Focus rs turbo axed

[auzvectra]

fords poket rocket aimed at our beloved sri-t's has been axed, no idea why but!

[Nem]

Havent found much about it except:


Ford Wields The Axe On Focus RS

There will be no Focus RS - that's the shocking news from Ford. Sources close to the project have confirmed the hot hatch has been quietly shelved. The moneymen reckon the manufacturer's current financial problems, coupled with the RS's high development costs, made further work unrealistic.

The dramatic move is a blow to fast Ford enthusiasts in the UK -a key market for the firm's performance models. They're still reeling from the scrapping of the Fiesta RS project last year. The decision means the ST badge will be Ford's current sporting flagship.

The RS, which was expected to have made its debut in 2007, would have used a turbocharged version of Volvo's new all-alloy 3.2-litre straight-six motor. It's understood Jost Capito, head of Ford Motorsport, was keen to tune the Focus

RS's engine to around 350bhp - more than the current BMW M3 - for an anticipated four-second sprint from 0-60mph and a top speed electronically limited to 155mph. To lay down this massive power, the RS would have borrowed the Volvo S40's all-wheel-drive layout.

Ford never officially declared it would develop a follow-up to the original Focus RS - launched in 2002 - but it was always on the cards. Internally, the project is simply on the back-burner and could be revived - but Auto Express has been told there are no plans for that to happen. A spokeswoman said: "At the moment, our priority is a wider range of products with broader appeal, such as the SAV concept and a new Ka. A more performance-oriented car like the proposed Focus RS would be developed only once these were established."

Article from: Auto Express

Cheers
Ben

[rjastra]

That's because its been replaced with the Focus ST... get with the plan.
It has the turbo 5 cylinder from the Volvo S40.

This is the true competitor to the Astra SriT/VXr.

[Namus]

haha lol....should be interesting to see how this pans out

[zoidberg]

my mate works for ford, he says that the new focus ST will be badge as an FPV......can i hear HSV SRi anyone :D

[Nem]

That's because its been replaced with the Focus ST... get with the plan.
It has the turbo 5 cylinder from the Volvo S40.
I think that you'll find that the RS was a WRC rally bred concept AWD vehicle whereas the ST is still a front wheel drive performance automobile?

Rumour that was floating about:


Ford is rumoured to be considering a 350bhp, four-wheel-drive, six-cylinder turbocharged proposal for the next-generation Focus RS. Right now the Blue Oval’s executives at the company’s headquarters in Cologne, Germany are considering a plan to fit Ford’s new flagship hot hatch, due out in 2007, with a new turbocharged in-line six-cylinder engine.

The advanced powerplant (right) has been developed by Volvo as a replacement for the Swedish car maker’s current six-cylinder engine, and is planned to make its debut in the new S80 due out next June.

Conceived for both transverse and longitudinal applications, the four-valve-per-cylinder unit is based around a die-cast aluminium cylinder block for an all-up weight of 180kg. It is also claimed to be 1mm shorter than Volvo’s five-cylinder engine – a feature that makes it suitable for a whole range of different models, including the new Focus RS.

Three different versions of the engine are planned: a base naturally aspirated 3.2-litre and a pair of performance-oriented turbocharged 3.0-litre units. The former receives variable cam timing (VCT) on the inlet valves, with the latter two adopting a system operating both the inlet and exhaust valves as well as a variable-vane Garrett turbocharger.

In 3.2-litre guise, the new six-cylinder produces 235bhp at 6000rpm along with 236lb ft of torque at 3500rpm – an increase of 38bhp and 26lb ft over Volvo’s current 2.9-litre engine. The turbocharged units deliver 285bhp and 295lb ft in light-pressure guise, with the high-pressure unit pumping out a BMW M3-beating 350bhp and 332lb ft.

It’s this latter specification that Ford’s Motorsport boss, Jost Capito, may use to thrust the Blue Oval back to the very top of the European hot-hatch ranks. If Ford’s plans come to fruition, the new RS will boast a whopping 133bhp and 96lb ft more than the upcoming Focus ST, whose turbocharged 2.5-litre five-cylinder engine generates 217bhp along with 236lb ft of torque.

Unlike the front-wheel-drive ST, the new RS is being developed around new four-wheel-drive underpinnings. This promises to endow it with spectacular levels of grip and traction. One problem, however, is the lack of a suitable six-speed manual transmission for the new car. The gearbox in the Mondeo ST TDCi is rated to 295lb ft, although insiders say measures are being taken to upgrade it for use in performance-oriented Volvos.

[rjastra]

Rumour that was floating about:

Sounds like more pie in the sky than a valid rumour.

Turbo 6, AWD etc etc... can you imagine the price?? These uber-expensive bread and butter based hatches rarely sell in the numbers expected. And they practically never live up to the hype.

Golf R32, Alfa GTA etc etc... once the initial excitement wears off it is usually found that they are majorly flawed in some respect.

The only one that has recently hit the mark was the phase2 Clio V6 255.