They got the styling perfect on this car - understated but 'henched'

Couple of points to raise: 1) in the wet, the torquesteer isn't actually any worse, because there is less grip, and torquesteer is caused by the DIFFERENCE In grip across the front axle 2) the coneicity of the front tyres is everything on an RS. Put on a new set of "square" tyres and it'll torquesteer about 300 % less! (the original tyres were unique to the car for that very reason) 3) Learn to left foot brake! Trust me on this, the RS loves it! (how do i know these things? Well, i was part of the small team that developed the car for Ford all those years ago now :-)

I drooled over this as a teenager and I still do today some 20-odd years later. Best looking Focus by far, and one of the best looking rally cars of the modern era without a doubt too 😍

These cars look unbelievable imo. The wheels are perfect and I've heard a few in real life and they sound like WRC car on full tilt. Great video.

Great WRC looking fast Focus!!

Colin played a big part in testing the RS. Giving feedback over various points throughout development. All adds to the value I think!

I swear they managed to get something so brilliantly right about the new edge cars. I had a base 1.6 focus and even that was still enjoyable, everything just felt right.

That bodykit is soo good looking!

The Mk1 will always be my favourite Focus RS, the later models may have more power, but they don't look anywhere near as good as the Mk1

Such a good looking car!

Bought an 1,800mls 1 owner example '3086' back in late 2005. Good looking car these with superb handling out of the box if a little underpowered from the factory. A few months in to ownership a Bluefin map, Milltek exhaust/sport cat and a K&N filter gave it circa 265 bhp, what it should of came with from the factory with in my opinion. I think these have aged very well and still look good on the road today.

I'm surprised you liked it James. When we discussed a little while ago about you driving my MK1, I was convinced that if you drove it, you'd hate it. Nice review though. Definitely a car with holding onto I think. Mine is tucked up in my garage. A good fun car to blast along B roads on, only when the sun is shining!

Only people who know what this is will respect it to the average person it's a normal focus

The styling and wide track remind you of Colin McRae and his martini sponsored focus WRC car it looks the nuts

I had an SVT Focus, here in the States. I drooled over this SO MUCH. Such an underappreciated car, especially over here. The SVT Focus was my first performance car, when I was in college, and I definitely am picking one up for nostalgia before too long.

I've doubled my money on quite a few cars...they're one of the few things you can invest in without paying tax when you sell them. Cars have always been and remain a great investment if you know your stuff, far better than speculating on rigged or volatile stocks and shares markets.

Great to see someone having honest fun :)

Huge Fast Ford fan so will never tyre of these reviews so keep them going Jay 👍

Congrats on the 150k subs

I had 3363 from new, made some of my happiest driving memories on detachment in southern Germany, great roads, great car, great fun

I can still remember that morning after my dad came back from Liverpool to watch a match there. We lived in Germany and as such he had to fly there and back. I woke up to find him drinking his coffee and he put down his mug, and pointed to the "stuff" on the kitchen counter, that he had brought with him as a gift. A large tube of smarties with a figure as a lid (which were one heck of a treat, don't get me wrong) but standing there beside it was a RC Focus RS in a rally spec and BP livery. That was the day that my love for the Focus RS ignited. That fire is still ablaze in me, but I never got one for real. Ended up in the same place as you James, with ze Germans. I wonder if I ever will... Great Video James, really brought a smile to my face even though I am going through a rough time :D Thanks

Keeping the classics alive thanks m8 👍😎

Used to see these around Essex all the time as a kid, one of my favourite cars ever

I think a cheap Ford that would be good investment right now would be a mondeo st220 as it's the last of its type and a great car and still looking good

I have an st170,looks just like this; imperial blue, bi xenon lights, full leather recaros, good fun to drive, was £1500

Love the proportions of these. Exactly how a medium sized hot hatch should look. It's such a shame that all hot hatches now are 5 doors.

