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Today’s the huuuge car show at Markham Park, hosted by Cultured Alliance! Big turnout with a wide variety of cars, including classic American Muscle, JDM, classic JDM, and some European cars!

 

After arriving at Curated for their Cars and Coffee event, David and Nick check out some of the rarest cars on display in their showroom as well as some of the attendee’s cars!

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[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6-bxksA3cA[/embedyt]

Today I drive my friend Nick’s Ford Focus RS to Curated, where they’re having a Cars and Coffee style exotic car event. Along the way with some shenanigans mixed in, we try to answer the question: Is this all the car you really need?

Acceleration 6/10

Acceleration is pretty quick for a hot hatch, and launch control is incredibly fun for a car of this class.  345 HP is plenty for daily use and on track, but once you’ve driven some cars with over 450 HP, 345 doesn’t feel like it would pull like a freight train. However, this is easily remedied by some aftermarket parts, with people pushing well over 400 HP to the wheels! Hopefully I can get one to test.

Handling N/A

Unlike many other BS tests by automotive journalists, we will not measure handling on the road. To do so would be extremely dangerous and foolish as you’d have to drive like a complete idiot to get anywhere near the limit on a public road. We’ll reserve handling tests for when we can take the car to a track, because it is impossible to get a true feel for a car’s handling on a public road.

Drivability 8/10

When you’re not driving like a bat out of hell, the Focus RS drives like, well, a Focus. It’s calm, relaxed, comfortable, and doesn’t try to bite your head off.

Technology 7/10

The Focus RS can be optioned with some good tech like Ford’s awesome Sync 3 system, and has all the usual stuff like Bluetooth Audio, Navigation, keyless entry and start, and all the goodies. It doesn’t have the latest gadgets like Adaptive Cruise Control and Rain Sensing Wipers, but the adjustable traction control system couple with AWD makes for some interesting driving dynamics, including that famed Drift Mode. You can also get it with a Sony sound system, which sounds great with some good tunes.

Styling 7/10

The Focus RS is a Focus, so it retains it’s base car’s conservative styling, however the aggressive front bumper, rear wing, and bright Nitrous Blue paint job give it a “boy racer” look. However it isn’t so outlandish that everyone within a 1/8th-mile radius thinks you’re some kind of ricer with a souped-up single-cam Civic. Drive it normally and most people standing on the side of the road don’t bother to even look at you, you’re invisible to them. You’re driving a Focus. An everyday car. Drop a few gears and start weaving through traffic like a madman, and the car’s styling definitely won’t help you. How this car is perceived is based upon how it’s being driven.

Practicality 10/10

It’s a five-door hatchback. Got kids? No problem. Got dogs? Put the back seats down, it’s fine. The car isn’t incredibly low either, so you won’t have a problem clearing speed bumps.

Comfort 7/10

The seats are comfortable, even with the heavy bolstering. It isn’t jarring, but there is plenty of cushion for your ass. However, the ride is quite stiff since this is a performance car, and in Sport and Track modes the suspension gets even stiffer. It isn’t so stiff that it’s a dealbreaker, but driving around the rough Miami roads isn’t the most pleasant experience.

Reliability 8/10

This car would normally get a 10/10, seeing as it’s a brand-new car from one of the world’s top auto manufacturers, but recent issues with headgaskets on completely stock cars knock it down a few points. Although I’m not 100% sure of what Ford’s stance is on the issues, hopefully they will be resolved soon!

Quality 7/10

Interior quality is good for this price point. There’s soft-touch materials where you’d normally touch, but some parts have a hard plasticky feel. However, assembly is good and on par with my Mustang, so it’s what I would expect for a $35,000 sporty hot hatch.

Value 6/10

The Focus RS is a pretty decent car from a value standpoint, it’s a do-everything car with plenty of performance, space, look-at-me styling, and it’s plenty practical for daily use. This car should hold it’s value fairly well and I don’t expect depreciation to hit it like a brick, so I gave it a slightly above average score.

 

Right after Supercar Saturday I hopped right in the car and drove 2 hours to the historic Sebring International Raceway, where the Cultured Alliance crew were hosting their huge annual show The Face Off, which this year features TWO drift tracks, drag racing, and a massive car show in the middle of it all. Enjoy.

 

Today’s video has some special cars in it, starting with the SSC Ultimate Aero being driven by Elo from Supercar Rooms! This car was at one point the fastest car in the world with a tested top speed of 257.41 MPH from it’s twin-turbo V8, producing 1287 BHP. It’s a monster, and this man drive it to the show in the rain. Bravo. Another beauty, @doctam3’s new Huracan Performante, gets revealed later in the video.

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Perseverance is the driving force behind passion. Searching for the last little bit of horsepower. Finding the best line to take on a racetrack. Involving yourself in a billion-dollar corporation’s marketing scheme to get you into their restaurant. Some things are worth the hustle. Others are not.

Just before I decided to embark on the journey to Parkhaus1, South Florida’s premiere facility for classic and modern Porsches, I decided to stop at a few local McDonald’s in search of the fabled Szechuan Sauce. This famous condiment was featured briefly in some McDonald’s restaurants as a tie-in with the release of Disney’s then-new movie, Mulan. Recently, the television show Rick and Morty featured an episode where they entered a dimension where it was always 1999, and the sauce notoriously gained a cult following. I, being an avid fan of this television series, was keenly interested in this sauce, as I had missed out on it during it’s heyday. McDonald’s, hot on the heels of this sudden interest in the sauce, decided to re-release the sauce at some of their restaurants for one day only.

This is my story.

 

Despite the coming hurricane we will be having our doors open and normal hours until the end of day on Friday. Orders will continue to ship out. We will be open on Monday as well, provided that there is power and the roads are safe. The #FLF240 will be up on jackstands with the electronics removed to prevent any serious damage. If the interior gets wet, that’ll just make it easier to justify the roll cage upgrade!

We’re gonna hunker down with a few bags of Cheetos, Lunchables, and water, stay safe everyone!