Neil Stickles' 2017 Ford Focus RS

We are introducing a new section of our blog called Spotlight. Our goal is to feature customers vehicles and shine a spotlight on their build. We are always excited to see where our products end up and how they are being used. Did you build a show car? A drift car? A time attack car? Is it bagged or static? You get to tell your story in the spotlight. Today we are featuring Neil and his 2017 Ford Focus RS. Neil, the stage is yours!

Hey Neil! Tell us a little about yourself and what you do for a living.

My name is Neil Stickles, MBA, strategic supply chain for a public utility.

Can you give us a little background on your car and why you bought it?

My journey started in 2007, after my Civic got stolen. I was still in college at the time and my parents were gracious of enough to help me buy another vehicle, on the condition that it wasn't another Honda (or anything that was a target for theft.) I discovered at the time that the 2005-2007 Ford Focus sedan was offered in a rare "ST" trim that was only available in the States, wasn't nearly as cool as the real ST that Europe and other markets had, but had a larger, 2.3L Duratec engine, and a bit of carry-over from the revered SVT Focus.

Fast forward to 2013 and after several years of dreaming, I was able to work with FSWerks in Anaheim, CA who offered (and still do, believe it or not) a bolt-on Garrett turbo kit for the Duratec platform. That was the chapter 1 of my "modified Ford Focus" story. Chapter 2 was then a 2014 Focus ST, fully spec'd out, which I quickly got to work on modifying front-to-back, and eventually upgraded the turbo to a Garrett GTX-series, tuned to run on an E85/91 (E30) blend. That car was a lot of fun.

Chapter 3 began in 2017 when I decided to upgrade to the Focus RS. Of course, I was one of those people who said the RS was good enough in stock form and vowed to God and country that I wasn't going to go down the rabbit hole of tuning and modifying hardware. Well, that lasted all of 30 days. Up to now, I've effectively done most of the conceivable bolt-on upgrades, tuned it to run on E30, track it as often as I can, but have also built it to be a relatively sane, compliant, and livable daily driver. I currently have no plans on ever getting rid of it. If the amount of joy the RS brings me isn't enough for me to keep it, the rarity factor of it certainly is.

Glad to hear you are loving your set up! Any future plans or goals for the RS?

A wish list item would be to get the Ohlins Road & Track coilover kit, which offers refined driving dynamics and feel for street and track use, without having to be slammed to the ground like most coilover kits tend to do. Roads in Southern California make it impossible go any lower or add aero bits that don't do much except add weight.

Nearly all of the modifications I've done are functional. For me, anything I do to the RS needs to add value on track and for street use. That being said, there's not much left I can do.

Nice! Is there anyone you'd like to mention or thank?

Peter Ontiveros (@tshirtdriving on Instagram and YouTube) a fellow enthusiast I met through San Diego ST/RS Owners who has become a great friend of mine, helps me with installations, and is always at the track with me. My girlfriend, Julia, who has always supported and encouraged my build and hobby. Let's be real; not all girlfriends can be that cool about a garage full of car parts.

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