As expected the car will be limited to 500 units and is tuned to 350hp from a FF 2.5L 5-cylinder power unit; up from 301 in the base RS. It's rather striking with the 'foil' matte finish paint, combined with 19" alloy wheels with 235/35/R19 tyres and red calipers.
“We were determined to mark the end of production for the current and acclaimed Focus RS with something even more special,” said Joe Bakaj, Ford of Europe's vice president for Product Development. “From its stunning looks to its intoxicating performance, we have no doubt that the RS500 will be appreciated and quickly snapped up by performance car enthusiasts.
“This vehicle joins a long line of iconic RS Fords and is a worthy recipient of the RS500 name, which became synonymous with success on the road and track with the legendary Sierra RS500 Cosworth that dominated saloon car racing during the late 1980s,” Bakaj added.
Each RS500 Focus will have a cool plaque mounted in the centre console, similar to the Type R cars from Honda.
To bump up the grunt from the engine Ford's engineers upped the size of the air-to-air intercooler and added a larger air filter box to ram more cold air down the 5-bangers throat. The downpipe was increased in size and they uprated the fuel pump and to make this all function in harmony the men in white coats optimized the software calibration of the ECU.
All this power rockets the RS500 to an estimated 5.6 sec 0-100 kph with a top speed of 263 km/h. The modifications were done by a crack team from Ford in partnership with Revolve Technologies with the aim of increasing top and mid range power without sacrificing low end responsiveness.
On the inside there is a unique red colour scheme. Stitching on the steering wheel, door trim, gear lever gaiter and floor mats are all treated red. Full leather Recaro racing seats are an available option.
Standard conveniences include:
- Dual-zone automatic climate control •
- Heated windscreen •
- Rear parking distance sensors •
- Tyre deflation detection system
- Automatic headlights and rain-sensing wipers •
- Auto dimming rear-view mirror •
- Ford key-free start •
- Enhanced connectivity with Bluetooth®, voice control and USB port •
- Sony 6-CD audio system
- Recaro sports front seats with partial leather trim
“We believe that customers lucky enough to secure one of the limited edition Focus RS500 models will be getting a real collectors item,” said Joe Bakaj. “From its stunning looks, to its immense driver appeal and its complete specification, the Focus RS500 provides enthusiasts with the ultimate performance Ford for the road.”
Lucky they be, at least in Europe.
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