While the first episode of Ford’s all-new RS Documentary focused on Ken Block’s involvement with the project, now we get to see more of what went into the car’s design, followed by some interesting crash test footage.
By now, the secret is pretty much out that Ford has built a heck of a hot-hatch with the 350 PS Focus RS. Not only is it able to hit 100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.7 seconds, but will also go all the way up to 266 km/h (165 mph). It’s not as quick as some pundits thought it was going to be, but it will still blow your socks off performance-wise.
During its development process, the team behind the RS made sure that the car’s aggressive looks would represent “form following function” and not the other way around. A lot of though went into cooling the car’s components such as the radiator, intercooler and the brakes, as well as into the massive rear spoiler, 19″ wheels and the large diffuser. It’s a very aggressive-looking hatchback, and there aren’t many voices who seem to think otherwise at the moment.
At Ford’s Crash Test Center, the Focus RS was put through its paces – or more specifically through a side pole impact test, which simulates what an impact with a tree (for example) might look like – and well, it’s not pretty, you probably know that already. The impact happened at 32 km/h (19 mph) and 28 RS prototypes were crashed before the RS was eventually ready for production.
Coming next in Episode 3, we’ll see how things went during the RS’s US development drive, where it took on the Rocky Mountains as well as the Arizona desert.