| Ford Focus RS Details | ||
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(Fri 04 Jul 08) Of all the cars being displayed at the British International Motor Show later this month, few are likely to generate quite as much interest as the second-generation Focus RS.
The RS name is Ford's way of saying that it means business. In the past it has applied the tag to 21 models, from the Escort RS1600 of 1970 to the original Focus RS of 2002. The 22nd version uses the same Volvo-supplied 2.5-litre turbo petrol engine as the current Focus ST, but in this case it has been modified to produce 296bhp, or nearly half as much again as the first Focus RS and about 70bhp more than the ST. Official performance figures have not yet been released, but Ford is expecting to be able to quote a 0-62mph time of under six seconds. Like the previous Focus RS, this one has front-wheel drive (a four-wheel drive system was considered but abandoned) and a limited slip differential supplied by UK specialist Quaife. A number of silly people believed that the LSD was the cause of the pronounced torque steer which made driving the 2002 RS such an intense experience, but this simply wasn't true, and in fact Ford has attended to that matter by developing what it calls a RevoKnuckle system for the front suspension, which is designed to make the steering less susceptible to sudden changes in the amount of power being fed to the wheels.
The RS is visually very different from the ST, and not just because of the bright green metallic paint (a modern interpretation of the 1970s Le Mans Green) which has been chosen for the London show car; there are also several exterior changes, including a new front bumper and the wider wheelarches dictated by the car's increased track. The Focus RS will go sale early next year, at a price which has yet to be confirmed. |
