Ford will produce a special limited edition of the 2018 Ford Focus RS – only 1,000 will be made available in the United States, 500 in Canada – to mark the end of the production run of the current generation. Deliveries are expected to begin by the end of this year.
“To satisfy strong demand for the ever-popular Focus RS, I’m very excited that we’re bringing this limited-edition vehicle to North America,” said Henry Ford, Ford Performance marketing manager. “We have spent a great deal of time listening to our customers, speaking to owners’ club members, reading comments and suggestions on enthusiast websites, and even studying various forum Photoshop renderings.”
The new limited edition of the 2018 Ford Focus RS will include features that are often taken as options or add-ons by owners, such as distinctive interior and exterior styling and a new mechanical limited-slip differential. Available in Nitrous Blue or in new Race Red, it features a gloss black roof, rear spoiler and mirror caps, and the fenders sport blue RS logos. Also included are 19-inch painted forged alloy wheels.
Inside, carbon fibre finishing spruces up the door handles, handbrake lever and turbo boost gauge. In Canada, standard features as part of the RS2 package include a voice-activated navigation system, heated steering wheel and exterior mirrors and black leather-trimmed RECARO seats with Miko-Dinamica eco-friendly suede microfiber inserts and RS logo.
On the technical side, the Ford Performance team perfected a mechanical Quaife limited-slip differential for the front axle that extends the performance limits of the Focus RS, allowing it to maintain more of its speed in corners and maximize acceleration when coming out of them. The differential controls the amount of torque distributed to each front wheel, thus helping the driver to realize the full potential of the 350-hp 2.3L EcoBoost engine.
“Our new limited-edition Focus RS represents accessible performance at its finest,” said Jamal Hameedi, Ford Performance chief engineer. “Improving on the thrilling driving dynamics of the Focus RS is no small task – but our Ford Performance engineers have delivered a drivetrain capable of wringing every drop of performance from the engine.”
The limited edition of the Focus RS falls into the Ford Performance range of vehicles, which also includes the Ford GT supercar, the F-150 Raptor truck, the Mustang Shelby GT350 coupe and the Focus ST and Fiesta ST compact hatchbacks.
Take a moment to revisit our review of the Ford Focus RS!
