FOCUS ST250 DAN

Dan shows the hard-worked ST250 some love with a full detailing session…

The Focus is performing daily duties admirably, and Dan's even decided to treat it to a full valet too.

Make no mistake: this car is adored. It’s fast, it’s fun, and it’s without doubt the finest front-wheel-drive machine I’ve ever owned.

Yet, living on a farm and being tasked with transporting three springer spaniels around the north of England, it’s fair to say the Fondeo appears unloved. In fact, it looks neglected.

So when MoT time came around again, and again the ST250 passed without a hitch (Alright! Don’t rub it in – Jamie), I realised it was two years since the car had been treated to a thorough clean. Washed and polished, yes, but valeted…? Never.

And that’s when Sinbad at EKJ Auto Valet came to the rescue. Despite visiting my house in a VW van, Sinbad is Blue Oval to the core – he’s not only owned stacks of modified fast Fords, it just so happens that he was the previous custodian of my threedoor Sierra Cosworth. His heart, and his passion, is for keeping our precious motors looking their best.

For the Fondeo, Sinbad started by taking photos of the filth… Twigs in the roof gutters, dog prints all over the Recaros, a small garden growing under the bonnet.

His next move was a soaking with snow foam, followed by a good ol’ wash, rinse and dry. The engine bay – which I hadn’t bothered to notice since fitting the Steeda CAIS in 2017 – was treated to the spruce-up it deserves; and all of a sudden, the ST’s Ecoboost was smiling.

Inside, the Fondeo was vacced, de-doggysmelled and had its leather caressed. Then it was time for Sinbad to select something to buff the bodywork. Now, I won’t trouble you with the makes of each and every product he used (mainly because I wasn’t paying attention) but let’s just say the drablooking estate I’d unlocked that morning had morphed into the eye-popping Spirit Blue ST you see in these pics.

A few days later it was on display at Ultimate Ford Show, and by the end of the following week a layer of dust and farm-dirt had smeared itself over the bodywork. Still, at least I know who to call…

Looking good as new! How long will it stay that way? Not very, given how much Dan loves driving the ST QUICK SPEC Peron / AET Motorsport stage one remap ■ Steeda cold air inlet system ■ H&R 25mm lowering springs ■ Steeda short-shifter and bracket ■ Powerflex Handling Kit ■ H&R 20mm wheel spacers ■ Focus RS Brembo callipers ■ EBC USR discs ■ EBC Bluestuff front pads/Yellowstuff rear pads ■ EBC braided brake lines Sinbad's clearly passionate about cleaning cars. You'd never see Dan this happy while washing a car!