Ford Wields The Axe On Focus RS

By Paul Bailey

14th June 2005

The dramatic move is a blow to fast Ford enthusiasts in the UK -a key market for the firm's performance models. They're still reeling from the scrapping of the Fiesta RS project last year. The decision means the ST badge will be Ford's current sporting flagship.

The RS, which was expected to have made its debut in 2007, would have used a turbocharged version of Volvo's new all-alloy 3.2-litre straight-six motor. It's understood Jost Capito, head of Ford Motorsport, was keen to tune the Focus RS's engine to around 350bhp - more than the current BMW M3 - for an anticipated four-second sprint from 0-60mph and a top speed electronically limited to 155mph. To lay down this massive power, the RS would have borrowed the Volvo S40's all-wheel-drive layout.

Ford never officially declared it would develop a follow-up to the original Focus RS - launched in 2002 - but it was always on the cards. Internally, the project is simply on the back-burner and could be revived - but Auto Express has been told there are no plans for that to happen. A spokeswoman said: "At the moment, our priority is a wider range of products with broader appeal, such as the SAV concept and a new Ka. A more performance-oriented car like the proposed Focus RS would be developed only once these were established."