Just call it the Ned Kelly of hatchbacks – a more hardcore Ford Focus RS is being considered that would steal the fastest production hatch crown from the affluent Mercedes-AMG A45 and Audi RS3.

Ford Performance insiders have told UK car magazine Autocar that the company is awaiting sales reaction to the just-released Focus RS before signing off on a more potent, stripped-out version.

The aim is to lower the 4.7-second 0-100km/h claim of the current Focus RS to somewhere beneath the 4.2sec A45 AMG and 4.3sec RS3.

As the Benz has 280kW/475Nm, the Audi 280kW/475Nm and both have sub-$80K pricetags, the Focus RS needs only slight hikes to its outputs of 257kW/440Nm-470Nm (overboost) and $50,990 ask.

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Most likely will be weight removal in a similar vein to that applied to the Renault Sport Megane Trophy-R – no back seat, flicked creature comforts, more expensive but lighter brakes and exhaust, and reduced insulation.

A electronically controlled mechanical front limited-slip differential was, according to the insider, ruled out for cost reasons in the original Focus RS program even though it was known to improve the all-wheel drive hatchback’s handling. It could return, particularly as a front LSD has since become an option on the facelifted A45 AMG.

The rumour mill is also spinning out considerations of a dual-clutch automatic gearbox that along with launch control would help improve the currently manual-only performance times, but it would be costly.

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Currently the Fiesta ST, Focus ST and Focus RS are all manual only, but time will tell if there’s enough funding to install a dual-clutcher in any of this generation of small performance Fords.

Autocar believes that if Ford thinks it has a chance of breaking the 4.0sec 0-100km/h benchmark with a stripped-out, pumped up Focus RS, it will certainly seize on the opportunity to become the fastest production hatchback in the land.

Performance wars don’t end in draws, after all…