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It's Ford v Ferrari in Focus ST and 488 Pista Drag Race – The Winner Takes It All

One might not think much about this Ford Focus Mk2 upon seeing it, though they wouldn’t be able to call themselves true petrolheads. That’s because it is in the ST configuration.
Ford Focus ST vs. Ferrari 488 Pista 8 photos
Photo: Screenshot Youtube | cvdzijden
Ford Focus ST vs. Ferrari 488 PistaFord Focus ST vs. Ferrari 488 PistaFord Focus ST vs. Ferrari 488 PistaFord Focus ST vs. Ferrari 488 PistaFord Focus ST vs. Ferrari 488 PistaFord Focus ST vs. Ferrari 488 PistaFord Focus ST vs. Ferrari 488 Pista
A hot hatch, and a really good one for that matter, that’s fun to drive not only in a straight line, but on twisty roads too, the Ford Focus ST in question wanted to prove its worth in a half-mile race, from a standing start, against something that sits in a superior league.

In the red corner, we have the mighty Ferrari 488 Pista. This previous-generation Italian supercar is very fast, with the 0 to 62 mph (0-100 kph) sprint taking only 2.85 seconds and a top speed in excess of 211 mph (340 kph). Mounted behind the seats is a twin-turbocharged 3.9-liter V8 that develops 710 hp and 568 lb-ft (770 Nm) of torque.

As for its ad-hoc rival on that day, it is way slower, with 6.8 seconds required to hit the 62 mph (100 kph) mark from a standstill and a top speed of ‘only’ 150 mph (241 kph). The Focus ST, from the second generation, uses a 2.5-liter unit that develops 222 hp and 236 lb-ft (320 Nm) of torque. As for the RS of the same era, it came with 301 hp, taking 5.9 seconds to 62 mph, whereas the RS500 was even punchier and quicker, with 345 hp and 5.6 seconds from 0 to 62 mph.

Now, the question that truly matters here is the following: is this white copy tuned? At first glance, that would be a no, as almost everything looks stock, and that is always a good thing, as we could be looking at a wolf in sheep’s clothing. But is that really the case? You know what to do to find out.

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About the author: Cristian Gnaticov
Cristian Gnaticov profile photo

After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s.
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