Great review. Thanks :)

Many years ago I owned a mark 1 Focus ST 170 as a stop gap car following a tax rebate and I loved the thing. Fine steering and handling and ride and brakes but never any torque steer problems as you had to rev the nuts off it to get anywhere quickly. We have a Mark one Focus RS near where I live now and I see the car often and it always turns my head and makes me smile I must say. It is a truly gorgeous car. In standard spec it could be a handful especially in the wet and I believe it's diff came in for a lot of criticism but the car had one thing that even my Golf R that I own today is lacking. Character. By the bucketful. This certainly is the last chance to buy one though at sensible(ish) money for sure. 👍

Buying one this Sunday 👌 can't wait

That grin when it tried to ri the steering wheel out of your hands......priceless 👍😁

I have a mk2 focus rs witch ive had for 5 years it's amazing how they have climbed in price in the past 12 months. What does worries me is a bubble that will burst.

Used to own the last one. Number 4501 back in 2007. (Since had loads of owners and written off I think.) Chris Harris drove it back from Germany to UK for Autocar. It was ok, looked great (on the outside). Nothing I look back on and miss tbh.

Great looking car. Love the untinted look as well

Been looking at these for ages to have alongside my regular mk1 focus (featured here already). Mint ones I see are 30k sometimes. Rust is a worry since you can’t get body panels anymore. These look soo good and best looking focus RS imo.

I've got one, had it since Feb 2012. Used as a daily, just got 80k on. Lovely car, I've had loads of cars over the years. But I'm glad I kept hold of this one. It's getting some restoration this year, an a re spray. Looking forward to it

Sublime video, thankyou.

Guy at work gave me a shot of his 12years ago and still remember it. Great car, even better slightly tweaked by bluefin

+1 on the Yokohama, had them on my mk4 seat ibiza cupra 20v turbo running 250bhp, 300ft pounds and they were lethal In the wet, nearly crashed multiple times doing under the speed limit on roundabouts, on boost things got hairy really quickly, remember going down teesside park to a focus rs meet in the 2000s, seen about 6 of them, backs were that stiff on these ones that they use to bounce around corners, fantastic little cars, a friend had the sparco seats from one in his mk6 fiesta st, good times

JayM. Damn quick for their time dude ! Do remember testing the 1st Gen ST170 model for my cousin as her first car to learn to drive a stick shift manual and it had way too much power back in '04 ? V.

Never viewed this as a homologation special but I guess it is. That will always help with values.

Loving the videos mate. Think the reason fords are going stupid in price is because its a car your dad probably owned so you're buying memories. My mk1 focus actually was my dad's before he passed away. It's still his car and I'm just the custodian. I love driving it albeit not very often with it being 24 yrs old now .....Old x reg 1999 zetec se in panther black. Keep up the cracking uplads James.

I think I made the right choice of buying the ST170 and not the RS. My ST170 has always stuck to the road Like glue and I have made no mods other than upgrading the breaks to the RS Version.

I think you hit the nail on the head here. Yes hold on with both hands as it can pull either way but its that shear unpredictability that lets the drive down......and i think the std output gets the best mix from it.

Great looking car. Even the standard mk1, which was also a joy to drive.

My focus RS is currently sold and being held and will be on the way to Canada next month. Can’t wait to have this home. Got number 2722.

I grew up watching and wanting the RS. And that colour with those alloys does it for me somehow. However I could only afford a used 1.6 petrol. And I loved that thing. Great car.

yep, i would love to get my hands on one of those here in the U.S.

Unfortunately we only got the ST170 in Australia and they’re super rare but super cheap. I would love an 06-08 VW R32 though, they were beasts.

I’ve hah 0724 since 07 and love it even being on front page of fastford magazine 😎

Love the MK1 RS had one build number 1429 brilliant car

Nice car but not a patch on the Sierra/Escort Cosworth or the Escort MkI/II RS versions for sheer character.

Had one, loved it.

Thanks J! Great review. This or the Lotus Excel then as your classic car recommendation.........?

I love the wheels.

I can remember they weren’t very popular at the time I can’t remember the exact details, but I recall Ford promised something much better and then gave this, which Ford fans weren’t happy about. I’ve not driven an RS but even the standard mk1 Focus handled pretty sweet for what they were.

Great styling, great wheels and great colour

I bought a TVR Tuscan 7 years ago. It's appreciated 30%. Pick the right car, keep it dry and turn it over regularly. The last 6 cars I've owned I've sold at a profit. Includes 2 mk1 audi TTs and a Defender.

