World Rally Car-Inspired Ford Focus RS

Press Release

"Focus RS is a niche, limited-production, ultra high-performance road car which, as well as revitalising the RS marque, has been the catalyst for a new range of high performance Fords. For those enthusiasts who have craved the return of Ford's high-performance arm, Focus RS incorporates all of the hallmarks of driving pleasure, precision handling and heady performance associated with the brand - it is the ultimate road-going Focus model.

Martin Leach
President and Chief Operating Officer
Ford of Europe

Focus RS is the WRC inspired Focus performance model

• Balanced capabilities, including exhilarating acceleration, confident dynamics, precise steering and assured braking efficiency, create a harmonious performance experience for the Focus RS driver.

• Focus RS accelerates from 0-100 mph (0-160 kph) in 15.5 seconds, generates braking forces in excess of 1.0g to brake from 100 mph (160 kph) to a halt in just 4.1 seconds and has a top speed of 144 mph (232 kph), while its steady-state lateral acceleration of 0.94g indicates its world-class dynamic capabilities.

• Powered by a Duratec RS 2.0-litre engine with an advanced turbocharging system and oil-spray cooled pistons to achieve 65 per cent more power, which peaks at 215 PS.

• Carefully engineered chassis and a Quaife torque-biasing differential combine to ensure optimal front-wheel-drive tractability.

• Proven rallye sport names cement the family relationship with Ford's WRC cars as Focus RS features components from Sparco, Garrett Technologies, O.Z. Racing, Brembo, Sachs Racing and AP Racing.

• Aggressive exterior look is inspired by the Focus WRC. Inside, it is competition-themed but with great comfort and functionality.

• Performance capabilities are true to tradition as Focus RS pioneers the return of Ford's legendary high-performance RS marque.

• Production limited to 30 units per day in Ford's Saarlouis Plant, Germany, with volume production starting mid-September 2002.

Push the start button and the 215-PS engine growls to life. Inspired by the Ford Focus WRC and boasting impressive performance credentials of its own, the Ford Focus RS is ready to take its place as the ultimate Focus for the street, reinvigorating the legendary RS brand across Europe.

Conceived as a pure driver's car, the new Focus RS delivers a true performance edge with a harmonious balance of exhilarating power and acceleration, confident and precise dynamics and steering capabilities, impressive braking efficiency, aggressive exterior styling and a purposeful, driver-oriented interior.

Focus RS is the closest you can get to a road-going version of Colin McRae's Focus World Rally Championship contender. With authenticity in mind, the Focus RS provides the performance purist with many of the same proven and respected performance technologies used by Colin McRae, Carlos Sainz and Markko Märtin to compete at the top of world-class rallying.

Appropriately revised and engineered for everyday use versus the more expensive and torturous exclusivity of a WRC event, the new flagship road car incorporates some of the most respected names in motorsport. These include Sparco (seats), Garrett Technologies (turbocharger), O.Z. Racing (wheels), Brembo (brakes), Sachs Racing (dampers), Quaife (differential) and AP Racing (clutch).

Powering Focus RS is a turbocharged, 2.0-litre, Duratec RS engine derived from the 130 PS, naturally aspirated, four-cylinder Duratec engine that leads the mainstream Focus petrol range. Duratec RS delivers peak (homologated) horsepower of 215 PS (158 kW) at 5,500 rpm, an increase of 65 per cent. Torque output has been increased even more, by over 70 per cent, to a peak of 310 Nm (227 lb.ft.) at 3,500 rpm.

Impressive performance statistics for the new Focus RS include:

• Acceleration from a standing start - Focus RS powers from 0 - 60 mph in 6.4 seconds (0 - 100 kph in 6.7 seconds).
• In-gear acceleration - Focus RS can accelerate from 60 - 100 mph in only 9.8 seconds in 4th gear (50 - 100 kph in 8.2 seconds).
• Top speed - Focus RS achieves a 'V-max' of 144 mph (232 kph).
• Braking power - Focus RS generates braking forces in excess of 1.0g, and can rapidly brake to a halt from 100 mph (160 kph) in only 93 metres or from 62 mph (100 kph) in 36 metres.
• Roadholding - Focus RS achieves a steady-state lateral acceleration of 0.94g in skidpan testing. This is remarkable as the RS is derived from a family hatchback, yet exceeds the dynamic roadholding of many renowned purpose-built sports cars.

