The original Focus: Part two

Just days after stealing the limelight at the Turin show, the Focus arrived on Turin’s Via Panoramica, a twisty piece of two-lane blacktop that’s so challenging motorbikes are banned. I was about to discover if the Focus was more than just a pretty face. Given the normal constraints of a one-off concept car, the Ghia Focus drove astonishingly well. Importantly, the structure felt rigid and durable.

The Escort Cosworth underpinnings ensured quick, pin-sharp steering accuracy and real agility, so it came across as one of those desirable cars that reacts simultaneously to the driver’s thought processes. Even with the concept’s tired 220bhp Sierra-spec engine, the Focus felt quick, the gear change lighter, shorter and more precise than the Escort’s. What was also obvious was the need for more suspension travel and suppleness. Yet, the driving still delivered sufficient pleasure to (almost) match Lahti’s fantastic shape.