What if you had a pile of money to spend on a go-fast four-wheeled toy? Would you rather buy off-the-rack and write a single check for a ready-made supercar, or would you choose to concoct a custom-designed sleepercar instead? To help you answer this question, on the next page, we've laundry-listed the modifications made by Ford to manufacture its Monster RS8, and also included another list of what it might take should you choose to undertake the buildup yourself. Oh, and we've also included some outstanding photos of these cars at play, to help you see what life in these cars is like beyond the price and from the driver's seat.To read more about the Ford Racing Focus RS8 and Lamborghini Gallardo, pick up the August copy of Motor Trend magazine, on Newsstands beginning July 1, 2004.

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Ford Racing Focus RS8 Price breakdownFord Racing Technology's Performance Parts Group originally built RS8 as a tricked-out and detailed showcar for the 2003 SEMA show. Since then, the engine has been upgraded with ported heads and longer-duration cams, and the chassis has undergone further development to make the RS8 stop and turn as well as it shoots off down the dragstrip. The first breakdown of pricing is Ford Racing's best guess at what it invested to build this car, but understand that the labor charges are fairly rough estimates.The second tally runs down the prices of all the pieces you can buy today through Ford Racing's Performance Parts catalogues. Duplicating our RS8 precisely is impossible, but the car you could build would likely have at least 80-85 percent of our RS8's capability at roughly 65 percent of the price.

Ford Racing Focus RS8, as tested: European-market Focus RS (no longer available) $31,000 5.0L Cammer Engine $14,995 Kugel Komponents rear-drive conversion kit $6,000 8.8-inch, 4.10:1 Traction-Lok Axle $799 T-5 transmission bell-housing $195 T-5 5-speed manual transmission $1,395 Hurst shifter $180 T-5 leather shift boot $75 T-5 leather shift knob $45 V-8 clutch Linkage $49 Heavy-duty clutch kit $260 Battery relocation kit $200 OZ Racing Superleggera III wheels (set) $3280 Michelin Pilot Sport Cup tires (set) $1,138 15-gallon racing fuel cell $1,500 Roll-cage and racing harnesses $850 High-output stereo system and sub-woofer $3,000 Assembly labor: $10,000 Additional parts fabrication/reengineering: $30,000 Grand Total: $104,960

Build-it-Yourself Ford Racing Focus RS8 2004 Focus ZX3 Premium $16,055 (The Premium model comes with power windows, locks, mirrors, and remote entry as did our test car) Focus RS front fenders (pair) $549 Focus RS rear quarter panels (pair) $699 Focus RS scuff plates $44 Focus RS rear wing $295 OZ Racing Superleggera III wheels (set) $3280 Michelin Pilot Sport Cup tires (set) $1,138 Focus RS shift knob $54.95 Focus RS emergency-brake handle $62.99 Focus RS steering wheel $140 Ford Racing A-pillar gauges $75 Focus RS Brake and suspension kit $2,500 5.0L Cammer Engine $14,995 Kugel Komponents rear-drive conversion kit $6,000 8.8-inch, 4.10:1 Traction-Lok Axle $799 T-5 transmission bell-housing $195 T-5 5-speed manual transmission $1,395 Hurst shifter $180 T-5 leather shift boot $75 T-5 leather shift knob $45 V-8 clutch Linkage $49 Heavy-duty clutch kit $260 Focus RS seats (pair) $1,500 15-gallon racing fuel cell $1,500 Roll-cage and racing harnesses $850 High-output stereo system and sub-woofer $3,000 subtotal, parts $39,681 Labor $10,000 Grand Total: $65,737

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See all 7 photos