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Hennessey 2016 Focus RS Uses FWD "Cheat" For Dyno Run, Still Doesn't Make 400 HP

The Mk III Ford Focus RS has started a bit of a tuning craze, both on the Old Continent, as well as in the US. And we're here to focus (no pun intended) on what Hennessey Performance has to offer for the manic hatch.
Hennessey HPE400 Focus RS Dyno Testing 5 photos
Photo: YouTube screenshot
Hennessey HPE400 Focus RS Dyno TestingHennessey HPE400 Focus RS Dyno TestingHennessey HPE400 Focus RS Dyno TestingHennessey HPE400 Focus RS Dyno Testing
The Texan developer announced its 400 hp 2016 Focus RS earlier this year and now the dyno video has landed. You don't need to be a car aficionado to notice the rear wheels of the hot hatch aren't spinning, which might seem curious given the all-wheel-drive nature of the RS.

However, we have seen this sort of Focus RS dyno procedure before, with tuners disconnecting the rear diff to help reduce the drivetrain loss.

Regardless, the 2.3-liter EcoBoost turbo-four under the hood now delivers 326 hp and 382 lb-ft of twist at the wheels - the dyno charts in the clip also allow you to check out the stock performance of the Blue Oval machine.

On the Hennessey Performance website, the specialist mentions an output of 388 hp and 445 lb-ft at the crank, but, given the dyno figures mentioned above, we're not sure the crank numbers are met.

All in all, the 400 badge, which would lead one to believe this is a 400 crank hp hot hatchback, seems somewhat forced.

Then again, it would've been odd for Hennessey to extract 400 ponies out of the EcoBoost engine of the Focus RS using just an ECU remap, since that's what the $695 kit involves.

For the record, most tuners out there explain they've pushed the spicy Ford to 375 hp using engine management system upgrades.

We haven't forgotten Hennessey's 500 hp Ford Focus RS promise

Earlier this year, the Lone Star State developer promised it would deliver a 500 hp Ford Focus RS - it was late June when Hennessey tweeted on the matter, but we haven't heard anything about the monstrous upgrade ever since.

And while we're waiting for the company to deliver, here's the front-wheel-drive dyno video we discussed above.

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About the author: Andrei Tutu
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In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist.
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