Oh look, another new Focus…
10th December 2008
You can be forgiven for feeling bored of hearing about ‘a new Focus’. Ford is guilty of churning out a new Focus or a new Fiesta as often as every two or three years. VW do the same thing with their Golf - the MkV Golf isn’t exactly a senior citizen yet it’s already been replaced by a new ‘MkVI’ model recently. But in actual fact this is a hallmark moment that adds another page to the book of automotive legends, because this isn’t just any old Ford Focus. This is the ‘RS’ model. Remember the old Cosworth RS and RS Turbo? They are legends and every boy racer has at least 10 posters of it on his bedroom wall. Wasn’t the best looking, but it was seriously fast and to this day one of the best cars ever made. Making a new addition to the ‘RS’ family would be like Ford and Shelby doing a remake of the legendary ‘Fastback’ Mustang, Ferrari doing a new model of their 250 GTO, or God making a new Jesus Christ. It’s a big deal.
Focus RS Concept unveiled at the British Motor Show earlier this summer.
As with all RS models, the big deal is mainly about power. It’s a ‘hot hatch’ so it’s front wheel drive. But it’s also producing “at least 300bhp”. That’s insane! It’s just 50hp shy of a Porsche 911! It’s generally accepted that 250bhp is the absolute maximum the front wheels can take before the car is destined to end up in the nearest hedge. Any more and you might as well ride on the back of a wild lion. However, Ford say they’ve conquered the ‘torque steer’ problems with a special suspension system which they call “RevoKnuckle” (how chavvy does that sound?) and a limited slip differential designed to harness the torque. It’s not all hot air either - Ford uses this car in rallying and rivals the legendary Mitsubishi Evo, and it’s expected to get from 0 to 60mph in under six seconds, putting it in territories of the Porsche 911 and Subaru Impreza, so it obviously works. Top speed will likely be electronically limited to 155mph, a universally agreed limit designed to keep Greenpeace from making our lives a living hell the manufacturers feel uncomfortable. The power and speed is hinted by way of that huge air vent. That’s for the intercoolers to cool the (presumably massive) turbo, and it sports a front splitter to help keep it pinned to the road at speed.
The other plus point is the price. This thing will supposedly keep pace with an Evo VIII or IX. When those cars were shiny and new to the world they were pushing £40,000, although dealerships today will sell you one for around £30,000. This is going to be slightly more than that VW Scirocco GT I talked about in an earlier article, sitting at around £20-25k. But then Fords always have been well-priced.
The good news keeps coming. That lime green interior won’t stay (that was unique to the concept model) and normal human beings can choose between a gorgeous ‘performance blue’ paintjob or white, whilst chavs and boy racers worldwide will no doubt opt for this eye-shredding green shown above. More colours are expected to follow, but these are just some pre-sale facts that Ford are teasing us with.
If you wear track suits and burberry caps, you really really want one. For the rest of us, i’d recommend a test drive first before you buy into Ford’s claims of harnessing the power. Otherwise if you’re the sort of person who thrives on cars with far too much power and love the thrill of using nothing but sheer driving talent and manliness to control it, then give your bank manager a call now before your bank collapses.
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