BUYER’S GUIDE FOCUS RS500 S500. The most evocative buy. As the pinnacle of the Mk2 numbered plaque. name in the fast Ford Focus RS development, the 500 is True to its name, 500 examples world. The ultimate RS. the one to have. of Ford’s finest Focus were HOW MUCH The brand that means The Focus RS500 was launched offered for sale to the public, R rarity, maximum performance and at the Leipzig Motor Show on 9 across 20 European markets; the TO PAY £35,000 TO £40,000 pure investment potential. April 2010. A celebration to signify UK received 101. Thanks to the BUYER’S GUIDE There’s not much dross in the Everyone knows RS500 equals the end of Mk2 RS production, the hype of Nurburgring testing by RS500 world, but this is where expensive, and the Focus-based RS500 was factory-tuned from the TeamRS and a dedicated website, you’ll find it. A scruffy high- version is quickly catching its regular RS’s 301bhp to 346bhp. the RS500 sold out within hours. mileage (around 50,000) car or insurance write-off will be here, Sierra RS500 predecessor. Okay, More exclusively, each RS500 And from there the interest as will an unwrapped, over- the Focus RS500 was more was painted Panther Black, coated rocketed, with prices of even the modified machine. limited-edition run-out model in a satin-black 3M wrap. The tattiest used examples higher than motorsport homologation standard 19in RS rims were also today than they were when new. £40,000 TO £50,000 Most RS500s are prized FOCUS RS500 special, but that hasn’t stopped it black-painted, and the interior If there’s an RS500-shaped hole possessions residing in heated Words: Dan Williamson Photos: Matt Woods from becoming one of the most gained a carbon-look centre in your garage, you need to act garages, and you’ll need to desirable Blue Ovals money can console insert with individually- fast. Here’s how to buy one. find at least 40 big ones to get your hands on a tidy car worth treasuring. £50,000 TO £60,000 A sub-10,000-mile machine will “As the pinnacle of the set you back £50k. A 30-mile RS500 without sat nav recently Mk2 Focus RS sold for £60,000. development, the 500 WHERE TO BUY ONE is the one to have” RS500s don’t turn up every day. And when they do, there’s usually a queue of wealthy punters lining up to look. To bag yours, you’ve two real options. The first is to befriend as many RS500 enthusiasts as possible. Join the owners’ clubs, use the forums and social media, and you’ll eventually hear when a car is coming up for sale. The other is to keep your eye on specialist dealers, none more so than RS Direct, which, over the years, has had more than half the UK’s allocation of RS500s through its doors. RS Direct boss Adrian Thompson says, “Most people come to us to buy or sell an RS500. If I took the number of everyone who wants one, I’d have a waiting list of 50. We’ve just had a 2000-mile RS500 and sold it in minutes.” INSURANCE COSTS It almost goes without saying, but a Focus RS500 isn’t the sort of car you insure by phoning a camp bald bloke wiggling his silicone-stuffed backside around on TV adverts. A vehicle of this price, rarity and performance needs a broker who’s not just familiar with specialist cars, but in particular accustomed to the buoyant market for desirable Blue Ovals. Essentially, that means seeking out one of the firms that advertises in Fast Ford, or joining the RS Owners’ Club and bagging a policy through one of VITAL STATS its accredited schemes. MADE 2010 Crucially, you’ll need to ensure PRICE WHEN NEW £35,450 your insurer understands an PRICE NOW £30,000 to £60,000 RS500 isn’t a regular RS and TOP SPEED 165mph offers a suitable agreed-value POWER 346bhp @ 6400rpm policy with limited-mileage TORQUE 339lb.ft @ 2500-4500rpm discount. And don’t forget to 0-60 5.4 seconds increase the insured sum NUMBER BUILT 500 (101 UK sales); every year. 12-or-so pre-production/press cars 74 FAST FORD FAST FORD 75 BUYER’S GUIDE FOCUS RS500 The RS500 takes the standard RS’s 301bhp and beefs it up to TECH SPEC a much meaner 346bhp BRAKES ENGINE Fabulous brakes came as 2522cc, in-line five-cylinder, standard on the Focus RS, and 20-valve, DOHC Duratec with the RS500 used exactly the alloy block and head, forged same setup but for red-painted crankshaft and connecting calipers. Collins Performance rods, graphite-coated piston retains the OE kit even on highly- sleeves, 8.5:1 compression tuned cars, but don’t expect ratio, toothed belt drive, Ti-VCT them to last long. They’re also (twin independent variable particularly pricey – you’ll get no cam timing), Borg Warner change from £600 for off-the- K16 turbocharger, enlarged shelf Ford front discs and pads intercooler, sequential – so make sure there’s plenty electronic