Is a faster Ford Focus RS coming?

Meet a faster version of the Ford Focus RS. Possibly. These mysterious spy shots emerge from the Nürburgring, and they appear to show the not-slow, not-unfocused RS gaining more speed and sharpness. Oh yes.

Whether it’s the work of an aftermarket tuner or Ford itself is unclear. But wind back six years and you’ll find the previous Focus RS spawned an utterly fantastic (and utterly ballistic) RS500 variant, a matt black ball of fury that remains one of the most visceral hot hatchbacks of all time.

The black, vented bonnet and more serious rear wing of this test mule have us salivating. Its tyres, meanwhile, look to be lower profile than standard. They’re certainly being given a good workout around the Nordschleife.

The nature of turbocharged engines means winding some extra power from the RS’s 345bhp 2.3-litre four-cylinder shouldn’t be too much of an issue. But quite what else Ford could do to, um, focus the RS further remains a mystery.

Would it strip out seats like Renault does with the Megane Trophy-R? Or stick in a paddleshift transmission to help it take on the VW Golf R or Mercedes A45 AMG? The old Focus RS500 stuck to its base model’s guns, keeping things (relatively) luxurious inside and its drivetrain simple. But the hot hatch market has moved on considerably in the time that’s passed since.

So with nothing in the way of official information, it’s over to you. What would you like to lie beneath the skin of this pumped-up Focus RS?