Kicking yourself for not putting your name down for a Ford Focus RS?

Don’t be too downhearted. You may still be in luck, because the unprecedented demand for the über-hatch has caused Ford to rethink its original position of limiting the RS-thirsty UK market to 4000 cars.

That first batch of 4000 sold out pretty quickly, and the RS plant in Germany is already running 24/7 to meet that demand, creating a wait for UK deliveries that in some cases is as long as 12-14 months.

However, Ford wants customers to be able to place an order for the Focus RS, and it wants to be able to meet the demand. The solution is for Ford to persuade other European markets to divert 1000 of their total allocation of 4000 cars over to Blighty.

The UK has traditionally been the biggest market for earlier Focus RS models, but the new Mk 3 is a turning point as because it’s the first Focus RS to be made available on a global basis. North America will be the largest individual market, with around 10,000 units already sold.

Ford is experiencing a big European boost in demand for its performance models. Customers for the new Mustang are having to wait for an average of six months for delivery.