fuel injection, of meat left on your potential uprated fuel pump, Bosch purchase’s stoppers, and watch ME 9.0 ECU, enlarged airbox, out for brake judder on the test larger-diameter downpipe, drive. software remap. Some cars have been TRANSMISSION upgraded with expensive AP Front-wheel drive with Getrag discs and calipers, but don’t Ford Durashift M66 six-speed forget anything non-standard manual gearbox, Quaife could adversely affect an RS500’s automatic torque biasing eventual value. That said, Ferodo (ATB) limited-slip differential, DS2500 pads mated to stock uprated driveshafts, 240mm discs are highly-rated among clutch. those who like to drive their cars BRAKES hard, and no one will notice the 336mm ventilated discs difference from a cursory glance. (front), 300mm ventilated discs (rear), red-painted callipers, ABS with electronic brake force distribution (EBD). SUSPENSION MacPherson struts, gas-filled SUSPENSION dampers, coil springs, 24mm Like the Mk2 RS on which it was anti-roll bar, RevoKnuckle with based, the RS500’s suspension fixed mount to anti-roll bar is phenomenal, with negligible (front), independent short-long issues. arm control blade multi-link Key to the car’s fabulous system, gas-filled dampers, handling is the funky coil springs, 24mm anti-roll RevoKnuckle front end, which bar (rear), 40mm wider track, keeps the tyres in contact with electronic stability programme the road – resulting in very (ESP) and Traction Assist (TA). heavy tyre wear when driven WHEELS AND TYRES Stock brakes are great, but pricey to replace hard. The rubber remains intact 8.5x19in 15-spoke RS alloys so ensure there’s some life left in them when pottering around, but in metallic Panther Black and expect to kill tyres within a few Continental 235/35x18 tyres. thousand miles if you enjoy the INTERIOR Retaining stock parts, such as car’s performance. Check the Recaro front seats with partial- the original exhaust system, tyres’ inner edges very carefully leather trim, three-spoke will help retain future values ENGINE (preferably from underneath RS steering wheel with red the car), stick with the RS500’s stitching, angled dashboard Essentially a regular five-cylinder Volvo- factory-recommended gauges, carbon-look made Mk2 RS engine boasting Mountune Continental ContiSportContact dashboard trim, individually- MP350 goodies, the RS500’s 346bhp unit 3s, and ensure the geometry is numbered hand-engraved is, according to Gary Lendon at Collins set spot-on. plaque on centre console, Performance, bulletproof. The MP350 kit Front arm bushes are prone aluminium gearknob and included bigger intercooler (twice the size to failing rapidly (polyurethane pedals, red stitching on gear of standard), larger airbox (here wearing replacements are cost-effective lever gaiter and door trims, RS500 badge), uprated fuel pump (6 bar and also help the handling), and black headlining, dual-zone rather than 4, a special Bosch in-tank part it’s not unusual to hear annoying climate control, auto-dim that costs £1800 to replace, available only squeaks and rattles. Most rear-view mirror, tyre deflation from Ford), enlarged exhaust downpipe common are clonks from beneath detection, key-free system, and mild ECU remap (most of the extra the boot, caused by perished Sony six-disc audio system power was thanks to the fuel pump). anti-roll bar drop link bushes; with Bluetooth voice control The downpipe is nothing special, so a the RS’s rear end is Kuga-based and USB port, floor mats with Mongoose 3in system makes sense – but but with an uprated anti-roll bar, red stitching. Optional touch- make sure the stock exhaust is included which makes the drop links sit screen DVD navigation/audio when you buy, in order to retain future at an awkward angle. Adaptors system and red-leather Recaro value. are available to reposition them front seats/black leather rear Regular care is all the RS500’s vertically. bench (Europe only). powerplant needs: a service every EXTERIOR year/12,000 miles, auxiliary belts at Three-door Focus hatchback 60,000, and cambelt at 100k (not that body with wider wheelarches, RS500s are being driven so much). RS bodykit including front Interestingly, some RSs run better after a bumper with fog lights and cambelt swap, with Collins noticing slight piano black mesh grille, timing discrepancies from the factory. deeper side skirts and rear Check the oil regularly – a bad RS can bumper, black WRC-style TRANSMISSION burn a litre every 3000 miles, while some roof spoiler, chromed xenon owners have reported leaks from the oil headlamps, bonnet vents, The RS500 used the stock Mk2 RS transmission, with a six-speed Getrag Ford Durashift M66 gearbox and Quaife ATB limited-slip differential.