Turn on, tune in

Spin in soupedup ST is one to torque about

- COLIN GOODWIN

We are testing the Ford Focus ST here. Well, not quite. The car is actually a tuned Focus ST, built by a company in Essex called Mountune.

It’s a legendary outfit set up in 1980 by a bloke called David Mountain which originally tuned Mini engines.

In the late 80s the firm started tuning the Ford Cosworth engine as fitted to the iconic Sierra Cosworth.

And ever since, Mountune has been building racing engines for Ford, Audi, Subaru and others. But it hasn’t always been about racing at Mountune. For years the company has been sanctioned by Ford to tune its performance road models, with the carmaker on occasion offering Mountune tuned and badged models through its dealer network.

We’ve tested a few Fiesta ST and Focus Mountunes over the years.

This week we revisit the Brentwood home of Mountune for a quick go in its latest offering: the Focus ST M365.

It’s name is a giveaway for what’s lurking under the bonnet – an engine with 365PS and 560Nm of torque.