Chasing the lineage of the Ford Focus RS

10 August, 2016

Ford has released the latest in a long line of gravel- and track-bred monsters in the form of the brand-new Focus RS. The Focus has been built up by the PlayStation generation more than any car in recent history. One of the reasons for this may be Ford’s relationship with YouTube star, driving genius, and all-round good guy Mr Ken Block. If you’re unfamiliar with Block’s work, check out our coverage of the guy here. I guarantee you’ll be in awe of his skill. It will also give you some understanding as to what this new Focus is all about.

We were put in touch with the New Zealand RS Owners Club and pitched the idea of exploring the lineage of the RS, and suggested a few of its members might be able to come and meet us for a photo shoot and a chat about their cars. Instead, the club kindly put us in touch with a Ford collector who fit the bill perfectly and we jumped at the chance to spend some time with these cars. Here’s an RS gallery to explore, but to get the full review, check out the September issue of New Zealand Classic Car.


Motorman – advancing the skills

Of course we are all great drivers — definitely above average — until we find out we aren’t. And finding out in a safe way is clearly the major benefit of driver training and why almost all of us who use motor vehicles should experience it.
Driver training applies to all types of cars and commercial vehicles and logically it is even more applicable to high-performance specialist machines — at least for their drivers and passengers — and, of course, if you are not exploiting or understanding the abilities of your car you are not making the most of it.
When I attended the Porsche Experience Driving Centre in Australia more than 20 years ago, one participant told me, “I’ve had my Porsche parked in the garage for several years and have never known how to use it properly — until now.”