LOS ANGELES -- Los Angeles-based automotive tuner fifteen52, via Project ST, will use the 2013 Chicago Auto Show to debut their Focus TrackSTer project build.

One of three different Focus ST builds, the TrackSTer is to be the first debut for the Project ST campaign. Project ST is a relationship between fifteen52, Ken Block, and Ford. The project goal is to make today’s hot hatch king -- the Ford Focus ST -- even hotter.

fifteen52 is excited to bring the Focus TrackSTer to the Chicago Auto Show.

"Using the CAS venue to debut the TrackSTer is bound to be one of the main highlights for the Project ST campaign,” said Brad Beardow, fifteen52 Co-Owner. “Chicago, if not the entire midwest, seems to have more than its fair share of hot-hatch enthusiasts, and there's just something so right about coming to CAS -- in the dead of winter -- and unveiling the hottest Focus ST anyone's seen so far."

Since fifteen52 launched Project ST late summer of 2012, interest in the campaign has grown tremendously. Regular updates via the project-st.com website have captivated an ever-larger group of enthusiasts, and as each of the three cars nears completion, fans throughout the country can look forward to seeing them in person as fifteen52 plans to bring the cars to a variety of 2013 events.

TrackSTer is a Focus ST that is destined to feel just as at home on a road course as on the way to a road course. Using only top-quality engine, transmission and suspension components, TrackSTer is designed to appeal to the hardcore performance enthusiast.

Inspired by Ford’s rich global history of small performance cars, fifteen52 has worked closely with Ford Racing to build a Focus ST that pays homage to such cars of the past, while also demonstrating just how far today’s Ford performance envelope can be pushed.

According to Project ST partner Ken Block, "Teaming up with fifteen52 for this project was an obvious choice for me. They've got a great understanding of what's hot in the small-car performance marketplace right now, both from the style perspective and from the performance end of things. With the TrackSTer, they've worked closely with both Ford Racing and Mountune to put together a potent package that blends on-road performance with on-track performance. I can't wait to actually get this car out on a track and put it through the paces."

fifteen52 has incorporated the best of the best in constructing the TrackSTer, and trips to the Ford Racing performance well have been numerous, to say the least. A partial list of incorporated parts that will soon be available to all Focus ST enthusiasts includes:

* Ford Racing short throw shifter
* Ford Racing performance exhaust system

In addition to the Ford Racing Performance Parts, components and partners from Ford Racing’s Focus race programs globally have lent their expertise, including:

* Mountune engine build (using forged rods and pistons)
* Mountune performance intercooler
* Mountune upgraded ECU
* Quaife limited slip differential (developed for Focus ST-R)
* Centerforce custom clutch kit (developed for Focus ST-R)
* 4-piston front caliper front brakes (developed by StopTech for Focus ST-R)
* Fender flares from Chinese Touring Car Championship (CTCC) Focus

With such a vast array of race-tested quality performance parts at their disposal, along with access to Ford Racing data, expertise, and global strategic relationships, with the TrackSTer fifteen52 believes they have built what is possibly the ultimate all-around Focus ST.