Warley, Essex - A new series of videos from Ford tells the story of how the new all-wheel drive Focus RS was developed.
The new RS, due in South Africa during the first half of 2016, has a specially uprated version of Ford's new 2.3-litre EcoBoost engine that's rated at 258kW driving all four wheels, taking it from 0-100km/h in 4.7 seconds - and this is the story of 'how they did it'.
The series of eight short videos is called 'Rebirth of an icon'. It follows RS consultant and gymkhana star Ken Block and Ford global development vice-president Raj Nair from the design studio to the crash lab, from the heat of Arizona to the icy wastes of the Arctic, as Ford Performance and test drivers test the development mules to their limits - and beyond.
Episode 1: Project kick-off- Ken Block and Raj Nair debate what the car should deliver, from behind the wheel of an early prototype.
Episode 2: Design and development- Crunching crashes put the new design to the toughest of tests.
Episode 3: Hitting the road- A 1600km drive through epic terrain takes prototypes from high in the Rocky Mountains to the Arizona desert.
Episode 4: Test-track trials- Block heads for Ford's top-secret test facility, and indulges in some "hooning".
Episode 5: Arctic extremes- Winter testing in Sweden, and the team is under pressure to improve performance.
Episode 6: Power struggle- It's all about performance, as the Ford manufacturing plant in Saarlouis, Germany, gears up for production.
Episode 7: Close scrutiny- The day of the critical sign-off drive follows Block's headline appearance at the Goodwood Festival of Speed
Episode 8: Final chapter- It's time for the nail-biting management review\