Ford understand the reverence in which the RS badge is held and set out to make the Mk3 Focus RS the ultimate fast Ford. As soon as the first magazine road tests were published it was clear that they had achieved their goal. It had performance that could humble supercars costing twice as much yet it remained a practical 5-door hatchback that could easily be used as an everyday car. Highlights included four-wheel drive, launch control and a drift mode that created an internet sensation just after the car was launched in 2016 as stunt drivers and journalists battled to see who could drift a standard Focus RS in the most spectacular manner.

The resultant ebullient press coverage and bargain launch price of £31,000 meant the RS practically sold itself and was an instant classic. The car modelled was the first right-hand-drive example in the UK. Top Gear Magazine followed its production at the Saarlouis plant in Germany and their Journalists Ollie Marriage and Rowan Horncastle then drove it off the production line and back to the UK. It was subsequently road tested by Autocar, Piston Heads, Evo Magazine and many others. Most famously, however, it was the car Jeremy Clarkson chased Richard Hammond™s new right-hand-drive Ford Mustang with during Series 1, Episode 6, of The Grand Tour™. It has been retained by Ford and is one of the best-known cars in the company™s heritage collection. 

Engine: 2261cc, 4IL, DOHC turbocharged

Power: 345bhp at 6000rpm

Torque: 325lb ft at 2000-4500rpm

0-62mph: 4.7sec

Top speed: 165mph

Kerb weight: 1599kg