The Focus was the small car that took Ford into the 21st century. Ford wanted to replicate the success of the Escort, which sold well around the world throughout the ’80s and ’90s. A few years before Ford settled on making the Focus its world car, the name graced a concept car in 1992.
The concept was called the Ford Focus Ghia and was shown at the 1992 Turin Auto Show – which sadly isn’t a thing anymore (it was canceled in 2020.) The concept was the brainchild of Ford designer Taru Lahti who penned the design at Ford’s Ghia design studio in Turin, Italy. The design of the car was more rolling art piece than vehicle, a sentiment echoed by Giorgetto Giugaro who reportedly praised the design.
Looking at this thing you do have to admit though it comes off as a bit strange at first. The front facia is fish-like. The lower front bumper has two large canard fins. A small Ford emblem is flanked by two small slots and above that are asymmetrical air intakes that look like nostrils set into a unique, curved hood. This is flanked by headlights that look a bit too small for the fascia, and almost echo what Ford did on the third generation Taurus.
There were wheels that wouldn’t look out of place on a fourth-gen Mustang, rounded side mirrors and a bar. This bar was said to be for side impact protection. It started in both doors, just aft of the front fenders, and ran over each rear wheel before ending in the rear bumper.
The rear was just as weird and almost TVR-like. There was a single exhaust outlet set below a clear license plate cover, unique fins that extend from where the rear window would be when the top was up that result in the rear side fenders extending above the rear deck, and taillights that look like air bubbles in water. The body made extensive use of carbon fiber, which resulted in an ultralight curb weight of just 2,100 pounds.
The interior of the Focus Ghia was equally wild. Asymmetry was everywhere. There were steering wheel spokes that were made out of steel rods that were hand bent, differently sized dials, and pedals that looked like crushed aluminum cans – or large watch batteries. The entire floor of the concept was made of carved wood and the center console tilted towards the driver.
The best parts were the ones you couldn’t see. Some concepts are just rolling shells but thankfully Ford didn’t do that here. Ford built the Focus Ghia on Escort RS running gear. This meant it was powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged I4 engine tuned by Cosworth. It made 227 horsepower and was paired with an all-wheel drive system. Ford had to shorten the RS’ floorpan by four inches.
It’s said that its styling was an early interpretation of what would become Ford’s New Edge design theme which was later seen on other models like the Ka, Puma and Focus production car. It’s interesting to think about what could have been had Ford decided to actually make this thing. This could have easily been a new Probe or a replacement for the Mustang.