2016 Ford RS Gathering Shows How Awesome the Old 2.5L Turbo Was

Check out what happened at the 2016 Focus RST Treffen, the ST&RS equivalent of the GTI Worthersee Meet. There are no Volkswagens here, which is just the way the manly owners like it.

If you think the current 2.3-liter turbo engine sounds good, wait until you have a listen to the old 2.5-liter turbo. Sure, it only made about 300 horsepower, but that's nothing a good tune-up wouldn't fix. Some people have taken it to 600 horsepower... in a front wheel drive shop. It's a bomb in a greenhouse.

The 5-cylinder configuration made for a visceral experience. And that shape, Oh My God that shape. It's nowhere near as docile as the hot hatchbacks of the current era. From the size of the rear wing to the oversized wheels and the muscular wheel arches, everything screams "rally car."

Frankly, a Focus that could rival the Porsche Cayman for speed shouldn't exist. But Ford was among the first car companies to tune a docile, everyday nature into a fast hatchback. At low revs, it was as easy to drive as a shopping trolley.

Part of the reason why the 450 Nm of torque didn't rip your arms off was the revolutionary RevoKnuckle front suspension that reduced torque-steer without getting rid of it completely.

Even though the MkII Focus RS dominates the car meet in Germany, there are others that still demand some attention. For example, there's the Mk1 RS, and both generations of the Fiesta ST with 2-liter and 1.6-liter turbo engines, respectively.

Some "outsiders" also joined the party, notably a Clio RS 197 and a MINI Cooper S. There's also a brand new Mustang 5.0, which is a car most Europeans could only dream of back in 2009 when the Focus RS came out.