Before You Buy That 2016 Ford Focus RS, You Should Know Something

There may be a quicker one coming.

That’s if you believe what Autocar reported Thursday. According to the British publication, Ford engineers in Europe are already be whispering there could be a lighter, quicker version of the 2016 Ford Focus RS coming. Engineers are reportedly aiming for a sub-4 second 0-60 run.

The increased performance won’t come by way of a bigger engine however — the laws of thermodynamics in cramped spaces preclude a bigger bolt-on snail, apparently — but rather the ol’ Colin Chapman route: adding more lightness.

The very detailed description of what Focus RS engineers could do in a hotter version starts with shedding seats, sound-deadening materials and setting MyFord Touch on fire (probably not). Carbon fiber body parts, aluminum suspension, carbon fiber brakes and irreplaceable body parts made from unobtainium would probably come next.

Putting the Focus on a severe diet could save more than 200 pounds, according to Autocar, but it probably wouldn’t be sufficient enough to reduce the Focus RS’s sprint up to 60 mph from 4.7 seconds to less than 4 seconds.

Improvements in the drivetrain — including swapping the manual box for an automatic — may not necessarily shed more weight (the 6-speed Getrag DCT in the Focus weighs 28 pounds more than the 6-speed manual, for instance) but would swap cogs faster on mythical runs up to 60 mph.

Better grip from specially designed Michelin gumballs, carbon fiber wheels from the GT350R and a beefy front limited-slip differential up front and voila! you have a hatchback that probably costs more than $50,000 and doesn’t comfortably seat anyone other than you.

Of course, two things need to happen first: a hotter Focus RS would need to exist; and, it would have to come to the States. Let’s not hold our breath.