The new 2012 Focus ST hasn’t even hit the road yet, but Ford’s first global performance model has already secured a position as the star car of the upcoming British blockbuster film, The Sweeney, which is based on the original TV series that aired in the UK between 1975 and 1978.

Ford was strongly connected to the 1970s Sweeney TV series as the stars of the police drama used Ford Granadas, Consuls and Cortinas to tackle violent crime in London.

For the 2012 film, production of which is continuing until Christmas, Ford said that it has delivered several early-build Focus ST hatchbacks that join the Mondeos, Galaxys and Transits also being used in the movie as unmarked vehicles.

The Sweeney will premiere on the big screen in Britain next September.

The new Focus ST, on the other hand, will go on sale in the UK in the summer of 2012.

Ford has developed two variants of the ST, a five-door hatchback model that will be offered in 40 countries around the world including the United States and Canada, and a station wagon version that will be sold only in Europe. Both models are powered by a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged EcoBoost engine rated at 250-horses and 360Nm (265.5 lb-ft).

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