benzondubs – it’s a name you may have heard before, in reference to the vinyl accent that some Mk3 Focus owners apply to their front grilles. It has seen an increase in popularity recently as it looks really rather good and costs next to nothing. How did it get the name though, you ask?

It’s called the benzondubs stripe because of the screenname of the person who did it first. That person is Paul, and the green accent you see on his grille is the original benzondubs stripe.

Paul’s car has been seen on the blog before – as recently as last week when I posted about a mini-meet that he, Dominic, and myself had – but today its receives a post solely devoted to it.

While we were having said mini-meet, I asked Paul if he’d like some photos taken of just his car. We usually get to meet up only a couple of times each year (he lives in Edmonton whereas I live in Calgary) and typically without much advance notice. Since we didn’t know when we’d next get a chance to hang out, I figured I should grab some photos of his car then and there.

Paul’s 2013 Focus SE Black Pack

Along with the benzondubs stripe, one of the most distinctive features of Paul’s car are his custom headlights which have been retrofitted with LED DRL inserts and Morimoto HID projectors.

Paul has paid attention to the car’s performance (and sound) as well, and the custom exhaust work is often one of the first things people notice. The stock muffler was replaced with a Magnaflow piece and runs to two tips which double as a nice visual update.

For additional power the car has also received a Steeda intake (which is fed with fresh air by a custom snorkel) and custom SCT tune, and the stock rear motor mount was swapped out for a stiffer replacement.

The suspension has been addressed too, with the car being lowered on Eibach’s Pro Kit springs. During the summer months it wears white OEM ST wheels, but being winter it’s currently back on the stock 17″ Black Pack wheels – though Paul did personalize them to tie in with the car’s colour scheme.

Regardless of season though, the car sports custom oversized mudflaps as well as 20mm and 25mm H&R spacers.

Moving back to the exterior of the car, the windows have been tinted and the rear wing (the stock Black Pack part) has been raised with custom wing risers.

Some of the more subtle changes include paint-matched lower trim (front bumper trim, side skirts, and rear valance), an EZ-lip front lip, and custom side splitters. An additional green accent comes in the form of a custom SE emblem Paul made for the upper grille.

Another example of a car that was supposed to stay stock but didn’t, Paul’s Black Pack has become quite recognizable in the Mk3 community and will continue to progress this year. Apparently the engine will be receiving more attention, with one of the new parts being an aftermarket header. Perhaps the next time we have a chance to meet up I’ll get to hear that in person, and we can go disrupt the peace together.

-Bill