Remember the pair of 400hp RS50s that went under the hammer? They’ve been sold…
UPDATE – 14.02.2019
The pair of RS50 EVOs that were put on sale earlier this month have now been sold for £83,000 a piece. Yes, that’s two grand less than the reserve – apparently, the number having been reduced when two private buyers – rather than profit-focused companies – approached dealership Trust Ford, so it let them go to good homes at a slight discount.
Still, even with the saving, the cars remain only a few hundred pounds cheaper than the McLaren MP4-12Cs advertised on the classifieds. Cue the ‘here’s what else you could have bought’ recommendations…
ORIGINAL STORY – 25.01.2019
Few people know about the Focus RS50 EVOs that were commissioned by Ford and produced by Mountune to celebrate 50 years of Rallye Sport because, well, only three were ever made – and none went on sale. That is until now, as TrustFord is taking applications for two cars until January 31st, before each will open for bidding with a reserve of £85,000.
No, that’s not a typo; the reserve figure for each of these four-cylinder Focuses is about the same price as a new Carrera T. Bonkers. But the two cars do, at least, come with the most potent officially sanctioned setup ever used in a Mk3. Mountune has uprated their 2.3-litre EcoBoost powertrains with its M400 package, which, as the name suggests, gives the RS50 400hp, making it 50hp more powerful than the regular model.
To achieve that, the RS50’s induction system, turbo and intercooler were upgraded, along with its internals including forged pistons and new steel rods. The more powerful engine breathes through Mountune’s three-inch exhaust system, complete with a freer flowing 200-cell catalytic converter, while the six-speed gearbox it’s mated to sports a Mountune short shift arm to reduce lever throw by 20 per cent. Racey.
Mountune also fitted each RS50 with DCC adjustable coilovers, braided brake lines and lightweight calipers, as well as stiffer anti-roll bars to boost handling and agility. There’s a carbon fibre rear wing and RS50 decals on each car, too, which signify its role as the most extreme iteration of Focus RS.
Are they really worth a minimum of £85k, though? Most definitely not, if you do your measuring in material value only. If you take into account the rareness of these cars, added to their positioning as the ultimate version of the Mk3 super-hatch, then maybe, just maybe, things make more sense. There are delivery miles Heritage Editions – of which 50 were sold in Britain – on the classifieds for over sixty grand, after all. Thankfully for the rest of us, there’s no shortage of healthy-looking used RSs for less than half that.
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