With a dyno-proven 1010bhp, Grant Butler’s show-stopping Mk2 was the world’s first Focus RS to break into four-digit power figures. Now, for the first time in years, see the return of the first 1000bhp+ Focus RS Mk2 in the world at Ford Fair this August! Here’s the original feature from 2018.
Man has always had a desire to be the first at things. Whether it’s landing on the moon, flying around the world or simply getting to the bar on a busy Friday night; being first matters. It’s in our DNA (probably hard wired from the days when we lived in caves.) So it’s no surprise that in the Ford world, there’s an innate desire to be the first: the first to own the latest RS model, the first to fit a new set of wheels, the first to have a 1000bhp Focus RS.
But Grant Butler didn’t set out to achieve a world first…
Having owned a few non-Fords since his previous Focus ST was featured in 2010, Grant decided he needed to get back into a Blue Oval and began looking for a car. What followed was a rebuild journey like no other—and now, for the first time in years, his wild 1010bhp Focus RS is coming back out of hiding and making its exclusive return at Ford Fair. Catch it live at Silverstone on Sunday, August 11.
A £13k Gamble That Paid Off
“I booked a flight down to London to go and see Quaife’s demo Focus RS,” says Grant. But then something interesting happened: “I got an alert on my phone for another RS that was for sale for £13,500, also in London – £13k less than the one I was going to buy.” Having called the owner and with a good deal of scepticism, Grant took a gamble and agreed to meet him at the airport. “It turned out it was a Cat D, stolen recovered, but it had all the documents and checks.”
He continues: “It needed a few bits and bobs tidying up, but it was a solid, honest RS. We went to his house, but as he reversed in, he clipped a rock and ruined the rear bumper! Straight off, I saw this as a bargaining tool, as I already had a replacement at home.”
A bit of negotiation followed and Grant got the Focus RS for just £12,000 – around half the price he’d been ready to pay for the other one a few hours earlier. With a big smile on his face, he drove back up to Scotland, where the mods began the very next day.
Going Purple: Building the RS Ford Never Made
“I’d already started collecting parts, so I fitted a Milltek Sport exhaust system with a high-flow downpipe and de-cat.” With an Auto Specialists induction kit, the 2.5 now made a proper five-cylinder growl.
With thirteen-grand burning a hole in his pocket, Grant had soon booked the RS in for a full re-spray. “I’d always wanted a purple Focus RS, a colour I thought Ford should have made from the start. So we ordered the paint direct from House of Kolor in the US – a unique Kandy Purple pearl at the cost of £1400 for the paint alone!” he laughs. It required two black base coats, followed by four coats of Kandy Purple, then four further coats of lacquer, but the finish is flawless.
Having already fitted some 20in BBS alloys, Grant decided to mix things up by changing them for a set of Volan wheels from a Jaguar XF. “One of my favourite mods was when they were painted Hyper white to make the purple really pop out,” he says.
OEM-Plus Styling and Interior Craftmanship
With the bodywork and wheels looking on the money, Grant turned his attention to the rest of the exterior details. “I wanted to make it look like it’d come from Ford as a special edition,” he comments. A custom bonnet was created using Sierra Sapphire 4×4 vents along with a ‘U’-duct cut into the bonnet for cooling: “I knew I was going to need it for the plans I had.”
All of the plastics were done in piano black and the tailgate flushed and tucked to accommodate the shorter personal plate. The front bumper also had the bar that runs through the centre removed for a more aggressive look. Then it was time for the first bit of engine work, which entailed a GI Motorsport RS420 set-up. “The car was great at that point, with mega power and so much fun to drive!”
At this stage Grant was happy with the performance so turned his attention to the interior, where he really went to town!
“I took it to Optimus Automotive in Glasgow and they trimmed everything in black nappa leather with purple stitching and logos to match the paint.” Literally everything has been lovingly covered including the dash, door cards all pillars, parcel shelf and steering wheel. The seats deserve a special mention, as they’re finished in an Escort Cosworth-inspired hexagon stitch, which looks fantastic. Grant wasn’t done yet though…
“Watching all the RSs on the scene I knew I had to be different and with everyone pushing the boundaries of the five-pot engine I knew it would have to be something that no one else had done!” he smiles.
