Autocar 21/02/2018

THE NEW PORTOFINO is a 3.5-star Ferrari (p24). When was the last time we could say that? Actually, less than a year ago, when Ferrari put a V8 engine in its GTC4 Lusso. A blip or more serious? Since Luca di Montezemolo, the very embodiment of the brand, left Ferrari as chairman in 2014, replaced by the more enigmatic Sergio Marchionne, significant shifts in strategy have occurred: more turbo engines, more derivatives, evolved replacement models rather than wholesale reinventions, and an SUV (sorry, ‘FUV’: Ferrari utility vehicle) and hybrids coming soon. And for the first time in a generation, some Ferraris are coming up short. Not great timing when rivals old and new are turning out world-class machines every single time. Maranello’s response? The 488 Pista (p16), a significantly improved version of…

GOT A STORY? Email our news editor rachel.burgess@haymarket.com “The total power and torque of the new Focus RS is estimated to be 400bhp and 425lb ft” Ford is planning an even faster, more powerful and more efficient Focus RS for the 2020 model year and will use it to showcase a suite of 48V mild-hybrid technologies the company is introducing across its global medium- and large-car ranges. With the combination of its combustion and electric motors, the car’s power output is expected to exceed 400bhp, rivalling next-generation offerings from Mercedes-AMG and Audi. While improving the RS’s already impressive acceleration times and driving characteristics, the model’s new-tech features should dramatically cut both CO2 and toxic emissions to meet rapidly tightening world demands. European regulations require car makers to meet a 95g/km CO2 fleet average by 2021…

Until you revisit Focus history, you tend to forget how single-mindedly Ford has used its RS model to stimulate second-half sales in a model’s life. Since the first Focus made its debut 20 years ago, three separate RS models have been offered for only about half the time… Focus RS Mk1 (2002-2004) Original two-wheel-drive model well known for its flared wheel arches and its effective but infamous Quaife mechanical limited-slip diff. Didn’t appear until the Focus had been on sale for four years. Fast, with excellent Brembo brakes, but quirky about traction keeping and needed firm handling to give of its best. Focus RS Mk2 (2009-2011) Bigger and heavier than the Mk1 so more benign and stable with more sophisticated chassis electronics. Extra poke from an ex-Volvo five-pot 2.5-litre turbo engine and again well…

In the brave new low-carbon world, fast cars won’t be able to be special cases, something Ford and others are about to start making abundantly clear in next-generation models. The fourth-generation Focus RS, planned for two years hence, will be one of a whole crop of 48V hybrid icons Ford wants to use to ‘sell’ electrification – and the integrated starter/ generator of this model is just the beginning. There’s ample evidence that Ford has been working hard for years on even more advanced pollutionkilling technology – further downsized engines with electrically driven turbochargers (which cut lag and pollution), electrified rear axles (incorporating twin electric motors to provide better torque vectoring) and much more. It’s a positive story: bosses at Ford Performance, enthusiasts themselves, know that future customers need fast, responsive, inspiring…

Ford is marking the end of third-generation Focus RS production in April with a 50-off run of special models, all coloured Deep Orange, to be sold in the UK market only. The car, called the Heritage Edition, comes with increases of around 8% in power and torque from an aftermarket Mountune conversion – plus a special suite of equipment and a price hike of around £3000 to £39,895 over the current RS range-topper. Ford of Britain boss Andy Barratt says that as well as marking the end of Mk3 production at Saarlouis, Germany, the special edition is also intended to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first use of an RS badge on a Ford Escort, the Focus’s predecessor. Like the Red Edition, announced at the end of last year, the Heritage Edition…

“Modifiications to the car’s chassis were informed by knowledge gleaned from the 911 GT2 RS” Porsche Motorsport has unveiled the second generation of 911 GT3 RS to be based on the extant 991 platform. The car is likely to be the last 991-based model to be launched before a new 911, codenamed 992, arrives on the world stage in September. Available to order now at a price of £141,346, with first UK deliveries in June, the new 911 GT3 RS receives an additional 20bhp from a lightly modified version of Porsche’s race-bred 4.0-litre six-cylinder engine, increasing its power to 513bhp at 8250rpm. This is the highest power figure yet for a naturally aspirated 911 and serves to distance the new 911 GT3 RS from the standard 911 GT3, which was equipped with the…