Focus RS is fuel-economy rated, in litres per 100 kilometres (miles per gallon) at 14.2 (19.9 mpg) urban, 7.7 (36.7 mpg) extra urban and 10.1 (28 mpg) combined over the new European driving cycle. CO2 emissions are certified at 237 grams per kilometre.

Despite the performance intent and aggressive stance - its wheelbase and wide track layout are taken from the Focus WRC's tarmac configuration - the new Focus RS features superb driving comfort and practicality for everyday driving and remains well mannered and tractable around town. A dual personality, which offers uncompromised functionality, comfort and dependability alongside a high-performance capability for spirited driving, is the key to the character of this contemporary interpretation of the Ford RS brand.

Ford assembled a handpicked team of around 60 specialist engineers to create the new Focus RS. Many of them had already played key roles in the development of the Ford Focus, which debuted in 1998, was voted European Car of the Year 1999 and is still acclaimed by many as the benchmark in its class for dynamic capabilities and driving quality.

Since its launch, sales of the Focus have increased year on year, with 483.000 units in 1999, 536.000 units in 2000 and 558.000 units in 2001. In 2002 the Focus was recognised by the TüV organisation as the German car industry leader in reliability for cars between one and three years old. The team's collective and intimate knowledge of the Focus was crucial in enabling them to build on its array of strengths and produce an equally balanced performance variant.

The RS development team has been given the time it needed to prove out the robustness and dependability of the performance package - such was the determination of the project's backer, Martin Leach (then Ford's Vice President of European Product Development), to get it right.

The decision was taken to put the Focus RS through the same rigorous testing programme to which Ford's higher volume, mainstream production cars are subjected. Through this testing regimen, Focus RS has been turned into a harmonious performance package with dependability and reliability to match.

"We've clearly understood the feeling of urgency among performance enthusiasts to get their hands on the Focus RS," said Mike Kilpin, chief programme engineer. "The imminent rekindling of the RS brand created tremendous excitement and expectation, but we still believe that the right thing to do was not to rush this car to market. We're ready now, and proud of the end result -- Focus RS can now speak for itself."

Even with its specialised engineering, the new Focus RS was designed for assembly alongside other Focus models at the Saarlouis Assembly Plant in Germany where Ford has pioneered its flexible manufacturing process. Its Duratec RS engine is manufactured at the Bridgend (Wales) Engine Plant in the United Kingdom. Specialist engineering facilities are integrated with normal production processes at both plant locations. Production capacity is limited to 30 units a day.

Rejuvenating the RS Brand

Its performance technology and exclusivity make Focus RS the ideal vanguard to resurrect the Blue Oval's legendary RS performance brand. Starting with the Escort RS1600 back in 1969, RS itself would become synonymous with "performance" as Ford established a line of more than 20 RS-badged derivatives in the Seventies, Eighties and early Nineties, including the Sierra RS Cosworth, the Ford RS200 and the Escort RS Cosworth.

Originally unveiled as a concept car, the new Focus RS heralded a new approach to performance cars at Ford of Europe. The Company has committed to an aggressive performance derivative initiative as part of its product-led European transformation strategy. The contemporary approach to the RS brand is to create derivatives aimed at performance purists, while the more accessible ST - Sport Technologies - brand will appeal to a broader range of enthusiasts. (Ford introduced a Focus ST model - the ST170 - earlier this year.)

The company also has rejuvenated its Special Vehicle Engineering (SVE) department, charged with taking the performance strategy forward, and led by Jost Capito, who joined Ford in October 2001 and was previously Chief Operating Officer at Swiss-based Formula 1 team Sauber Petronas.

FOCUS RS TECHNICAL STORY IN DETAIL

The Focus RS story is not simply about the addition of a powerful engine or turbocharger. Instead, Focus RS has been engineered to deliver enhanced performance in every key attribute important to the performance-oriented driver. The result is a harmonious set of attributes that makes the Focus RS driving experience intuitive and rewarding.

The engineering excellence of the standard Focus model would pay off for the RS development team in many ways. From the strength of its body structure to the acknowledged capabilities of its chassis systems, Focus was clearly well suited to higher performance potential.

