This GT-R-Powered Ford Focus Will Tackle The Pikes Peak Hillclimb

Manufacturers are gearing up to enter thePikes Peak Hillclimbnext month. The event is known for featuring one of the most challenging circuits in the world, as drivers tackle 12 unforgiving miles of winding roads, surface changes and high altitudes. To cope with the demanding conditions, cars entering the event represent some of the most extreme racing machines on the planet, such as Sebastien Loeb's purpose-build Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak which currently holds the hillclimb lap record. Ford's latest entry for the competition is suitably ferocious.

This custom-built tube-frame Focus is the creation of Targa Tasmania driver Tony Quinn and Australian race shop Pace Innovations, and shows that Ford means business. Branding it as a Focus seems misleading though, since the only trace of the original production hatchback is the windshield and A-pillars. Power comes from a 3.8-liter twin-turbo V6 from a Nissan GT-R which produces a whopping 850-hp and 720 lb-ft of torque. It sits in the middle of the car behind the driver for better balance, and is connected to a four-wheel drive system and bespoke race suspension to tackle the unforgiving terrain.