We think that the Ford Focus RS has everything it needs to become a classic car, from unique technology to rarity. So we’d better get all the outrageous conversions out of the way before the purists are armed with pitchforks. Conversions like the one proposed here by a renowned rendering artist, who wants the Focus RS to become a Mazda, powered by a rotary engine and modified with a widebody kit from a famous RX-7 tuner.
In case you haven’t figured it out already, this is a rendering by The Kyza, Khyzyl Saleem. It’s easily good enough for the Hagerty show he used to have and it actually makes a lot of sense… maybe except for the rotary engine swap. That’s just for show!
In case you forgot, Ford has a rich history in the hot hatch world. It’s built cars that are almost as insane as this rendering, such as the Escort RS Cosworth, and it’s also linked with a bunch of other automakers.
For example, there used to be a sports sedan called the Mondeo ST220, powered by a 3.0L V6. Put two of those together and you have an Aston Martin V12. The old Focus RS, the one before this, had a 2.5-liter five-cylinder turbo, basically a Volvo engine.
Do you want a Japanese connection?
Ford owned a Mazda stock since 1979. And by 1995, it owned over 33% of the Japanese automaker. Ever wondered why the EcoBoost used by the Mustang and current Focus ST is a 2.3-liter and the Mazdaspeed3 also had a 2.3-liter turbo?
They’re actually the exact same displacement at 2,261cc, but precisely why that is often gets overlooked. Mazda were the ones who developed the L-series engine, this being their L3-VDT. And both the 2.3-liter EcoBoost and its smaller brother the 2.0 EcoBoost use the same block. However, Ford made its own heads and variable valve timing system. Mazda actually stopped using the L engine when it switched to Skyactiv-G, while Ford still has the basic architecture.
The Focus RS featured unique AWD technology. While it was still a normal compact car layout, a lot of the torque could be sent to the rear, which allowed the car to drift to a degree. However, Kyza is suggesting a full powertrain swap here, with the rear tires being powered by a rotary engine, which would probably require a longitudinal mount.
It’s not like this hasn’t happened, since many extreme drift cars have 4-rotor swaps. There’s plenty of room under the hood, since these motors are compact. But it doesn’t feel natural to imagine a Ford powered by Mazda’s legendary dentist drill.
To help that transition a little, Kyza has given the Focus RS a body kit from the most famous rotary car, the RX-7. Specifically, this is the world-famous RE Amemiya package. It’s obviously just inspired by and not an actual RX-7 design. But from the way the bumper cuts off, you get a general idea.
The company was founded by Isami Amemiya and the RE stands for Rotary Engine. You may have heard about them from Keiichi Tsuchiya Touge videos or the Japanese Super GT series. We’ve got a story on a custom yellow FD3S Mazda RX-7 where we talk about RE Amemiya’s racing history. Also, Kyza did an Amemiya conversion for his favorite American sports car, the Corvette.
