Ford listens to The Internet, creates small run of limited-slip diff equipped, red and blue RSs

Reading comments on The Internet isn’t really advisable and brings its own inherent danger. Ford, however, has thrown caution to the wind and listened to the forum chatter and online response to the Ford Focus RS to create a run of limited edition hot hatches.

And the headline news is thus: the 2018 Ford Focus RS will be fitted with a proper, mechanical Quaife limited slip differential.

Apparently, Ford analysed what its hot hatch fans were crying out for, and the mechanical LSD was a common request. So in it goes on the front axle, to help limit engine torque on the wheel with less traction, and transfer it to the wheel with the most grip. Bingo – now you can go apex hunting.

“Improving on the thrilling driving dynamics of the Ford Focus RS is no small task,” explains Ford Performance’s chief engineer Jamal Hameedi, “but our Ford Performance engineers have delivered a drivetrain capable of wringing every drop of performance from the engine.”

The engine output remains the same – so 350bhp from a 2.3-litre, turbocharged four-cylinder – together with a six-speed manual and all-wheel-drive (the rear gets a special electronically controlled pair of clutch packs) with a rear-bias. The 0-62mph time is still pegged at 4.7s, which is plenty fast enough thank you.

Elsewhere, these special edition Ford Focus RS models get gloss black roofs and mirror caps, a gloss black finish on the spoiler (and blue RS logos on the wings), standard 19in black forged alloys, and the option of red or blue.

Inside, all the equipment from the RS2 pack is standard – black leather heated Recaros, a heated steering wheel, voice-activated sat nav, and carbon fibre surrounds for the door handles, handbrake and turbo boost gauge.

Now for the bad news – only 1,500 of these special, LSD-equipped Focus RSs will be built, with 1,000 heading to the United States, and 500 to Canada, marking the end of the car’s run in North America.

Any folks on this side of the pond fancy a limited slip diff in their prospective Focus RS?

Ford to Import Next-Generation Focus Compact Car to U.S. From China

The auto maker scraps plans to build Focus in Mexico amid Nafta debate

June 20, 2017 9:56 a.m. ET

Ford Motor Co. will begin importing Focus compact cars from China in the second half of 2019, scrapping earlier plans to build the small-car model in Mexico amid a push by President Donald Trump to drastically alter the North American Free Trade Agreement.

The company said Tuesday the Focus, which is now built at an assembly plant in Michigan, will also be imported from Europe, but most new models sold in North American will initially come from China.

The move is expected to save Ford $500 million annually and comes as the No. 2 U.S. car maker is looking for ways to boost profits on its passenger-car lineup as low gasoline prices fuel a shift in consumer demand to larger SUVs and trucks.

You can now have a Ken Block-style rally handbrake in your Focus RS. Careful, now

First Ford launched its fastest Focus, the 345bhp RS, with a Drift Mode. The performance car world rejoiced, and the YouTube servers were bulked up in preparation for copious videos involving ditch and lamppost interfaces.

And now, we have the Drift Stick. It’s described as “the first-ever, rally-inspired electronic handbrake, developed and designed for Focus RS and approved by rally and stunt star Ken Block.”

If that’s not asking for trouble, we don’t know what is. Ford says it’s for track use only, but it says the same thing about the looser ESP modes of the standard RS.

Of course, the potential for fun is off the scale. Drift Stick is the end product of something called ‘Project Wicked Stick’, and is an offshoot of the development of Drift Mode.

It’s an aluminum lever placed by the gear lever, and it works with the car’s all-wheel drive and anti-lock brakes. Pull the lever and it locks the rear wheels to induce drifts and create an experience “very similar” to a rally car. On a road car. That’s reasonably affordable…

“I think it’s really cool that Ford Performance is offering customers a way to create large-angle drifts in the Focus RS,” says Block.

“Obviously it’s something that I’m really passionate about having been a part of the development of the production vehicle, so it’s exciting to see it come to life. It definitely makes the car even more fun to drive.”

While the heroic skids of Block’s Gymkhana videos are catalysed by a hydraulic handbrake, the substantial modifications that calls for mean an electronic version has proved more effective for production.

You can fit one if you already own an RS, too. And live in the USA or Canada. It costs $999 (£750) and requires no welding or drilling, while it doesn’t affect what remains of your Ford warranty, either.

It’s either the best idea ever, or the worst. Have a watch of it in action here, and then tell us which side you fall on below…