WHEN most people buy a brand spanking new car, they can’t wait to get out on the road in it. John Farquharson, 34, from Alford, was the same when he bought his Ford Focus ST3 in May, 2007.
He jumped in the driver’s seat, went for a spin and then put it in his garage. And that is where it has stayed every week since. If it’s well behaved and the weather is nice, then it gets out to play at weekends. But the rest of the time it hibernates, waiting for the day when it can join the ranks as a Ford classic.
John has always been a Ford fan, especially the high-performance models, and has followed them in rallying for many years.
“Most of my favourite cars have been Fords. Watching what they could do at rallies and then being able to buy one for myself was amazing,” he said.
“I’ve always been a bit of a petrolhead anyway. I was one of these young guys who would spend a couple of hundred pounds on a car, keep it for a year and then move on to something else. As I got older and had more pennies to play with, the cars improved.
“I really loved my Ford Orion, but my Sierra was the best car I’d had for years. It really took a lot of beating. It was great fun, especially in winter. It loved the snow and cornering could be really exciting.”
In 2007, John was running a Ford Focus Zetec when his friend offered him a shot of his new top-of-the-range Focus ST3.
“I thought, ‘Oh well, I suppose I could have a run in it and see what all the fuss it about’,” said John.
“It was amazing. I was blown away by the 2.5-litre engine, it was just so powerful. It was just a fantastic car and I wasn’t too happy to have to hand it back.”
Then, as fate would have it, John’s partner came home from work and told him she had seen a new Focus sitting in a garage in Kintore.
Like a flash, John was down and inspecting the car.
“It was perfect. The black on black looked stunning,” said John. “I took it for a test drive and, when I came back, the salesman said, ‘So you’ll be buying it then?’. I tried to act coy, asking what made him think that, but he said, ‘The look on your face says it all’, and I knew there was no way out of it. I had to have it.”
Two years down the line, the ST3 has clocked only 10,000 miles. Doesn’t John like it? Quite the opposite, actually.
“When I got it, I knew it wouldn’t be for everyday use, and I really set out with the intention of it being just for weekends,” he said.
“I’d been going to car shows for years and would admire all the old Capris and Escorts, and I realised that the Focus would be the next generation of Ford classic, so I decided that I would keep my Focus in the best condition I could so that I could come to shows in 20 or 30 years with an immaculate model.
“I want people to walk past it and think, ‘Wow, they were fantastic cars. I wish I still had mine’.”
The temptation to take the car out for a drive during the week is difficult, but John has alternatives that stop him from adding miles and damage to the car.
“During the week, I run a work van and a Fiat Punto, so the Focus is kept purely for fun,” he said.
“Because I want it to age well, I’m not modifying it. I want to keep it totally standard, with no fiddling about with turbos or mapping. Ford did a brilliant job with it so why would I go altering it? Any changes I’ve made have been small cosmetic ones, like new alloys and rear lights.
“I’m at my happiest when I’m out in the car with the radio down low so I can hear the engine working and the exhaust growling. It’s such a sporty car, but it’s incredibly comfortable. It’s just a joy to drive.”
John has already been getting some practice in for the day when his car is the classic star at motor shows, and he says people struggle not to be drawn to the ST3.
“I’ve taken it to the Capri show at Alford and the Tayside motor show at Errol, and I’m planning on a few this year,” he said.
“I realise it’s not a classic yet, and some people might think it’s wrong to display a two-year-old car, but as soon as I park up and open the bonnet, people are over having a look and asking questions, so it still gets a lot of attention.
“The ST3 pulls you in, and it always generates a lot of interest whenever I have it out. It’s just something a bit special.”
John admits he is intrigued by the new Focus RS, but even this new top-of-the-range model can’t pull him away from his car.
“I’d like a drive in one just to see what they’re made of,” he said.
“I know someone who traded in his ST for one and he told me that he’s actually a bit scared of the power it has. It’s not tempting enough to make me think of selling mine. I wouldn’t change it for anything now.”
In the meantime, it is John’s partner, Sally, who encourages him to take his ST3 out for a blast.
“She actually learned to drive in it. Some people thought I was mad for letting her in it while she was still a learner, but I knew she’d be driving it anyway, so it made sense to me,” he said.
“She’s just as daft on cars as me, and now she comes up with any excuse she can to go out in it.
“But I’ve told her it’s a classic in the making, so we’ve just got to make the most of any time we do go out in it.”