Few badges carry quite the same significance for Ford enthusiasts as the RS (Rally Sport).

From the Escort and Sierra to the Focus, those two letters have identified cars with a particular combination of competition influence, purposeful engineering and everyday usability.

Introduced in 2002, the first Focus RS brought that tradition into a new century, drawing on the visual appeal of Ford’s World Rally Championship contender and building upon the already accomplished chassis of the standard Focus. Produced in a limited run of 4,501 examples, the Mk1 was a substantially reworked performance car.

Its 2-litre, turbocharged four-cylinder engine delivered 212bhp through a five-speed manual gearbox, with a Quaife automatic torque-biasing differential helping deploy that power through the front wheels.

Sachs dampers, Brembo front brakes and 18-inch OZ Racing alloy wheels underlined the seriousness of the engineering, whilst the widened bodywork and Imperial Blue paintwork gave the RS an ...