Ford UK Prices 350HP RS500 Kit for Focus RS at £1,995

Described by FoMoCo's people as the "next best thing" to owning one of the 500 limited edition RS500, the officially-approved Focus RS performance upgrade kit is available for current and future owners of the hot hatch through selected Ford dealers across the UK.

Priced £1,995, including VAT, the MP350 RS upgrade kit has been developed by Ford Team RS, in partnership with Mountune Performance (MP) and offers similar performance to the RS500.

Comprising a larger intercooler and air filter box, larger diameter exhaust downpipe and a higher-capacity fuel pump, along with uprated software calibration, the kit adds an extra 45HP and 20Nm of torque to the 2.5-liter turbocharged inline-five pushing output to 350HP and 460Nm.

Mark Simpson, Ford Britain marketing director, said:

"Focus RS500 has raised the Ford performance bar in every way – it's the fastest-selling model in Ford's UK history, with five times more customers than we had cars for. The MP350 kit has been developed to meet some of this additional demand and allow enthusiasts with cars in standard tune to enjoy even greater performance, without endangering their warranty. If you couldn't get an RS500, which sold out within seven days, this is the next best thing."

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AMI Live: Ford's KITTed-out Focus RS500 Makes its Public Debut

Ford pulled the wraps of it latest RS bruiser in Leipzig at the AMI show. The limited-edition Focus RS500, dressed in matte black, packs a 350-pony package in that tight wrap. Power comes from 5-in-line, a turbocharger, and some fine-tuning.

Own a standard RS and feel out-of-the-loop? Don't worry, Mountune offers that Ford-authorized RS500 upgrade kit to get you involved in the party.

Check out the live pics of the RS500 below.

By Phil Alex

Photos: UP

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Ford Offers Current and New Focus RS Owners an RS500 Horsepower Upgrade Kit

In a move that shows how lame the whole story of the special edition version of the... special edition Focus RS, a.k.a., the RS500 story is, Ford's European division has announced the availability of a factory-approved performance package developed by the company's tuning partner Mountune Performance for new and existing owners of the standard Focus RS.

And yes, the engine modifications provided by the so-called "MP350" package are similar to those developed for the new limited edition Focus RS500 model that was sold out only a few hours after its reveal.

As with the RS500, the Focus RS performance upgrade increases the 2.5-liter turbocharged inline-five's peak power from 305HP to 350HP, while torque rises by 20 Nm to 460 Nm.

Modifications include a larger intercooler, a larger air filter box, a larger diameter exhaust downpipe and an uprated fuel pump, along with an updated software calibration.

Not surprisingly, the MP350 package does not invalidate the standard Ford warranty.

Being only a performance kit, the package doesn't include the RS500's matte black film from 3M, but that shouldn't be a problem for RS owners looking to imitate the hot hatch's looks.

According to FoMoCo, the tuning package is available from Mountune Performance via a selected network of Ford dealers, initially in the UK, with a European roll-out planned to follow.

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VIDEO: New Ford Focus RS500 Shows off its 350HP

This here is a new video of the limited edition version of the Blue Oval's... limited edition Focus RS hot hatch, the RS500 of which only 500 units will be produced for Europe.

Developed in conjunction with Revolve Technologies, the engineering firm behind the Mountune brand that tweaks the Focus and Fiesta STs, the Focus RS500 boasts a 350-horsepower version of the standard model's 2.5-liter turbocharged inline-five and some cosmetic touches, including a matte-black film (no paint here).

Ford mentions that preliminary performance figures indicate that the RS500 goes from zero to 100km/h in 5.6 seconds and 0-160km/h in 12.2 seconds. Video after the jump.

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Ford Focus RS500 Officially Revealed: High-Res Photos and Full Details

We were supposed to get our first official look of the new, limited run Ford Focus RS500 on Wednesday, but Ford decided to release information and photos today "due to the overwhelming interest shown", as the company states on its dedicated website.

So what's the Focus RS500 all about? If you're the kind of type that likes getting to the point, all you need to know is that the RS500 is a limited edition of the Focus RS with a beefed up 2.5-liter turbocharged inline-five churning out 350HP, a matte black 'foil' wrap and special interior trim that will be produced in a strictly-limited production run of 500 individually-numbered vehicles.

For more detailed information and a comprehensive, high-resolution photo gallery of Ford's Focus RS500, follow the jump.

If you're thinking that the RS500 sounds like something that would come out of a tuner's factory, you'll be happy to know that we agree.

Adding to the above notion is the fact that the only mechanical upgrade made on the standard RS concerns the hot hatch's 2.5-liter turbocharged inline-five.

The changes were performed by Ford TeamRS in partnership with Revolve Technologies, the automotive engineering firm that develops Ford approved performance upgrades through its Mountune brand.

They include a significantly larger air-to-air intercooler; a larger air filter box for increased airflow; larger diameter exhaust downpipe; and an uprated fuel pump, along with an updated software calibration to optimize the performance of the turbocharged five-pot.

The result is a 45HP and 20Nm increase in output for a total of 350-horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 460Nm (339 lb-ft) of peak torque delivered across a broad speed range from 2,500 to 4,500rpm.

Ford said that preliminary performance figures for the Focus RS500 indicate that the car achieves 0-100km/h in 5.6 seconds and 0-160km/h in 12.2 seconds (0-60mph 5.4sec, 0-100mph 12.2sec) with a top speed of 265km/h or 165mph.

The standard Focus RS goes from zero to 100km/h in 5.9 seconds and tops out at 263km/h or 164mph.

The high-performance braking system, the 19-inch wheels and 235/35/R19 tyres, and suspension settings are carried over unchanged from the standard vehicle.

The other changes are purely cosmetic. On the outside, the RS500 gets a matt black 'foil' film that was developed in partnership with the technology company 3M, while gloss black finish was applied on the trapezoidal lower front grille and splitter, twin-blade rear spoiler and the rear diffuser.

Furthermore, the RS500 gets red brake calipers and a black finish for the alloy wheels.

Inside, apart from the individually-numbered metal plaque on the center console, the tuner's limited edition is distinguished by the unique carbon-effect finish to the bezel, a special red colour scheme (instead of the standard RS's blue scheme), notably on the stitching of the leather trim on the steering wheel, door trim and gear lever gaiter, and on the floor mats.

In addition, customers also have the option of specifying the bespoke Recaro front sports seats in full red leather.

And well, that's about it.

If you're still interested in buying a... "Mountuned" Focus RS with a matt black vinyl wrap, you'd better get in line as only 500 examples will be built for Europe, with the last vehicles scheduled to leave Ford's Saarlouis Assembly Plant in Germany during September 2010.

According to Ford, 101 units of the Focus RS500 will be allocated to Great Britain, 3 to Ireland, 10 to Portugal, 20 to Spain, 56 to France, 50 to Belgium and Luxembourg, 10 to the Netherlands, 55 to Germany, 50 to Switzerland, 45 to Italy,32 to Austria, 5 to the Czech Republic, 10 to Poland, 6 to Hungary, 12 to certain countries in Eastern Europe, 5 to Greece, 10 to Finland, 10 to Sweden, 50 to Denmark and 5 to Norway.

The Focus RS500 will have its world premiere at the 2010 Leipzig Motor Show in Germany on April 9.

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