There's a new generation of the Ford Focus just around the corner, and if past experience is anything to go by we likely won't see an RS version of the car until well into the product cycle.
That means if you were considering buying a Focus RS, you had better act fast as the current model is set to cease production on April 6, 2018.
Ford in the United Kingdom will offer a run of 50 special Focus RS Heritage Edition models to mark the end of production, all of them finished in the same orange color dubbed Tief Orange, German for “Deep Orange.” The 50-car run signifies the 50th anniversary of the launch of Ford's first RS car, 1968's Escort RS1600.
2018 Ford Focus RS Heritage Edition
Beyond the model-exclusive paint job, the Focus RS Heritage Edition benefits from a black finish for its wheels, side mirror caps and rear spoiler. It also sports a gray finish for its brake calipers. Inside, there are Recaro seats plus extras such as rear parking sensors, a heated steering wheel and power-folding side mirrors fitted as standard.
There's also some go to match the show. The all-wheel-drive car is fitted with a Quaife limited-slip differential on its front axle to help control the torque going to each of the front wheels. Meanwhile, the 2.3-liter turbocharged inline-4 gets a Mountune performance kit that lifts output from the standard 350 horsepower and 350 pound-feet to 370 hp and 376 lb-ft.
It isn't clear yet if Ford will offer a similar special edition model here in the United States to mark the end of the Focus RS's run, though we have received special versions of the car in the past.
