WEEK ONE - The first of eight weekly episodes to showcase Ford Performance,

• First of eight weekly episodes goes live today at 1pm UK time on Ford Performance YouTube channel
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JVhgCqHr2g
• Revisit Ford Performance on YouTube every Wednesday lunchtime for the next seven weeks to watch the series

From the searing heat of Arizona to the icy wastes of the Arctic, from design studio to the crash lab, Ford Motor Company is revealing the behind-the-scenes story of the all-new Focus RS.

“Rebirth of an icon” shows the development of the latest generation of an automotive icon through a “warts and all” video documentary series covering every stage of the vehicle’s evolution.

The inside story of the all-new Focus RS pulls no punches — following the car across the world as Ford Performance engineers and drivers put it to the test under the scrutiny of RS consultant and Gymkhana superstar Ken Block and Ford’s group vice president for Global Product Development and chief technical officer, Raj Nair.

Eight weekly episodes start today:

• Episode 1: Project kick-off – Ken Block and Raj Nair debate what the car should deliver, from behind the wheel of an early prototype
• Episode 2: Design and development – Crunching crashes put the new design to the toughest of tests
• Episode 3: Hitting the road – A 1,600-kilometre (1,000-mile) drive through epic terrain takes prototypes from high in the Rocky Mountains to the Arizona desert
• Episode 4: Test-track trials – Block heads for Ford’s top-secret test facility, and indulges in some “hooning”
• Episode 5: Arctic extremes – Winter testing in Sweden, and the team is under pressure to improve performance
• Episode 6: Power struggle – It’s all about performance, as the Ford manufacturing plant in Saarlouis, Germany, gears up for production
• Episode 7: Close scrutiny – The day of the critical sign-off drive follows Block’s headline appearance at the Goodwood Festival of Speed
• Episode 8: Final chapter – It’s time for the nail-biting management review

The all-new Focus RS is available to order now at £28,940 customer delivery in early 2016, with the UK’s waiting list already topping 500 prospective owners before prices were announced last week. The car debuts new Ford Performance All-Wheel Drive with Dynamic Torque Vectoring for outstanding traction and grip with unmatched agility and cornering speed, and features a specially engineered version of Ford’s new 2.3-litre EcoBoost engine delivering 350PS for 4.7-second 0-62mph acceleration.