EXCLUSIVE BEHIND-THE-SCENES DOCUMENTARY REVEALS THE STORY BEHIND THE ALL-NEW FORD FOCUS RS – 'REBIRTH OF AN ICON'

September 23, 2015 by Ford

◾Ford's new video documentary series goes in-depth and behind the scenes to reveal the story of the all-new Focus RS performance car

◾'Rebirth of an Icon' follows the highs and lows, from design studio to worldwide premiere, through extreme testing in the Arctic and Arizona at the hands of RS consultant and Gymkhana superstar Ken Block

◾The trailer for the series, which also features Raj Nair, Ford's group vice president, Global Product Development and chief technical officer, is available to view now at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdgAFY1fXAE; first of eight weekly episodes goes live on Sept. 30

COLOGNE, Germany, Sept. 23, 2015 – From the searing heat of Arizona to the icy wastes of the Arctic, and from the design studio to the crash lab, Ford Motor Company is revealing the behind-the-scenes story of creating the all-new Focus RS.

'Rebirth of an Icon' shows the development of the latest generation of an automotive icon through a 'warts and all' video documentary series filmed during every stage of the vehicle's evolution.

The inside story of the all-new Focus RS pulls no punches, following the car across the world as Ford Performance engineers and drivers put it to the test under the scrutiny of RS consultant and Gymkhana superstar Ken Block, as well as Ford's Group Vice President, Global Product Development, and Chief Technical Officer Raj Nair.

'The Focus RS is a unique performance vehicle with an incredible heritage. This creates enormous expectation and intense pressure that demands teamwork, sheer determination and a single-minded focus on delivering the ultimate Focus,' Nair said. 'This access-all-areas documentary perfectly captures what is at times a bumpy ride.'

The series trailer is available to view here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdgAFY1fXAE

Eight weekly episodes start on Sept. 30:

◾Episode 1: Project kickoff – Block and Nair debate what the car should deliver from behind the wheel of an early prototype.

◾Episode 2: Design and development – Crunching crashes put the new design to the toughest of tests.

◾Episode 3: Hitting the road – A 1,600-kilometre (1,000-mile) drive through epic terrain takes prototypes from high in the Rocky Mountains to the Arizona desert.

◾Episode 4: Test-track trials – Block heads for Ford's top-secret test facility and indulges in some 'hooning'

◾Episode 5: Arctic extremes – Winter testing in Sweden shows the team is under pressure to improve performance.

◾Episode 6: Power struggle – It's all about performance as the Ford manufacturing plant in Saarlouis, Germany, gears up for production

◾Episode 7: Close scrutiny – The day of the critical signoff drive follows Block's headline appearance at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

◾Episode 8: Final chapter – It's time for the nail-biting management review.

The all-new Focus RS is available to order now for customer delivery in early 2016. The car debuts new Ford Performance All-Wheel Drive with Dynamic Torque Vectoring for outstanding traction and grip with invigorating agility and cornering speed, and features a specially engineered version of Ford's new 2.3-liter EcoBoost® engine delivering a projected 350 horsepower for 4.7-second 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) acceleration.

Photo credit: Ford
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