Ford may have invented the mass car assembly process and founder Henry may have dreamt of everyone driving black Model-Ts, but away from mass market goals, there's always been a performance underbelly to the car giant.
It may work towards mainstream domination and mass appeal, but its engineering pool has always been populated by some real petrol-heads. It's a paradox that the 330km/h GT supercar shares its front badge with the likes of the Ka and Fiesta.
As if to placate the car lovers surrounded by accountants, Ford has always let them tinker with its mainstream metal. The end result has been an impressive sporting legacy and some fabulous road-going racers.
So we've had Ford involvement in virtually every form of racing, from forest rallies with tuned Escort Mark IIs to providing engines to F1 teams.
On the road, we've had the legendary RS2000s, the Sierra Cosworths and even - in their time - the XR range of Escorts and Fiestas.
The fact it has such devotees in its ranks has had knock-on benefits to the regular model range as well. The Escorts, for all their faults, were great fun to drive, while the Focus is arguably the best driving hatchback in its price bracket, as is the Mondeo.
Here, with the ST, is the petrolhead version of the new Focus. Excuse the hyperbole, but what a car. From the moment you wrap your sticky little fingers around the chubby steering wheel and nestle into the surprisingly comfortable sports seats, you get the impression it's going to be a lovely day.
Of course, as with all these cars, there's a hint of apprehension that it will prove just too wild for regular use.
Ford has a system of launching the regular model, then bringing out a performance ST version, before finishing off the range midway in the car's life-cycle with the thundering - and physics defying - RS version.
The reason we were slightly apprehensive about the ST was that when we reviewed the last RS, the driving impression was of taking a Rottweiler for a walk through a sausage factory. The torque steer was arm-wrenching and every trip to the shops turned into a mock stage for the WRC. It was incredible fun, but seemed to set the power limits on what was possible for a road-going Focus.
The RS came with a 2-litre engine and offered 212bhp with 310Nm of torque. This new ST - seemingly the mid-range performance version as we wait for an RS derivative - is powered by a 2.5-litre engine putting out 222bhp and 320Nm of torque.
God only knows what they are going to do with an RS version.
Yet as soon as you pull away in the new ST, you get a strange sensation: control. Yes, you are in control and the handling is velvety smooth. The clutch doesn't bite your ankles off between changes on the stubby little gearshift that's ultra-smooth and precise; the car doesn't kick back when you really put it to the test; and the ride, while obviously harsher than the traditional Focus, is incredibly smooth for what this is.
There's a rule of thumb in engineering circles: 200bhp is the most power you can put through the front wheels of a car without making the steering unmanageable and turning the driver into a passenger. The RS proved that point on many occasions. Somehow, with the ST, Ford has found a way to rewrite the rulebook.
Of course, it offers much more than pinpoint and controlled handling. It also offers impressive pace. Tickle the throttle and you'll be hurtling towards the horizon at speeds guaranteed to see you light up any speed camera within 40 kilometres.
This early in the year, can we have a favourite car? We're not really supposed to, but this is one car you could just drive and drive.
The downside of many 'performance' Fords has been that while the underbelly is based on a rally car, the interior finish and plastics bear too much resemblance to entry-level models. Buyers of a €33,000-plus Focus want more identifiable clear water between their new purchase and the €19,455 1.4-litre 80bhp version than the badge at the back and a blinding colour.
That was the case with the €279,000 GT supercar and it's still the case with the Focus. That said, the regular Focus has a very user-friendly and well-organised interior layout and the plastics are equal to competitors in the regular market. It's just the ST demands a little more. The bucket front seats are impressively comfortable and not standard fare in a Focus; nor are the sporting dials that line the top of the dash. It just needs a little extra sporting luxury.
Its big rival, of course, is the equally impressive VW Golf Gti. The difference really comes down to cachet. At the local tennis club, the Golf will attract admiring - and slightly envious - looks. The Focus, on the other hand, seems more suited to cat whistles outside the local nightclub in Ennis.
The VW will hold its value better; that's a near certainty. It's also a car you could actually bring to the company car park without looking like you should be wearing a baseball cap or hoodie.
Yet the ST offers the closest thing to hot hatch perfection when it comes to driver pleasure.
Sadly I just didn't get long enough in it due to other commitments. It was down to bad planning and those initial apprehensions. Did I really want to take a day off to drive the ST?
Now, I'd happily take the week. If you're lucky enough to have an understanding family and willing to spend the money on a hot hatch, then the ST is the one I'd choose for now (the qualification is based on my whetted appetite for when an RS version is released).
And if you really are concerned about the image, just don't buy it in glaring orange.