2009 EUROPEAN FORD FOCUS

At the British International Motor Show, the Ford RS performance car brand is returning in the shape of the new Ford Focus RS.



Available in Europe in early 2009, the Ford Focus RS is the latest chapter in a 40-year story that began in Germany in the late 1960s. The Focus RS is finished in a special bright green paint with inlaid metallic flake reminiscent of the 1970s Le Mans Green of the Escort RS1600 era.



“We believe it’s vitally important that a Focus RS looks like both a Focus and an RS - it needs to be individual, distinctive and overt in its performance styling, but it also needs to show a clear progression from and relationship to Focus ST”, said Stefan Lamm, Chief Exterior Designer, Ford of Europe.



Although the car is still in development, early performance testing indicates a 0-100km/h (0-62mph) time of under six seconds.



It’s been ten years since the Ford Focus was first revealed to the world at the Geneva Auto Show in 1998. Since then, more than 5.3 million Ford Focus models have been built in Europe, including Russia, with the car also built and sold in North America and Asia.



The new Focus RS marks the return of the Ford RS badge, last seen on the first-generation Focus RS in 2002 and with a heritage stretching back 38 years, including Fiesta, Escort and Sierra models.