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Ford has officially announced the price of the Ford Focus RS. The Focus RS will be priced from £24,995 which comes to about $38,300 but for a various reasons that include the higher taxation system in the UK, the MSRP cannot be used for comparisons in the U.S. In the UK, the standard price of the flagship Focus RS compares with £20,408 for the 225HP Focus ST3, the existing top-of-the-range Focus model. For the performance, Ford Focus RS is fitted with a turbocharged 2.5-litre, five-cylinder Duratec petrol engine, with a confirmed 305PS and 440Nm peak torque. Front-wheel-driven through a six-speed transmission, the Focus RS accelerates from 0-62mph (100km/h) in under 5.9 seconds and has a targeted top speed of 263 km/h or 164mph.

The car comes with a bodykit that only an RS could wear, as well as things like heated door mirrors and windshield, xenon headlights, Recaros, and Ford's Easy Fill fueling system. Only a few options are available, the ritziest one being the Luxury Pack that will give you things like automatic climate control and rear parking sensors.

Final specifications have yet to be revealed, but according to the firm's latest tests, the Focus RS that’s equipped with a limited-slip diff, a special suspension and a 300HP 2.5-litre five-cylinder turbocharged engine, accelerates from standstill to 100km/h in 5.9 sec and achieves a maximum speed of 263 km/h (164 mph). That may not sound so fast for a car brandishing a 296bhp turbocharged five-cylinder engine, but remember that European Fords are famous for their balanced handling over brutal straight-line speed.

Dubbed the RC2 Concept, Saleen had created new body kit and performance upgrades for the standard Focus RC2 concept to make it a much sportier look and feel. For the body kit, it is a custom front fascia, a mesh grille, aggressive side skirts and a small rear spoiler for added stability. And for the suspension package, it is updated with a set of stiffer springs and larger sway bars.

A dual-tipped exhaust and cold air intake is to improve the power of the stock four cylinder Duratech engine. The engine power is likely up around 15hp (11kW) over the standard 143hp (106kW) 2.0L engine.

According to Saleen the car is designed to be sold as a ’starting point’ for tuners to build on, which is why the performance mods have been kept to a minimum. Another Saleen division, SpeedLab, is already working on a new range of performance parts for the Focus as well as a number of other Ford models including the Edge SUV and Fusion sedan.

Pictures have surfaced of the latest Ford hot hatch, the Focus RS. Up until now any pictures that have been released have been branded a ‘concept’, these new photos however are of the production ready car that will be shown later this month at the London Motorshow. The car is then expected for release within the 1st quarter of 2009. The car boasts a 2.5 litre 5 cylinder turbocharged engine with a power output of 300PS and over 410Nm of torque. Early performance indications are a 0-62mph time of under 6 seconds.

Also unlike the previous generation of the RS, this latest generation will retain the front wheel drive system seen in the current focus range, this will however recieve substantial modification to help the car deal with the power. There will be a new hig tech front suspension set up, a wider track, longer driveshafts, revised springs and dampers, a thicker, longer rear anti-roll bar and a special version of Ford’s ESP system designed to allow a very sporty driving style before activating. The Focus RS also benefits from uprated brakes, with 336mm ventilated front discs and 300mm rear discs. The interior is, admitedly not as impressive as the exterior but we reckon the car has great potential and will be looking out for it at the London Motorshow from 22nd July. Until then, enjoy this gallery