New Ford Focus ST snapped testing

Pity the 60 pre-production Ford Focus ST prototypes. Pity their poor, ragged souls, for they have been borne into a world of pain.

Ford is currently fine-tuning its global hot hatch ahead of its expected 2012 debut, and has released a couple of teaser snaps of the flare-suited hot hatch hero in some camouflage.

Ford's Jost Capito - the man in charge of the RS - said most of the engineering work was completed, and his team are now using some of the most demanding roads they can find in Europe and North America. These will include Californian motorways, British B-roads, German autobahns and a place nicknamed the ‘Green Hell'.

It'll get a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-pot producing around 250bhp which is fine and meaty, but let's hope Ford sharpens up the handling too. The new Focus on which this car is based isn't the car we were used to...

Top Gear's first drive of the new Ford Focus

The new Ford Focus ST