Is Ken Block’s Ford Focus RS RX A SHOgun Festiva Reborn To Rallycross?
By Paulo Acoba
Towards the end of Gymkhana 8, we caught a glimpse of Ken Block’s Ford Focus RS RX.
If you haven’t seen Gymkhana 8 yet, do yourself a favor and head over to Ford Performance’s You Tube page and check out the mayhem that ensues for yourself. Towards the end of the video, we catch a glimpse at what Ford calls Ken Block’s Ford Focus RS RX. Check out a couple of screenshots of this special Ford Focus below.
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A couple of keen-eyed viewers have pointed out on Jalopnik that the RX designation is almost always reserved for Ford’s Rallycross cars. There’s been no official word from Ford Performance if Ken Block will compete in Rallycross this year or next year so mum’s the word on that avenue. According to Dusty Ventures, there have been rumors of a Ken Block spec Rally Cross car floating around for quite some time so this Ken Block Ford Focus RS RX wouldn’t be too far off the mark.
Admittedly, when we first saw these images of a special Ford Focus with those side intakes, we couldn’t help but draw a connection to another Ford hot-hatch from 90’s days of yore that had that same configuration hinted at with those photos, the Ford SHOgun Festiva.
Back in 1990, Ford stuffed their 3.0L SHO V6 in the rear of a Ford Festiva. Seven were built and the performance was mind-boggling for the 90’s. The Festiva was already a lightweight car. With a 3.0L V6 that pumped out 220 HP and 200 lb-ft, it was a barn burner. A 12.9 second quarter-mile with a lateral acceleration figure of 1.04 g was proof of concept enough.
More cars: Ken Block: Gymkhana 8 Right Here
Our guess is that this Ford Focus RS RX is the spiritual successor to the SHOgun Festiva. As to what purpose that RS RX will serve, that’s still up in the air (no pun intended.)