Next Ford Focus ST at Paris?

Gentlemen of Essex, we bring you news of your next Champion - the new Ford Focus ST.

Well, sort of. Ford is throwing a rather large ‘Focus' theme party at next month's Paris motor show with the announcement of the next-gen five-door hatch (pictured above) and estate.

See more pics of the new Ford Focus

But there will also be ‘confirmation of an exciting performance model', which we shall hastily and impatiently think of as the new ST.

Information is tighter than a hapless passenger's backside riding shotgun with Walter Rohrl, but word on the street is the 2.5-litre engine in the last ST will make way for a turbocharged 2-litre four-pot. This is probably due to saving the rainforest or a rare species of monkey, but whatever.

No word on power output, performance times or whether it will have an in-built sovereign-ring shiner, but it will almost definitely be ‘good'.

Can't wait? We'll bring you all the news from the Paris motor show next month. Until then, remind yourself how good the old one was, here, and watch Jezza thrash it in the video below.

Whaddya' make of the new Ford Focus? Discharge your thoughts in the rectangular-shaped boxes underneath these words...