My dream MK1 focus!

Agree with everyone here. The styling is really nice.

if i won the lottery. id buy one of these, and an FRP, and a Cosseh.

Of course it was a Europe only model. We got stuck with the SVT which is nice but man that RS with a turbo is awesome. Absolutely love the blue paint and the body style.

Best colour Ford have ever done

I love the mk1 Ford Focuses, and I love the RS trim!

I remember when the Focus came out. It was HiDe0uS! Now, I think the mk1 RS is one of the tastiest looking cars of all time. Just like the E60 BMW's, it has aged magnificently. Why Ford didn't have the 4x4 option the Escort had I will never know, it wasn't rocket surgery.

This is my car, thanks Jay

Special these 💙

Would love a Mk1 FRS, to run alongside my hooligan Mk2 FRS of course! Neither car is perfect, far from it, but that's part of the appeal. Perfect = monumentally dull!

ST170 are creeping up in value. I got one on low mileage stashed away in an ISO in my dad's farm 😂

Being a handful makes it more fun

How funny is that I'm currently looking for one of these I've been all over KZfaq the last couple of days greatness video 📹

Needs boost by gear and switchable aftermarket traction control. I really like the mk1 frs.

I was going to write: Great, another affordable car review and...Wait a minute 🙂

Such a beautiful car😍

Great cars, love mine and won't be selling it anytime soon. Its not strictly a homologation car like the Escort Cosworth was. At the time Ford used the same parts company's on the WRC Focus and the RS, Brembo brakes, AP clutch, Quaife front diff, Sparco seats, OZ Wheels, Sachs suspension...

I have one since 2011 and will never sell it. It may be rare in the UK but over here in Belgium it is a bit of an alien😁. Only people who know what it is have big respect for it. I even got pulled over by guys in an m4 and a 911 just because they wanted to have a look at the car. Really awesome looking thing. It's not a daily but I drive it very often which is what you should do, enjoy it. I'm also a massive Colin Mcrae fan and this car reminds me of him and his tarmac spec WRC focus. To all owners : please take care of your car and drive it, drive it, drive it!

If I was a bit older when these came out. At least I've got to drive one great classic car.

Great Review Jay, I’ve had mine since 2011 it had 56k miles on the clock and cost me........ £6000 YES £6000.. it’s now sitting on 87k miles and is currently used for track days but have ever single original component still so can put it back to completely standard when I retire it from its duties..

Fast Ford's are some of the best cars for going up in value when you read the journalists magazine reviews years ago it seems like Ford may have boosted some of the test cars as some said they were great then others said they torque steered like crazy I like the later focus rs with the 5 cylinder turbo as well these rs's had a load of trick bits on them as well

glad you mentioned your Puma review. i went back and watched that first. pretty awesome car with even nicer seats than this! So which one: Focus RS Mk1 or Ford Racing Puma? I'll take the latter.

Very nice car and looks great fun to drive, some ways wish I bought one whilst they were at reasonable money. I think now I would struggle to justify spending the minimum £15k (according to AutoTrader) for one unless you have a passion for the Ford brand and or hot hatches. Me personally if I wanted a future classic hot hatches of around that era I would look at the Mk5 Golf GTI / R32, Honda Civic Type R or Renault Clio 182

I had one, great car!

Who agrees these are the best looking OEM 5 spoke wheels ever made🤔

Allways loved the looks of mk1

Ive had my Mk1 FRS now for 6yrs No4307 its a great car and ok we only use it for the summer show season doing about 500 miles a year its just a nice day out at the car shows etc. . I paid £12.250 for mine and yes prices are going up its a stable little investment if you after that kind of thing. Personally i see the Mk1 FRS as the next Series 1 RS Turbo in being just one, one off spec interior wheels etc and colour along with limited production of 4501 which really makes the car a rare item now as im guessing there cant be much more than say 1000 left in the UK? Our car is completely standard with 69K on the clock and in all the 6yrs its been good fun with the 2000 miles we have covered and lots of attention at the car shows. One thing to point out about the MK1 FRS is at time of writing it is ULEZ compliant even though its a EURO 3 the emissions meet EURO 4 and ive a full email from TFL confirming this along with the ULEZ checker confirming so its well worth it as the ULEZ is coming not just to within the M25 is more major Citys as well now. Another good point is you can get a MK1 FRS on modern classic insurance meaning you still keep and biuld a No claims bonus. Im paying £345 fully comp 3000 mile a year policy so its not crazy money. So id say yes buy all means buy one if your after a limited edtion Fast Ford do all your homework first (Condtion history Mechanics etc) .. if you can get one thats had the underside restoration done as well then thats an added bonus. 😎

