VIDEO: Ford Focus RS 305HP Laps the 'Ring in 8:26 minutes

It is Ford's time to share a video of one of its cars lapping one of the world's most difficult circuits, the Nurburgring Nordschleife. The vehicle is none other than Ford's fastest-ever European production model, the new Focus RS. Driven by Horst von Saurma-Jeltsch, Chief editor of the German magazine Sport-Auto and well known Nurburgring racer, the Focus RS completed the 13 mile-long course in 8 minutes and 26 seconds, almost half a minute faster than the 225HP Focus ST (8:51 minutes by Sport-Auto in 2005).

The European market Focus RS packs a 300 horsepower 2.5-liter turbocharged inline-five coupled to a six-speed manual gearbox that drives the front wheels. The hot hatch accelerates from zero to 100km/h (62mph) in 5.9 sec and on to a top speed of 263 km/h (163mph). Along with the standard video, Ford and Sport-Auto also released a so-called, 'alternative-cut' version of the film.