"We knew the huge potential in the Focus," said RS programme supervisor Andrew Mottram, an original member of the Focus product development team. "We were able to concentrate our efforts on the vehicle attributes that required honing in order to produce a vehicle which would deliver the levels of engineering excellence, design and driving dynamics that are fundamental to the RS brand."

The RS development team was also confident that it could capitalise on the inherent dependability and reliability of the Focus range in creating this performance derivative. Focus was recently named the most reliable vehicle among one- to three-year-old cars by the respected German testing organisation, TüV.

Up to 70 per cent of the basic components of the vehicle have been uprated, re-engineered or completely redesigned to assure the same levels of robustness, quality and dependability as the standard Focus model, despite the advanced performance capabilities of the Focus RS.

The Focus RS project was remarkable for the involvement of technical contributions from Ford's advanced vehicle engineering and the Ford Rallyesport team. The flow of technical information between Ford and its motorsport experts was central to the engineering effort.

Chassis

A finely honed and capable chassis is a key aspect of the Focus RS driving experience. Focus RS has been engineered to provide a predictably progressive and linear response to the driver. Every facet of the chassis system has been optimised for this ultimate Focus variant's performance capabilities.

The Focus RS engineering team began with its extensive knowledge of the standard Focus, whose Control Blade independent rear suspension set new benchmarks in its segment and continues to differentiate Focus's driving quality from its competitors. A series of unique modifications was then engineered especially for the dynamic attributes of the Focus RS.

For a bold and sure-footed stance, the wheel track was widened to match the tarmac specification Focus WRCs of Colin McRae, Carlos Sainz and Markko Märtin in the FIA World Rally Championship. Measured at the centre-line of the front wheels the track has been widened by 65mm compared with the Focus 2.0. Measured at the outer surface of the 8-inch wide wheels the track is 95mm wider. This significantly wider track further enhances the confidence Focus RS instils in its driver.

Key elements of the front suspension have been uprated to complement the greater performance attributes of the Focus RS. These include new hub assemblies to accommodate tougher, larger-diameter driveshafts that transmit the Duratec RS engine's 310 Nm of torque to the drive wheels.

Driveshaft pairs have been optimised for equal stiffness, part of a comprehensive engineering approach toward maintaining optimal traction and minimising torque-steer in this powerful, front-wheel-drive vehicle.

The suspension system plays a key, traction-enhancing role, featuring revised geometry that enhances wheel kinematics in cornering and complements the custom Quaife torque-biasing differential. The suspension also results in a negative camber configuration that aids lateral stability.

Although the 225/40R/18 tyres increase the static rolling radius (from 280 to 325mm) of the wheels the ground clearance is unchanged, avoiding any compromise in vehicle functionality in this respect. This is not the case with many sporty aftermarket kits. The new geometry is the result of a series of engineering modifications:

• The 25mm shorter springs and matched Sachs Racing dampers have been fitted to provide superior body control and handling. Despite the shorter suspension travel the team has managed to maintain acceptable ride quality and comfort without compromising the handling precision and control of the Focus RS.
• The 18mm anti-roll bar diameter is actually thinner that on the Focus 2.0 (21mm) and thus helps to maximise traction control, but combined with the stiffer suspension the roll rate is appropriate for a sporty car like the Focus RS.
• O.Z. Racing wheels, in an 8 x 18-inch, five-spoke configuration patterned after that of the Focus WRC, are robust, lightweight and imposing.
• Bespoke, 18-inch Michelin low-profile tyres give Focus RS a wide footprint on the road.

Together, these modifications effect a lower roll centre that facilitates improved rebound travel for the front wheels. This helps to ensure optimal adhesion and traction during cornering.

Strengthened front A-arms locate the wheel hubs. The dual, compliance-optimised bushings of the standard Focus model have been replaced with tuned hydro-bushes, another part of Focus RS's sophisticated approach to optimising high-performance. The hydro-bushes, along with revised top-mounts, help to ensure a smooth, on-centre steering feel for the driver and minimised transmitted judder from the wide tyres into the steering system.

