved the flake in the OEM Tangerine Scream but I wanted to stand out from the crowd a bit. It's not the kind of wrap i'd recommend to everyone though - stain effect wraps easily mark and attract dust. It's not a finish I'd recommend for a daily driver for sure!
Engine:
- Cobb Accessport - Stratified Tuned
- Cobb Intercooler + Hard Pipes
- Cobb Rear Motor Mount
- Turbosmart Recalculation Valve
- Custom Performance Engineering Cold Air Intake in Tangerine Scream
- PumaSpeed Short Shift Swing Arm
- Boomba Racing Shifter Bushings
- Boomba Racing Intake Manifold and Throttle Body Spacers
- Mishimoto Coolant Tank
- Tangerine Scream Silicone Hoses - Pro Hoses
- Carbon Fibre Skinned Battery Cover and Fuse Cover
- Majestic Performance Oil Catch Can
- NB Styling Bonnet Struts
- Velossa Tech Big Mouth
- Dark Ice Designs Engine Dress Up Kit
- Custom Turbo-Back 3" Exhaust to 4" Tips
- Cobb Exhaust Hangers
- Quaife Limited Slip Differential
Wheels:
- Niche Misano Satin Black - 19 x 8.5 x 40
- Satin Black Gorilla Locking Wheel Nuts
- ST Suspensions 20mm Wheel Spacers
Suspension and Brakes:
- DBA T2 Brake Discs
- EBC Red Stuff Brake Pads
- Hell Braided Brake Lines
- OEM Brake Calipers Painted Gold
- BC Racing BR Coilovers
- Michelin Pilot Sports 4S Tyres
Exterior:
- Wrapped in 3M Satin Flip Volcanic Flare
- Custom Headlights by Monkey Wrench Bespoke
- Custom Light Up ST Grille Logo by Monkey Wrench Bespoke
- Gel Badges by Gel Badges Australia
- Body Kit by SS-Tuning - Front Splitter, Side Skirts, 20mm Fender Flares, Rear Diffuser
- Delta Styling S-RR Spoiler (Double Carbon Fibre Blades)
- Kaylan Mudflaps - Performance Creations UK
- Shark Fin Aerial - Visual Garage
Interior:
- SS-Tuning Carbon Fibre Steering Wheel, Carbon Fibre Handbrake, Carbon Fibre Gear Knob
- Custom NJ Devils Gauge Background Plates
- Pioneer MVH-Z5050BT Head Unit with AERPRO Fascia
Protection:
- Wrap Ceramic Coated with Kamikaze Collection's Film Surface Coat
- Wheels Ceramic Coated with Kamikaze Collection's Stance Rim Coat
- Glass Ceramic Coated with Kamikaze Collection's Intenso Window Coat
I've done some of the work myself. When I bought the car new, I had never changed the oil in a car so the bits I have done on my ST has been by a steep learning curve.
- Exhaust - Custom Exhaust Specialists - Perth, Western Australia
- General Mechanics - Perth Performance Parts - Perth, Western Australia
- Gel Badges - Gel Badges Australia - Perth, Western Australia
- Servicing/MOT/Parts Fitting - BRC Performance - Ashford, Kent
- Wrap supplied by Bosho Industries - Perth, Western Australia
- Wrap Installed by Jon Quantico - Perth, Western Australia
- Custom Headlights - Monkey Wrench Bespoke - Chesterfield, Derbyshire
- Detailing - Alchemy Automotive Detailing - Perth, Western Australia
Future Plans
There are a couple of mods in mind - potentially world firsts but they're rather tricky so are taking some time.
I don't drive the car enough (weekend car) to warrant going big turbo so for now, I think I'm at a stage where I can enjoy the car.
I'm part of various Facebook groups some as an admin/moderator role and others as an enthusiast.
Some of my favourite groups include:
and the group that started my relationship with the car community - WA 5 Pots and EcoBoost 4s
Being in a Community
I've made some great friends in these groups and love to pass on experiences/advice I've picked up over the years from working on my ST.
I like to see what others are doing with their cars. Not everything is to my taste but I can appreciate the hard work and passion that might have gone into that modification.
Being able to pass on things I've learnt from working on my car to others is something I enjoy. Giving recommendations, helping others and seeing creations come to life is a great feeling.
Dream Car
Interestingly, I saw my dream car up for sale recently - a Merlin Purple Audi RS6. After a lot of to and fro, I decided the timing wasn't right and that particular car was not best suited for my needs. Maybe I'll revisit it in the future!
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