UK Ford dealers have already taken 1,000 pre-orders for the new Focus RS which goes on sale in spring 2009.

Although no details of available colours have been confirmed, around 40% of the applicants requested the electric green colour which was on the display car at the London Motor Show back in July.

Other popular colour requests include frozen white and electric blue.

Roelant de Waard, chairman and managing director of Ford of Britain, said: “We’re delighted by the reaction of performance car enthusiasts to the new Focus RS and that so many want to place orders even though it will not be available until early next year.”

The Focus RS is powered by a 298bhp version of Ford’s Duratec 2.5-litre five-cylinder turbocharged engine.