Daily News: Monday 2/19/18

Ford Ending Focus RS Production: UK Gets Final Send-Off Edition

While it may not seem like it, Ford’s Focus hatchback is a veritable grandpa, having debuted all the way back in 2011. Despite this, we did not get the penultimate Focus until 2016, deep into the Focus’s lifecycle. Now, Ford is releasing a new Focus for the next year, and as such is bringing Focus RS production to an end on April 6th.

To send off the Focus RS, celebrate 50 years of RS heritage (through the Escort), and provide a nod to the fast-Ford-hungry U.K. market, Ford has announced that the last 50 right-hand drive Focus RS’s will be produced to ‘Heritage Edition’ specification. To make a ‘Heritage Edition’ RS, Ford coats the exterior in Tief (Deep) Orange paint, paints the wing and mirrors gloss black, and equips the car with forged black wheels.

Mechanically, Ford upgrades these last 50 models by sending them to Mountune, where they receive induction and ECU upgrades boosting power over 370hp, as well as a Quaife mechanical front differential.

If you live in the U.K., feel free to call your Ford dealer to try and snag one. If you want one in the U.S., you are out of luck. The Focus RS Race Red Edition available here has many of the same mechanical upgrades, yet lacks that awesome Tief Orange.