Replacing the Escort, the Ford Focus has always been available in sports versions. The first version took over the RS claw in 2002 with 215 hp under the hood. 20 years later, it disappeared but the 3 generations produced have each in their own way, marked the spirits.
In 1968, Ford launched its first RS-badged model with the Taunus 15M RS. This name “Rally Sport” will be repeated many times in the manufacturer’s range before landing on the Focus 34 years later. It symbolizes the most extreme version of the sports compact, making major changes with each generation (engine, transmission, etc.). The argus invites you to come back in detail to this American saga.
![ford focus cosworth](https://www.largus.fr/images/images/fordfocuscosworthconcept.jpg)
TO READ. Ford Heritage: at the wheel of legendary Ford sports cars
Focus RS Mk1: beyond the “simple” GTI
It was under the impetus of Martin Leach, then appointed president of Ford Europe, that the RS emblem was applied to the tailgate of the Focus between 2002 and 2003. It was first announced in 1999 by the concept car Focus Cosworth , close to what the production model will look like despite a flashy body kit. The objective is then clear: to compete with the queens of the rally of the time (Subaru Impreza, Mitsubishi Lancer) without benefiting from four-wheel drive.
![ford focus rs mk1 2002](https://www.largus.fr/images/images/fordfocusrs313.jpg)
Only available in this “Imperial Blue” colour, the Focus RS Mk1 is relatively wise in its design. Many parts are modified (shields, fenders and widened tracks, rear spoiler…) but the general style remains sober. Only the 18″ 5-spoke OZ rims add a little spice to the configuration chosen by Ford. On the chassis side, the latter has not done things by halves since the RS model adopts a Quaife self-locking differential, ground connections journals, Sachs Racing shocks and a Brembo braking system, among other things.
![ford focus rs mk1 interior](https://www.largus.fr/images/images/fordfocusrs31.jpg)
![ford focus rs mk1 wrc jump](https://www.largus.fr/images/images/fordfocusrswrc1.jpg)
Inside, Ford has teamed up with equipment supplier Sparco. It provides it with specific bucket seats, an aluminum pedal set and handbrake lever as well as real carbon on the central console. The heart of the beast is none other than the 2.0 Duratec 4-cylinder already present in the range, modified with numerous parts from the WRC championship. The one in which the Focus will be engaged from 1999 and will win a few victories, with a certain Colin McRae at the wheel. The engine here develops 215 hp and 310 Nm, more than most of its competitorsand is mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox with reinforced clutch.
![ford focus rs mk1 rear](https://www.largus.fr/images/images/fordfocusrs420.jpg)
Focus RS Mk2: power records
Marketed between 2009 and 2011, the second-generation Ford Focus RS was then the most powerful traction on the market. Because the centerpiece of this vintage is indeed this original Volvo engine. Finished the 4 legs, the American manufacturer had chosen a 5-cylinder 2.5 Duratec, which screams as it should but above all displays a sacred technical sheet: 305 hp and 440 Nm. This allowed the compact to shoot down the 0 to 100 km / h in less than 6 s and exceed the 250 km / h peak.
![ford focus rs mk2 front](https://www.largus.fr/images/images/ford-focusrs-2009-1280-09.jpg)
From the outside, the Focus RS Mk2 was also very aggressive. The two air intakes on the hood or the rear spoiler/diffuser combo leave no doubt about the compact’s acceleration capabilities. With such an engine, the Focus had to hold the road in the literal sense. Ford has therefore developed the RevoKnuckle technology which works in conjunction with the self-locking differential. This acts on traction and motricity in all driving situations to sustain road handling. The cabin, for its part, is no exception to the rule of American cars of the 2010s. The materials chosen and the quality of finish do not honor the pedigree of the car, unlike the standard equipment.
![ford focus rs mk2 engine](https://www.largus.fr/images/images/fordfocusrs500338.jpg)
![ford focus rs500 black](https://www.largus.fr/images/images/ford-focusrs500-2011-1280-01.jpg)
Only 11,000 examples of the Focus RS Mk2 were built for Europe. You can add 500 units of the special RS 500 series, only delivered with its matt black paint. The latter had the audacity to release 350 hp from its 5-cylinder without switching to all-wheel drive! Finally, it is impossible to close this chapter without mentioning the titles in the world rally championship in 2006 and 2007 for the WRC model and its BP livery.
![ford focus rs mk2 rear](https://www.largus.fr/images/images/ford-focusrs-2009-1280-2f.jpg)
Focus RS Mk3: 4-wheel drive
The last Focus RS produced to date landed after the restyling of the third generation of the model, between 2015 and 2018. The great novelty is none other than the presence of an all-wheel drive. A bias that contrasts radically with the past of the car but not with its ambitions of the most efficient compact on the market. Four-wheel drive therefore, but also 5 doors since the Focus was no longer offered with this bodywork unlike previous versions.
![ford focus rs mk3 front](https://www.largus.fr/images/images/fordfocusrs34.jpg)
The style remains in the vein of the 2009 vintage. There is a complete body kit, often inflated by the Performance Pack (19” rims and “Nitrous Blue” color), with specific shields, exhaust and roof spoiler. The platform is reworked by the Ford teams, but the Focus RS Mk3 stands out above all for the arrival of Torque Vectoring. This system makes it possible to send all the available torque to a single wheel and thus facilitates efficiency in all circumstances. Or the fun if you want to enjoy a Drift mode, already tried by The argus in real conditions.
![ford focus rs mk3 rear](https://www.largus.fr/images/images/fordfocusrs30.jpg)
![ford focus rs mk3 interior](https://www.largus.fr/images/images/fordfocusrs120.jpg)
We end this overview of the latest Focus RS by talking about the engine. Ford had decided to replace the old block with a 4-cylinder 2.3 EcoBoost borrowed from the 2014 Mustang, originally developing 317 hp but inflated to 350 hp for the occasion. Performance takes a leap forward with a 0 to 100 km/h announced in 4.7 seconds. This generation of Focus RS will shine especially in rallycross and on social networks. Indeed, the famous American pilot Ken Block has made it one of his favorite weapons for skidding around the world (with nearly 900 hp, of course).
![ford focus rs mk3 ken block](https://www.largus.fr/images/images/ken-block-gymkhana-9.jpg)
The latest Focus model, released in 2018, will not be entitled to the RS label. Blame it on too high development costs and ever more restrictive anti-pollution standards. We will therefore be satisfied with the ST version, with 280 hp all the same.
![ford focus st mk4 orange front](https://www.largus.fr/images/images/fordfocusst324.jpg)
The current Ford Focus will never receive an RS version. Remains the ST model and its 280 hp.