2003 Ford Focus RS – Auction Car of the Week

Most manufacturers have made some damn good money out of building hot versions of their otherwise normal cars. Volkswagen of course, with the Golf GTi amongst others. Vauxhall, Audi, Citroën, Fiat the list goes on. There is, however, one undisputed king of the hot version, and that’s Ford. Ford, via the likes of Mexico models, Rallye Sport models and of course, the mighty Cosworth models has made a name for itself as a harbinger of speed. A case in point would be the Ford Focus RS Mk1. A car that turns twenty years-old this year. Twenty. Where did that go?

There was a lot of pressure on the Ford Focus RS. Ford hadn’t had a wild outing since the Escort RS Cosworth of the 1990s, so if it was going to return and dominate then its new offering would have to blow socks off. Happily for Ford, this was achievable. It already had the class-leading Focus under its belt. And while the relationship with Cosworth might not have been what it once was, Ford still knew how to build a hot engine. So that’s what it did. Ford took a 2.0 turbocharged Duratec, turned it up to 212bhp and with it, a legend was born.

Interestingly, Ford put a lot of faith in both the chassis of the Focus and in Quaife, a Kent-based driveline specialist. How much faith? The Ford Focus RS was front-wheel drive, not four. This seemed a bit backwards when you consider the dominance of the all-wheel drive Cosworths before it. However, Quaife’s clever torque-biasing, limited-slip differential meant the RS would go, by and large, where you pointed it. It wasn’t perfect, in fact it would build up your biceps in days as you got familiar with the steering wheel fighting you. But that fight was evidence of every pony making it to the ground.

The Ford Focus RS would go on to become a legend. Only built for a few years, it flew out of showrooms. It also flew through stages of the rallying world with people like Colin McRae behind the wheel (and on its roof). It was a fast, exciting, powerful, immersive machine to engage with. And it had a factory-fit push-button start. As with any hot hatch, prices did dip, but now they’re on the up and as such, an auction is the right place to find one. This one, in fact.

This 2003 Ford Focus RS comes from the launch year, and while it has been breathed on thanks to a bigger turbo from Turbo Technics, a huge front-mount Airtec intercooler and aftermarket hoses, it wouldn’t take much to put it back to stock. Though why would you want to? We like the subtle Turbo Technics badge, and as pairings go, there are few stronger than TT and Ford. Plus, this 2003 Ford Focus RS looks pretty much stock. The tweaks have been used to enhance driver enjoyment. The previous owner clearly knew and respected the fact Ford’s designers nailed it with this one. Bidding is open right now, so get tippy tapping. If you want a good, usable, but slightly quicker Focus RS, this has to be it.