KEY POINTS:
When is a spy shot not a spy shot? When the maker of the vehicle concerned has "leaked" it intentionally.
In a bid to generate publicity for its super-fast Focus model, to be called the RS, Ford has released photographs of the new model in disguise - being tested at the legendary Nurburgring circuit in Germany.
The principal architect of the Focus RS project is Ford of Europe's vehicle line director for performance vehicles, Jost Capito, whose Team RS development group was responsible for the first generation Focus RS in 2002 and, more recently, the Fiesta ST and the new Focus ST, which is known as the XR5 in New Zealand.
The all-new Focus RS features a specially developed, turbocharged version of the Duratec 2.5-litre engine.
The engine is based on that of the Focus ST, but significantly revised to generate more than 400Nm of torque.
Various chassis innovations, which have been developed in conjunction with Ford's Advanced Engineering Centre in Aachen, are being tuned for the new car by the Cologne-based Ford Team RS. The car will remain front-drive-only but will feature a limited-slip differential.
The Focus RS will be ready for production next year. Customers will have their first look at the styling of the finished vehicle at the London Motor Show late next month.
