Ford working on lightweight Focus RS Clubsport, next Focus RS to get EcoBoost

We’ve always felt deprived of FoMoCo’s hot hatchback in the United States and now it seems like Ford is just rubbing it in our faces. According to latest rumors out of Europe, to bid farewell to the current Focus RS, Ford is planning a special-edition stripped-out Clubsport RS and a brand new RS based on the 2012 Ford Focus recently unveiled at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show.

The Ford Focus RS Clubsport will make its debut towards the end of the year. Production will be limited to just 500 units with power coming from an uprated 2.5L 5-cylinder turbo making 350-hp. Ford will also strip the hatch to cut weight with new lightweight racing seats and a bunch of carbon fiber. With a lowered and stiffer suspension, the Ford Focus RS Clubsport should go from 0-60 mph in 5 seconds flat.

An all new RS is in the works and sources say that model will drop the current 2.5L 5-cylinder turbo for a new 2.0L EcoBoost direct-injection that will produce close to 300-hp. 0-60 will come in the mid 5-second range with a top speed limited to 155 mph. The next-generation RS is also rumored to get a stop-start system, brake energy recovery and a dual-clutch Powershift box.

Jealous? Yup – so are we.

Click here to see the 2009 Ford Focus RS in action.

2009 Ford Focus RS:

2009 Ford Focus RS

– By: Kap Shah

Source: AutoExpress