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Ford could be reviving the RS500 name for an even hotter Focus
A prototype Ford Focus RS500 is lapping the Nurburgring, but there is still a chance the car won't be made.
The hopped-up Focus RS was spied here looking slightly more aggressive with cooling vents in the hood and a larger rear spoiler. According to a report from Autocar, if the RS500 makes production, it will be limited to 500 units built on the same production line as the RS in Cologne, Germany. Things aren't entirely clear about the car's future though, if what we've heard is true. A source also told Autocar that the RS500 is ?not genuinely green-lighted, but the desire exists to have a star in the RS and ST range.?
If it does get the green light, we'd expect a power increase of around 50 hp from the 2.3-liter turbo four. The manual gearbox should stick around, and its unique all-wheel-drive system will likely operate the same way it does now with drift mode intact. It's hard to imagine Ford making the RS much harsher than it already is in sport or race mode now, but there could be some additional suspension tuning done to the RS500 to make it even more of a track car. Acceleration times should inch down a few tenths with the increased power, making it faster than the Mustang GT to sixty.
There are a couple things we'd love to see from Ford. One would be a bigger effort to make it lighter. The Focus RS is the fastest Focus ever, but it's also the heaviest, putting it in direct conflict with the spirit of a hot hatch. Another would be a lower seating position. That might be asking too much, but who would actually buy an RS500 because it's easy to get in and out of?
Read more on Autoweek.
Ford could be reviving the RS500 name for an even hotter Focus
A prototype Ford Focus RS500 is lapping the Nurburgring, but there is still a chance the car won't be made.
The hopped-up Focus RS was spied here looking slightly more aggressive with cooling vents in the hood and a larger rear spoiler. According to a report from Autocar, if the RS500 makes production, it will be limited to 500 units built on the same production line as the RS in Cologne, Germany. Things aren't entirely clear about the car's future though, if what we've heard is true. A source also told Autocar that the RS500 is ?not genuinely green-lighted, but the desire exists to have a star in the RS and ST range.?
If it does get the green light, we'd expect a power increase of around 50 hp from the 2.3-liter turbo four. The manual gearbox should stick around, and its unique all-wheel-drive system will likely operate the same way it does now with drift mode intact. It's hard to imagine Ford making the RS much harsher than it already is in sport or race mode now, but there could be some additional suspension tuning done to the RS500 to make it even more of a track car. Acceleration times should inch down a few tenths with the increased power, making it faster than the Mustang GT to sixty.
There are a couple things we'd love to see from Ford. One would be a bigger effort to make it lighter. The Focus RS is the fastest Focus ever, but it's also the heaviest, putting it in direct conflict with the spirit of a hot hatch. Another would be a lower seating position. That might be asking too much, but who would actually buy an RS500 because it's easy to get in and out of?
Read more on Autoweek.
