Autosport Show 2017 Review
The Autosport International Show is always the first major event of the year which gives manufacturers and tuners a chance to showcase their hard work over the winterperiod Keen to keep up to date with the latest Mk3 Focus RS offerings I headed to Birmingham NEC to see what could be added to my ever growing shopping list.
The Autosport Show
The show has 200 exhibitors with a great mix of aftermarket parts, tuners, motorsport cars, live shows and a lot more. With the Mk3 Focus RS being the car of the moment I was hoping there would be healthy offerings of go faster and styling bits. Overall there was a decent selection on display however many manufacturers have still a lot of really quality parts still being developed so overall 2017 is going to be a great year for the car so start saving the pennies!
New Mk3 Focus RS Parts
It is always worthwhile attending shows like Autosport International as it gives a great opportunity to speak to the people actually designing and developing the new parts, this gives real insight into they various stages of reasearch and development it takes to launch aftermarket upgrades. In addition there no better way to get a chance to have a proper look and feel of the parts before parting with your hard earned cash.
The first Mk3 RS part to catch my eye was the Remus cat back exhaust which are manufactured in Austria where they go through rigorous research and development, they even have their own dyno with sound chamber allowing them to tailor the exact tone of the exhaust to their specification. The shot blasted steel gave a much more OE look than the normal stainless steel. While this upgrade doesn’t give massive power gains (1.8hp/11.5Nm) it wins not only on the sound but also on weight saving with a 6.6kg reduction over the standard system.
I think suspension systems will start coming thick and fast this year. Due to the dynamic system in the car it does take a bit more work for engineers. We already have a few coilover packages out for the Focus RS Mk3 including KW, Whiteline and JRZ. Ohlins will be coming out probably by middle of the year with their Road and Track model giving 25 ‘good’ clicks of adjustment. At this stage I am led to believe their system will have a cancellation kit which will lose the ability to alter suspension settings from the stalk where owners will use the dial at the top of the strut.
I managed to get a chat with Bilstein who are also busy back at the workshop developing a brand new uprated system that I am sure will be very popular amongst owners as their system will maintain the dynamic settings but will be a much better quality damper. Put me down for a set please!
For power hungry Focus RS owners that want to go north of 400bhp a clutch will need to put on your shopping list. Xtreme Clutches from Australia already have two versions; an organic version for street use or the heavier duty twin plate to even more power and aimed at the owners who like to go track racing.
Xpel Paint Protection Film guys were also in attendance and enjoyed having a chat about the latest in technology of PPF. They are offering new films to keep your paint work looking A1. We are busy discussing possiblities of some group buys on PPF as it is an expensive process but a worthwhile investment to keep your RS in the best condition possible.
If it’s more braking power you are looking for British manufacturer EBC have just launched some new upgrades for the Mk3 Focus RS in the shape of stainless steel hoses, uprated pads for street and track plus new big brake kits.
One of the busiest stands of the day was Quaife who are a market leading high performance transmission specialist. Quaife are of course who designed and made the Mountune front differential upgrade for the Mk3 Focus RS. This upgrade was originally designed to be in the OE car but unfortunately as alot of nice to have parts are didn’t make the standard car but with the vast R&D put into this diff it is a very worthwhile upgrade. Quaife have also been been designing a new sequential 5 speed gearbox yes that’s right a sequential gearbox (dreams do come true!). This will be released in a few months as a complete box as the bell housing needs to be modified. Start saving now as the box will set you back £5250+VAT but think of the fun, the noise and performance gains you will get from it. I know it’s on my shopping list from Santa this year.
The Rest of the Show
Other than seeking out all the RS related news it was great to wander around getting up close and personal with supercars, F1 cars, motorsport celebrities, BTCC cars and so much more. I will let the photos and video do the talking. All in all a great show and worthwhile trip, sure it gives lots of owners plenty of ideas to start modifiying the cars in time for show season in a few months.