Someone who lives a few doors down has a MK1 Focus RS, a late 90’s Fiesta Sport in an identical colour, a neon yellow Lotus Elise and an E30 BMW 3-Series.

Take the plunge, I had a phase 1 and I loved it , it was and still is hands down the best fast ford I have owned and I wish that I had kept it. Yes they are expensive now but if you don't grab one now they will very soon be in the price range of the escort Cossie , I sold mine for 6k 5 years ago and now they are anything from 17k. Do it

Wish we got this generation of focus RS in the states!

I think it’s aged well , looks great still , interior isn’t too bad vrs modern standards, I’d buy one over any Honda etc

Love these cars

Always loved a fast ford

Having owned one for 11 years. A few points. 1. It’s not just part availability it’s the cost of the parts too! They are 4x a normal focus. 70% of the car it totally different to a normal focus. 2. Tyres, tyres, tyres. The torque steer is actually fine is you know how to drive it properly. It’s just the mechanical diff can really catch you out if your used to electrical gadgets pulling you out of trouble. It’s a drivers car. 3. Prices are rising but so is the ongoing maintenance. They are now 20 years old which means sills and arches, wings are almost certainly rusty and need doing... which you might as well just give the car a full respray... along with that there’s the £3000 underside restoration + rebushing and changing all the rubber stuff. So you buy a £15,000 car that’s pretty good. And you spend another £10,000 on it. Isn’t such a great investment now tbh. They are also now slow by modern standards and if you mod your limit is 300bhp really. After this it’s just people pretending it’s ok. All in all though. Not a good investment (IMO) but if you really love WRC and Classic Fords. A real nice car to have in the garage :)

Never been a fan of Dagenham dustbins, not the RS models which are only driven by NEETs with ASBOs, but damn this car is making me want to change my mind.

Such a cool car! Such a shame the the RS is no more and sad that Dagenham now only makes engines and acts as a port for all the cars coming from Germany. Hopefully it survives given the new overheads of being outside the EU.

5 year old ditchfinder Yokos... no wonder it's lively. Get 4 decent new tyres on it, and it'll be far better

I tried a couple back in the day and they were both very different. One, like this one wanted to kill me at every opportunity. The other was just bloody awful. It just would not grip or corner at all. They were both standard so I have no idea why they were so different. Both were in good condition with good tyres and low mileage so I can't say that one was worn out. Strange cars. If you get a good one just hang on and have fun.

I’m glad you mentioned the torque steer issue.....but I’m a bit surprised your criticisms weren’t more severe. It is after all, a fundamental (vs a minor) problem when you can’t put the power down. Having owned a mazdaspeed3 I’m familiar with this fun-interrupting issue. Having also had a 2016 focus RS .... you can see the benefit of torque management through 4wd (and in a thoroughly modern unit, excellent torque vectoring). The late model one is an absolute assassin (but not without its troubles. As you mentioned briefly.....the lower power output would serve this older platform better. Having never driven the civic type r (because the styling choices make it impossible for me to be a serious buyer), I get the impression that years of development (and Honda ingenuity) deliver nothing short of black magic to deal with all that torque through the front wheels

definitley importing as soon as possible still have a few years

Luv those Focuses. Need one of the steering wheels.

I had one of these. It was stage 4+ by Demob Pete running 400ish bhp with bc racing coil overs I had no torque steer. Plus good tyres. One of my favourite cars I’ve owned and would love another if it was running 380+ bhp. Very very fun terrible brakes though lol

I had a stock one but sold it last year never felt a connection with it so replaced it with a MK2 Focus RS Mountune Clubsport MR420 in UG much better car IMO.