The current-generation Ford Focus RS has enjoyed an eventful life since it was unveiled at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show. But like all good things, the Focus RS’s time in the sun is about to end. Weep not, though, dear friends, because Ford is giving the hot hatch the proper swan song with the release of the Focus RS Heritage Edition. Limited to just 50 units, the Focus RS Heritage doesn’t dabble in the subtleties. It’s got enough goodies and equipment to make even hardened hot hatch fans tremble in excitement. And, if that little tease isn’t enough to persuade you, maybe the hatch’s bright orange exterior will do the trick.

2018 The Focus RS Heritage Edition is Here to Bid Farewell to the Current Generation

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April 6, 2018. That’s the date the final MkIII Ford Focus RS will roll out of the production facility in Germany. When that day comes, we can officially say goodbye to the hoonigan hot hatch. Fortunately, we still have a little over a month before that date so we might as well celebrate the release of the Heritage Edition. We don’t know when the next-gen Focus RS will arrive, but you can bet it’s not going to be for another few years.

The Focus RS Heritage Edition is hard to miss. That’s usually what happens when a car — any car — comes with a Deep Orange paint finish. In addition to its attention-grabbing color, the RS Heritage Edition also features contrasting black door mirrors, a black rear spoiler, and grey brake calipers peaking from behind the black forged alloy wheels. Step inside the interior of the hot hatch, and you’ll be welcomed by part-leather Recaro seats, a heated steering wheel, and privacy glass for those moments where you want some, well, privacy. Stare up at the roof, and you’ll see a nice sunroof that’s also included in the package.

As splashy as these upgrades are, they’re not the headline acts of the Focus RS Heritage Edition. Those distinctions belong to the FPM Mountune power upgrade and the front mechanical Quaife limited-slip differential. The former is made up of a high-flow induction kit and uprated turbo re-circulating and calibration, helping the hot hatch’s 2.3-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine increase its output from 350 horsepower to a mouth-watering 375 ponies. Torque numbers also increased from 347 pound-feet to 377 pound-feet, enough to help the Focus RS Heritage Edition accelerate off the line an orange-clad speedster. Ford also focused on improving the hot hatch’s driving experience. That’s where the front mechanical Quaife limited-slip differential comes into the picture.

Overall, the Ford Focus RS Heritage Edition is a fitting send-off special edition model for a hot hatch that has made many of us squeal in delight while driving it. It seems unfair to think that the next installment of this fiery pocket rocket has no timetable yet, but that’s the nature of the beast. There have been rumors that the RS will make a comeback on the fourth-generation Focus, but we’re not going to get our hopes up this early. The potential for disappointment is there.

For now, let’s celebrate what the MkIII Ford Focus RS meant to all of us. It was the first hot hath to have its very own drift mode, and anybody who has ever gotten to try it out will attest to its pee-inducing capabilities. So if you’re ready to say goodbye to the current-generation Focus RS, there’s no better way to say adieu than to make a run at one of the 50 Focus RS Heritage models that Ford is rolling out. It doesn’t come cheap — price is at £39,895 ($56,000) — but that’s the price you have to pay for a chance to own a future collectible, even if it’s dressed up in a color that would make the sun turn its head around.

References

Ford Focus RS

Read our full review on the 2017 Ford Focus RS.

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