Ford reveals 2004 Focus

The new car, which has already been tested by Ford's works drivers features improvements in several key areas. The bodyshell has been lightened to lower the centre of gravity and improve weight distribution, while the front and rear bumpers have been redesigned to aid cooling and improve the look of the car.

"When we first sat down to design the new-shape Focus in 2003, we began with a clean sheet of paper and ended with a radical, revolutionary rally car which retained all that was good from the previous model," said technical director Christian Loriaux. "That car won two rallies in 2003, claimed a one-two finish on its last event as a works car in Mexico, and achieved our aim of being capable for victory on all surfaces. You don't throw that kind of success into the rubbish bin, so the 04 is essentially the same car with key improvements in several areas."

Improvements have also been made to the WRC04's Cosworth Duratec engine, including a new turbocharger and exhaust manifold, as well as new components on the anti-lag system.

"The days of making huge gains in engine performance are behind us," said Tim Proctor, Cosworth's principal engineer on the WRC programme. "However, that's not to say gains are impossible, just challenging. We've made several changes to components, with the aim of reducing weight, improving response and driveability. Each of these is relatively small, but, together, mean the 2004 engine takes another step forward."

Loriaux has promised that there are still more improvements to come on the car: "The WRC03 has evolved from rally to rally under the skin, and we'll continue to make improvements to 04 through the season, nibbling away at weight and reliability. In Cyprus, for example, we'll introduce new dampers and new electronic settings. Development is a continuing process, not something that happens once a year during homologation."