Today’s post is a smaller one but pays attention to some details of Mario’s ST which haven’t been highlighted yet. Obviously the car has seen some big changes – air suspension, multiple sets of wheels, a wrapped roof, and so on – but that doesn’t mean the details have been overlooked. Big updates are great of course but it’s when the smaller pieces are paid attention to as well that a car really comes together.

Wheels aside, the ST has a red and black theme going and Mario decided to carry that over to the emblems. He picked up a set of DMB gel overlays (he had good timing too, as they stopped producing these not too long after he got his) to hide the blue and chrome of the OEM Ford logo. By themselves they looked good against the red paint, but they still left the outermost chrome visible. A quick going over with some plastidip-like spray took care of that and completed the chrome coverup.

Being an ST however there was also the grille’s emblem up front. It comes from the factory with a red insert but rocks had chipped it so he went a slightly different route. Once the remains of the red were removed (to give a smooth surface to work with) the recessed area was covered in Super Mario duct tape. I realize I just noted the car’s general red and black theme and that this goes against it, but then again so do the wheels.

Giving the back of the car some attention too (along with another gel overlay for the rear emblem), Mario ditched the factory clear third brake light. In its place now is an OEM Fiesta ST third brake light, which is red to match the car’s paint. Non-ST Mk3 hatchbacks (save for those with the Black Pack option) come with red third brake lights too, so why didn’t he use one of those? They actually won’t work. Not quite. Due to the different wing profiles, if a standard Focus’ light is installed in an ST wing, the built-in washer nozzle will be improperly aimed for the rear window; they’re at different angles in the ST and non-ST third brake lights. However, for some reason Ford let the Fiesta STs have a red light and the nozzle in them is aimed correctly for a Focus ST rear window, making it an alternative for owners who prefer red over clear.

With these pieces now highlighted, next to be looked at is a smaller detail that I know lots of people have been waiting for information on – the sedan’s front splitter. Next time!

-Bill