The Focus Skyline project was completed in memory of the late Rick Blatchford.

Rick Blatchford lost his battle with cancer six years ago, leaving the Focus Skyline project on which he was working to be completed by Ozzy Ozanne in memory of his friend.

He explains: ‘Rick always wanted to do the fastest time of the day at the sprint, to beat all the bikes and single-seaters and to do it in a tin-top.’

He plumped for a Nissan Skyline powertrain, a home-built box-section chassis and a fibreglass Ford Focus three-door body.

With all-wheel drive and potentially 800 or so bhp on tap, the FTD potential is considerable.

‘Sadly, though, he never even heard it going,’ said Ozzy.

‘But in some respects he had done the hard work already.’

With sandracing and other commitments, it was another three years ‘on and off’ before the job was finished.

‘I should have given up racing,’ Ozzy admitted.

The moulded fibreglass body – a real Ford Focus shell was used for the pattern – did not quite fit the mechanicals perfectly.

The bonnet needed lengthening and the front arches were moved four inches forward.

The ‘bonnet’ is actually a one-piece front end that tips forward for access to the engine bay a la Spitfire and Herald.

Its size can be a problem: retaining-straps of the necessary length were likely to get in the way of the mechanicals when the bonnet was closed and the straps went slack.

The solution? Cannibalise a couple of inertia-reel seat belts and the bonnet is restrained and the webbing retracts automatically safely out of the way.

Ozzy has no plans to race the car but the motor has uprated turbos and injectors and an upgraded ECU.

Power output?

‘I have driven a Skyline in the sprint and this one must be about 500bhp,’ he said.

Nitrous oxide is plumbed in and when that green cylinder is turned on, it is good for another 75bhp or so.

When the final bodywork wrinkles were ironed out – getting the top of the doors to sit flush in the shuts was a nightmare but you’d never guess so looking at them – it was time for the paint job.

The Fiat 126 features in March 2008′s Max Power magazine

Rick was a real Tifoso and his Fiat was Ferrari red.

But since draught Guinness had been the only tipple he could enjoy during his cancer battle, it had to be black with a cream top, not to match the head on a pint of Liffey water but to reflect the light band around the top of the can.

Black paint was no problem but it came down to a choice of two carmakers’ colours for the cream.

‘One was a Lada colour and one was a BMW. There was no way it was going to be the Lada.’

Ozzy plans to show the car, which will incorporate a special collection box for Cancer Research, at local events including the Classic Vehicle Club’s annual gathering in Saumarez Park.

While the single-seat cockpit is every inch that of a racing car, the Focus Skyline is, like the Fiat, road-registered and there is a co-driver’s name painted on the passenger door.

It’s R. Blatchford.

‘He’s in there with me.’