Going All In: From Big Turbo to Big Trouble
Having already bagged a set of truly epic brakes – 410mm front discs gripped by eight-pot calipers and 365mm with six-pots on the rear – Grant was ready for mega-power.
“I spoke to Andy and Lee at Devil Developments and with Lee having built the fastest Mk2 RS in the world, I knew we’d have a great car at the end of it,” smiles Grant. And so the transformation began.
“My first purchase was the biggest turbo that Borg Warner made in their EFR range which was the EFR9180.” This monstrous unit is packed with features, but it was a tad large for the Focus’s engine bay. “It was never going to fit in the original spot behind the engine so a lot of work went into building a custom, ‘side-winder’ exhaust manifold to place it where the battery used to sit,” says Grant. Meercat Exhausts were tasked with fabricating this bespoke item and a few weeks later produced the stunning, equal length manifold. Next came a custom exhaust system including a 115mm high-flow downpipe leading into a full 115mm system right to the rear silencers. Huge, 5.5in slash-cut tailpipes were then added.
With forged rods and pistons, Anembo plenum and 1000cc injectors, the RS made 834bhp on Syvecs management – the highest powered Mk2 at that time. But then disaster struck. “I was pushing an Audi RS6 down the motorway on the way back from Crail, when the engine let go,” says Grant. “At 2.3bar the head lifted and it nuked pistons one and five to the point they dripped alloy onto the rods!” The inadequate head bolts were to blame and Grant was left with a wrecked engine.
Breaking Records: The First 1000bhp Mk2 RS
“I was ready to take the cut-off saw right down the car and sell it off in bits after the engine blew, but my wife Suzie persuaded me to rebuild it.” With fresh motivation, the project was soon back on track. “I set my sights set on being the first road going Focus RS over 1000bhp after another RS pushed past my 834 and hit 856bhp,” he smiles.
So, Lee at Devil Developments began work on spec’ing a bombproof engine. The highlights include a big-valve, flowed head with Stage 3 cams, a super-strong linered block, pinned and braced bottom end, together with a billet crank, I-beam rods and oversized pistons. Every nut was changed for ARP kit to hold it all together under immense pressure; all assembled by Andy at GI in Scotland.
After being run-in (off-boost) for 1000 miles, some custom 2000c injectors were fitted, before the oil was changed ready for the mapping. Lee travelled up to Dyna-tune in East Kilbride where a whole day was spent on their hub dyno, which initially saw 760bhp at the hubs. “Lee knew I wanted to be the first over the line to hit the 1000bhp mark,” says Grant. “He mapped and mapped and mapped and, with E85 fuel, it hit the massive figure of 1010bhp at the flywheel (918bhp at the hubs) and 870lb.ft. I was delighted – we all were,” smiles Grant.
So what does a 1010bhp Focus RS feel like to drive?
“It drives brilliantly round town off-boost, and is awesome on fuel,” comments Grant. “Sink your right boot though and it feels like you’ve just had a bomb go off in the boot, pinning you into your seat!” He continues: “The boost just keeps on building; it’s like it’s never going to stop.” But it isn’t uncontrollable – the Syvecs management sees to that. “It comes in at 3,500rpm and there’s full boost from 4,000rpm to past 7,000rpm.” Grant runs 2.8bar for the full-fat, 1010bhp in his Focus RS, but for day-to-day use it’s pulled back a tad to 750bhp at 2.3bar. “It’s more than enough to spank all the cars round my way though,” laughs Grant.
“With so many RS owners now wanting to hit that 1000bhp I know it will only be a matter of time before that figure is beaten, but they’ll never be the first to break the 1000bhp mark and that’s all I wanted – you always remember the first!” he smiles.
And now you can see the return of Grant’s 1010bhp Focus RS Mk2 at Ford Fair this August 11th. Hit the buttons below to find out more.
Words: Davy Lewis. Photos: Ade Brannan.
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