News: Diesel-engined Ford Focus ST to be revealed at Goodwood Festival of Speed

BOY RACERS on a budget take note: an updated version of the Ford Focus ST will make its debut this Friday, June 27 at the 2014 Goodwood Festival of Speed – and for the first time ever there is a diesel-powered version.

Driving will post all details of the revised hot hatch on Friday, but the new ST is expected to use a modified version of the existing 247bhp 2-litre EcoBoost petrol engine or a 182bhp 2-litre TDCi diesel in the fast but frugal version. The diesel is said to manage 0-62mph in 8 seconds but emit just 114g/km of CO2 – that puts it in VED band C, making road tax free for the first year and £30 per year thereafter.

The 2014 Ford Focus ST will also feature updates applied to the standard Focus range earlier this year, such as a revised front end design, new suspension and the Sync 2 colour touch screen infotainment system.

The new range will be available to view on the Ford stand and will be demonstrated at speed by professional drivers – including a former Stig – in runs up the famous hillclimb course. Ben Collins, formerly the Stig of BBC Top Gear, will be racing the car in real time against a computer game player.

Ford and Sony Computer Entertainment will stage a “virtual vs real” race on the Focus ST’s first run each day.  A gamer situated on the Ford stand will be hooked up to the Goodwood course on Gran Turismo 6 in a real time race against Ben Collins. In December last year Driving.co.uk experienced first-hand just how accurate the latest Gran Turismo can be with a real vs virtual lap of the Ascari Circuit in a Mercedes SLS AMG GT.

First launched in 2002, Ford has now sold more than 140,000 Focus ST models in over 40 countries. The new range is expected to go on sale in the UK later this summer.

Search for and buy a used Ford Focus ST on driving.co.uk