Ask any blue-blooded gearhead what hot hatch they’d like to see make a return to the U.S., and the Ford Focus RS is bound to top their list. The Focus got a facelift that was revealed in China this February looking strikingly identical to its Europe-focused cousin except for mild styling differences. The Chinese market got the model in hatchback and sedan body styles, both eschewing the electric bandwagon in favor of a four-cylinder petrol engine.

While the Focus nameplate entered its fourth generation in 2018 after debuting in China and Germany, the Blue Oval confirmed we won’t be seeing a Focus RS model, thanks to pan-European emissions standards and high development costs. So, the third-gen Focus RS marked its end. The model ran on the philosophy of practicality and performance with a purse-friendly price tag.

Before it was all over, Ford unveiled a UK-only goodbye edition called Heritage Edition, dressed in a special Deep Orange color, with the Quaife LSD and Mountune FPM 375 package tagging along to raise the power from 350 to 380 horsepower. Ford only built fifty examples of the tribute Heritage Edition, each costing around $8,000 more than the regular UK Focus RS. Let’s look through the RS lineage.

Related: Ford Focus RS: Costs, Facts, And Figures

The Ford Focus RS 2002 – 2003

2002 Ford Focus RS
Ford

In 2002, Ford went balls to the wall and introduced a Europe-focused high-performance RS version of the Focus. In case you don't already know, the 'RS' badge on a Ford stands for Rallye Sport, born at the knee of the marque’s TeamRS that took over where Ford Special Vehicle Engineering stopped. So, the RS is synonymous with motorsport.

It was the right move because the 2002 Ford Focus RS shook up the hot-hatch segment. The idea of the RS came from the shortcomings of the existing street-legal ST version. The ST was good enough but not nearly satisfyingly close to what the Blue Oval had going in the World Rally Championship. The automaker knew the platform could offer a lot more than the ST version was offering and tasked its racing department to come up with what ended up as the RS, rocking Brembo brakes, OZ wheels, and Sparco seats.

It was essentially a stripped and rebuilt Focus, with a special front bumper, enlarged wheel arches, roof wing, round-tipped exhaust, and that RS badge slapped on the rear. It relied on a turbocharged 2.0-liter engine for power, churning out 215 horses that, unfortunately, couldn’t rival the Ford Escort RS. Inside, you get those high-backed Sparco bucket seats and an additional cluster with three big gauges atop the dashboard. Remarkably, these model years Focus RS didn’t get white dials on the instrument panel.

The Ford Focus RS 2008 – 2011

White 2009 Ford Focus RS
Via Ford

For the 2008 model year, the Ford Focus RS countered the long-held theory that an FWD with more than 200 horsepower can’t escape torque-steer maladies. If you’re wondering what that means, torque steer refers to a situation where the engine torque influences the car’s steering such that the drive wheels veer to either side upon acceleration.

Well, the 3-door FWD 2008 Ford Focus RS didn’t have this problem, thanks to the new RevoKnuckle front suspension system and limited-slip Quaife differential that reduced torque steer. This model year RS Focus got major revisions compared to other versions of the car, from the exterior to the interior. It got a bigger front bumper and air scoop plus a new spoiler, among other exterior updates such as a massive rear wing, side sills, and air vents on the fenders and hood.

The additions made it immediately clear, even to none car people, that this was an unusual Focus. It didn't just look aggressive; it acted like one too, taking on the Nürburgring Nordschleife in 8m 26 seconds, an impressive feat for that time. It got power from a 2.5-liter Turbocharged Multipoint Injection engine producing 305 horsepower at 6,500 rpm and 325.5 lb-ft of torque at 2,300 – 4,500 rpm.

Related: Here's Why The Focus RS Is The Best Affordable Supercar Slayer (And Why We'd Rather Have The Golf R)

The Ford Focus RS 2016 – Present

2016-Ford-Focus-RS-001-1600
source: wsupercars

The RS made a spectacular debut at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show, rocking a profile that reminded everyone Ford once ruled the World Rally Championship driven to glory by the 5th-gen Ford Escort RS Cosworth. It ultimately reminded folks who may have forgotten that it was no newcomer to the performance hatchback segment. With its massive front bumpers, rear wing, and vents on the rear end, you might as well be looking at an attack dog.

The roof spoiler (permit us to call it that) helped ensure the new Focus RS delivered a nada lift on aerodynamic forces. The thing on the liftgate wasn't just ornamental. For propulsion, the 2016 Ford Focus RS relied on a turbocharged direct injection 2.3-liter EcoBoost 6MT engine producing 350 horsepower at 6,000 rpm delivered to all four wheels.

Yes, the model featured the Ford Performance AWD system tied to a 6-speed manual transmission and brought to a halt by 13.7 and 11.9-inch front and rear brake discs. This was a tuned AWD system ensuring ultimate grip and lateral acceleration exceeding 1 g.

Ford Focus RS Special Editions

2018 Ford Focus RS Heritage Edition orange
via Ford Performance

As the end of its third generation drew closer to the end, Ford stitched together a mildly updated Focus RS hatchback to build momentum for the 2018 model year. “Our Ford Performance engineers have delivered a drivetrain capable of wringing every drop of performance from the engine,” said Ford’s chief engineer Jamal Hameedi. Only 1,500 units of the 2018 Limited Edition Focus RS got slated for production, with 500 out of the 1,000 going to Canada, while the U.S. pounced on the remainder.

Based on the RS2 package, the Limited Edition RS offered gearheads the last chance to snag the 3rd-gen Focus RS. To improve the ride quality, Ford grafted in a Quaife mechanical limited-slip differential for the front axle to control torque to each front wheel and enhance the performance-AWD, drive modes, and electronic torque vectoring.

The 2.3-liter EcoBoost 4-cylinder engine was good for 350 horsepower. As mentioned earlier, the UK-only Heritage Edition Ford Focus RS launched in 2018 with just 50 units of the bright orange hatchback produced to mark the end of Mk3 Focus RS production. It featured a Quaife ATB Differential, with its brake-horsepower raised to 370 via a dealer-installed ‘FPM375’ Mountune upgrade.