The newest tough cookie of the C-segment hot hatch arena is, at the moment, eagerly awaiting its live debut on February 3rd and a grander live unveiling at the Geneva Motor Show in March. It’s a wonderful time we’re living in right now, considering the Focus RS’ launch event follows right after the Detroit Auto Show, where FoMoCo presented the 2016 Shelby GT350R Mustang, the 2017 F-150 Raptor and the uber cool 2017 Ford GT in concept format.
Ford just announced that an extremely posh presentation in the city of Cologne, Germany will be held on February 3rd at 12:45. According to the American automaker, the preview is slated to be held at a unique venue in Ford’s European HQ, where the RS badge first debuted 48 years ago. That’s a pretty strong case in the favor of the 3rd-gen Focus RS.
Hosting the launch event will be Mr. Jim Farley, the executive vice president and president of Ford Europe, Middle East and Africa. He will be joined by Mr. Raj Nair, group VP of global product development and Ford of Europe’s Joe Bakaj, vice president of product development. FoMoCo added that the three be joined on stage by “very special guests to talk more about the 30th vehicle to sport the iconic RS badge.”
Roger Clark’s 1972 RAC Rally-winning Escort RS1600, as well as Hannu Mikkola’s 1970 World Cup Rally-winning Escort first came to my mind when I first heard those words. Truth be told, the 2016 Ford Focus RS carries a lot of weigh on its shoulders considering the vast pedigree of the two-letter moniker. If you want to see the RS event live from the comfort of your computer chair, don’t forget to tune in on gofurtherlive.com.
Things to look for: a 2015 Ford Mustang EcoBoost-sourced 2.3-liter turbocharged four-banger with more than 300 horsepower (some people claim up to 350 HP), all-wheel drive (yup, FWD is for the weak), a six-speed manual transmission and mid-corner grip that will hurt your eyes and spleen. If you don't believe that the 2016 Focus RS will be a proper head case, here's Ken Block of Gymkhana fame driving the thing.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News