For years, we’ve been hearings rumors about the prospect of a scorching hot Focus with the RS tag, but Ford officials from both sides of the Atlantic have been deliberately vague about the subject. This time, though, it’s not about hearsay, but about a prototype Focus packing some interesting performance hardware and which we believe, could be a test mule for the RS.
At a first glance, the partially-covered tester looks like a 252hp Focus ST (itself, due for a facelift this weekend), but besides the changes hiding behind the wrapped front end, the hatch sported a different exhaust layout, with two separate pipes instead of the ST’s center-mounted tips.
Other telltale signs are the beefy 19-inch alloy wheels (the ST has 18″ rims) wrapped in Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires, size 235/35 R19, which sit in front of huge brakes, and the testing gear and wires popping out from the auxiliary gauge pod on the center console of the car.
In regards to which engine may power the next iteration of the RS, your best bet would be FoMoCo’s new 2.3-liter turbocharged four-cylinder unit featured in the Mustang, possibly tuned to deliver somewhere around 330-horses, enough to get the edge over the likes of Subaru’s 305hp WRX STI and VW’s 296hp Golf R.
The previous Focus RS (not offered in the States) channeled power to the front wheels through a manual gearbox and a Quaife automatic torque-biasing differential to improve traction. The new one, could keep a similar FWD setup, though, we have heard rumors about AWD too.
If the Focus RS has indeed received the green light for production, we could see it in showrooms within the next year.
By John Halas
Photo Credits: CarPix for CarScoopS
PHOTO GALLERY
