Ford Plans Ultra-Powerful Focus RS Model

So that it stands out in a crowd of car enthusiasts, the RS will receive subtle styling enhancements to separate it from

The 220-hp ST version of Ford's all-new Focus is currently the quickest iteration available in Europe, but this could soon change if the RS sees the light of day. (Photo: Ford Motor Company of Canada)

run-of-the-mill Focus models. For instance, vents have been added to the hood to allow hot air to escape and thus cool the engine, and the front fascia has been given a chin splitter.

The only challenge still remaining to be solved before production is considered, is allocating a strong enough gearbox. No doubt, Ford will figure this problem out too, and the world, or at least part of it, will get one of the most exciting rally replica sport compact models ever created.

Now the only question that remains is if Ford will see North America as an important enough market to sell its top-level Focus in, and therefore deliver the full-meal-deal RS instead of only the watered down variants that normally are made available here. With its car lineup struggling to even get noticed, Mustang aside, the time might be ripe for Dearborn to take a chance, like its Auburn Hills neighbour, and deliver something truly sensational to sports compact enthusiasts.