Additionally, engineers have fitted a strengthened front cross-member and a stronger roll restrictor - part of the Focus torque-roll-axis engine mounting system - a refinement measure designed to resist twist effects of the higher torque levels of the Duratec RS engine.

At the rear, the Focus Control Blade independent suspension also features larger spindles to accommodate larger wheel bearings, necessary for the increased loads from the bigger wheels and tyres. Sachs Racing dampers, mated with stiffer springs and firmer bushings, customise the Control Blade system's capabilities for the demands of the RS model. The rear anti-roll bar link was also redesigned for improved roll stiffness.

Unique Wheels and Tyres

A key ingredient of the dynamic qualities of the Focus RS is its unique wheel and tyre specification, ensuring extraordinary grip, superior traction and impressive stopping power.

The custom, 18-inch O.Z. Racing wheels are manufactured in light aluminium alloy in a design faithful to the magnesium wheels used in the world rally cars. The open-five-spoke, 8-inch-wide design provides motorsport-proven robustness without an unsprung-weight penalty.

Low-profile Michelin Pilot Sport 225/40R/18 tyres were developed specifically for the Focus RS. These bespoke performance tyres feature a unique compound and tailored architecture for their high-performance application.

Dedicated tyre testing has been an important and continual process during the development of Focus RS. Ford engineers worked with Michelin personnel to achieve maximum grip combined with superior ride and handling - not just in the dry but also in the wet.

In combination with the specially tuned suspension, the low-profile Michelin Pilot Sports contribute to a 'harder but not harsh' ride quality that assures everyday driving comfort with impressive and precise dynamic capabilities when driven hard.

Approaching the limit, the Focus RS driver receives clear and progressive feedback from the tyres.

"In developing the chassis, we devoted extensive attention to ensuring precise and predictable dynamic behaviour," explained Kilpin. "We worked hard to deliver a progressive linearity approaching the limits of adhesion, without any nasty surprises that may catch drivers unaware in some performance cars."

Steering Precision

Building on the driving quality of the standard Focus, the new Focus RS provides the performance purist with highly precise and responsive steering as part of its balanced set of capabilities.

The Focus RS steering system provides the driver with a strong sense of controllability, while communicating clear feedback when approaching the limits of adhesion.

RS engineers strove to achieve a high degree of precision and linear progression in the responsiveness of the steering system without compromising the functionality for everyday driving manoeuvres, such as parking. Focus RS maintains the same turning circle as the Focus, despite its larger, wider performance tyres.

The Focus RS driver has the benefit of a bespoke leather-wrapped steering wheel that contributes to an impressive feeling of steering control, stability and connectivity. A falling-flow power steering pump assures easy steering effort at low speed and excellent steering feel, on-centre responsiveness and agility at higher speed.

Focus RS's steering qualities have been accomplished through subtle revisions aimed at optimising compliance and friction levels. These include revised mount bushings.

Braking power

Focus RS gives its driver the confidence of a strong braking system to match its acceleration, speed and handling capabilities. Brembo-equipped, the Focus RS generates braking forces exceeding 1.0 g, achieving stopping distances that rival those of sports cars.

But the story of Focus RS's braking power is more than just big brakes. The Focus RS chassis plays a key role in braking performance. The anti-lift characteristics of the rear suspension geometry combine with optimised brake load distribution to stop Focus RS with front-rear balance and poise. This reduces pitching under braking, makes the brakes highly effective and gives the driver a reassuring, progressive feedback.

The front braking system includes massive Brembo four-piston (twin-opposed) callipers and 325 mm ventilated discs. The Brembo callipers are clearly visible behind the O.Z. Racing wheels, giving Focus RS a purposeful attitude to match its performance capabilities.

The rear brakes are solid 280 mm discs with conventional two-piston callipers.

The braking system gives Focus RS impressive stopping power. It masters a 62 mph (100 kph) -to-zero braking test in just 36 metres. More importantly for a performance car, Focus RS can halt from 100 mph (160 kph) in 4.1 seconds.

Under wet braking conditions, Focus RS maintains impressive grip levels. Only under severe applications is intervention required from the custom-configured Anti-lock Braking System (ABS). The latest-generation ABS system, featuring specially modified software for the RS performance application's higher grip levels, assures a sympathetic intervention strategy geared to the style of the enthusiast driver.