02 Nov 06
As an adolescent male, I found it difficult to understand the allure of the Spice Girls. While the attraction of Baywatch's Erika Eleniak was self-evident, the Spice Girls looked like refugees from my school disco.
It wasn't until my early 20s that I began to understand that the Spice Girls were successful precisely because they weren't fantastic. You could never imagine turning up at your local boozer with Eleniak on your arm, but you could almost imagine pulling Posh at a foam party.
The Ford Focus ST is automotive equivalent of the Spice Girls. For most of us who don't kick a football for a living, a supercar will always be otherworldly car porn. But a surgically enhanced version of the UK's best selling car is both aspirational and obtainable, which explains its popularity. This year's production is sold out; my new car is one of over 7400 that have been delivered since it was launched a year ago.
Ford's original plan for the ST brand was that it would cater to conservative types who wanted a sporting car but weren't prepared to compromise on comfort or convenience. The RS ('Rally Sport') would satiate the desires of the hair-shirted enthusiasts. Like the original Focus RS, it would be raw, challenging and not to all tastes. But Ford's ridiculous decision to cancel the RS models has left the ST as the solitary performance product. This Focus must therefore be all things to all men, which is no easy task.
Its styling reflects this. Those who opt for a dark colour receive a car that's subdued and understated, but those opting for stick-on stripes and/or a lurid paint scheme have signed up for a chav-tastic look. Being a child of Doncaster, I had to choose the 'electric orange' ST: Ginger Spice made metal.
