What does a 356bhp Ford Focus feel like?

How much power is too much? It’s always been a tricky one to answer, this. In a supercar, 987bhp is now an acceptable amount from the Bugatti Veyron; in an AMG Mercedes, we barely bat an eyelid at upwards of 600bhp. However, in a front-driven Ford Focus at least, Autocar’s going on the record in saying that 356bhp is too much. Much too much. Last week, we were lucky enough to get a go in a Ford Focus ST tuned to a frankly incredible 356bhp and 380lb ft of torque; Brodie Brittain Racing’s ST-350. Here was a car that sounded like nothing since Walter Rohrl’s Audi Sport Quattro S1 rally car. When it gripped, it accelerated like almost nothing with a price tag under £50,000. The trouble was, in less than perfect road conditions, that grip came all too seldom, and when it did arrive it was often impossible to exploit. The ST-350 was a car than left us stunned. So is it the unofficial Ford Focus RS? Click here to find out.