What a pleasant surprise to have Ford build an affordable, cool, well sorted domestic pocket rocket and then to have so many bolt-on performance parts available after only a year.

To start out with the ZX3 has a racing history in the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC). Drivers Colin McRae and Carlos Sainz are trying to capture the manufacturers title this year.

Anyway, your ZX3 likely did not get the Rally Option with the 230 hp motor, but you'll be pleased to learn that you can come real close to that with some carefully chosen bolt-on goodies (disclaimer: these upgrades may invalidate your warranty - do your homework before modifying your new car!)

* Start with a K&N air filter if you want to keep a stealth stock look, or you could opt for one of the umpteen gazillion cold-air induction kits.

* Next you'll want an aftermarket exhaust to let everything breate a little easier. The one from http://www.focussport.com has a great exhaust note and is relatively easy to put on (you will have to cut the stock exhaust off, however).

* Next go for an underdrive pulley which will free up a few horsepower

* A performance chip is always an easy way to increase power - sometimes by as much as 20 hp!

* If you're really serious about more horsepower there are actually turbo kits available as well.

* Think about some nice cosmetic goodies also - a duck tail rally car-style wing - check out http://www.focaljet.com for group buys. There are also tons of ground effects kits from West Wings and others.

* Lower the car to improve the handling and appearance - try the coil-overs if you can afford it, but just a solid set of lowering springs should do fine for all but the most serious competitior (try H&Rs)

* WHEELS!!! - some people use the Contour SVT 16" wheels (my personal favorite) while others have used the Cougar 16" wheels (both of these fit great since the bolt pattern is shared). There are also a ton of 17" wheels that are fairly cheap that look great like the Konig Monsoon.

The sky is the limit from there. Check out the websites mentioned above for great tech articles also. What a great car and some great ways to improve it even more!