Being an all-wheel drive hot hatch, it’s not hard to see the Ford Focus RS as the spiritual successor of the Escort RS Cosworth.
After all, there are a lot of technical similarities between them for the bond to grow stronger. Whereas the previous iterations of the Focus RS wanted to be the best front-driven hot hatch of their respective periods, the latest one offers a wider range of talents alongside with the obvious grip advantage.
The classic Ford Escort RS Cosworth left its mark as one of the most impressive homologation specials, thanks to its iconic “whale-tail” rear wing and of course the all-wheel grip, which back then was a way more special thing to have in your hot new model, especially one that had the whole rally-car pedigree behind it.
Sure time has left a mark on its handling character, with lots of roll in the corners but that means you can actually feel what the car is doing underneath you, revealing its many talents.
25 years later, Ford comes up with the Focus RS, complete with a trick all-wheel drive system that puts fun in front of the menu. How do they compare to each other? Let Henry Catchpole tell you in the latest Carfection video.