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Volvo: Safety Beyond the Star RatingsRemembering the Ford Escort RS Cosworth
The Ford Escort is more than a commuter car – it was also a sweet rally car. Check out the Ford Escort RS Cosworth.
The Ford Escort Was Cooler in Europe
If you’re in America, you may remember the Ford Escort as an economy car that had basically no style. If you’re in Europe, the Ford Escort technically still falls within that same description as the American version, but it also held a cooler rally history with it. The Mark I Ford Escort for instance had a specialized racing version called the Escort RS. It was famously driven by Roger Clark who was the first ever British driver to win a World Rally Championship (WRC) event. The Escort RS travelled all around the world participating in rallying events for many years (some even today), but the Escort was eventually replaced by the Ford RS200 for Group B competition.
It’d be eight years before the Escort name reappeared in official WRC competition, but this time it was as a homologation special vehicle for Group A. The Ford Escort RS Cosworth had 7,145 examples made during its five years of production and it is the coolest Ford Escort in existence. While we in the states weren’t able to get our hands on this rallying Escort, they’ve been slowly showing up for sale as that 25-year window for imported vehicles ticks over. So, let’s check out the homologation rally car affectionately dubbed the “Cossie” and the popularity behind it.
The Cosworth Before the Ford Escort RS Cosworth
In order to understand the development that went into the Ford Escort RS Cosworth, we need to look back at its predecessor. The Ford Sierra RS Cosworth was purpose built to for WRC Group A competition. Development of the vehicle was a joint venture between Ford and automotive engineering company, Cosworth. Cosworth had a long-standing partnership with Ford in Europe, having produced the Cosworth DFV engine that helped ford gain 12 world championships in F1.
Cosworth introduced Ford to their prototype YAA engine – a twin-cam, 16-valve engine based on the very same engine found in the Ford Pinto. Ford approved of the design, but requested that the engine be turbocharged. Cosworth took their notes and produced the turbocharged YBB engine for use in Ford’s upcoming rally car. Ford’s stipulations on the relationship stated that they only wanted 5,000 units featuring both a 180-horsepower street going version to sell to the public and a full-performance 300 horsepower racing version. Cosworth sent a back a revision of their request that raised the order to 15,000 units and that the street version make over 200 horsepower. Ford accepted the agreement and went to work.
Ford had to pick a model from their lineup to act as the platform of their rally car. The team eventually settled on the Ford Sierra as it checked all the boxes that they needed for competition and the racing could help market sales of the model since it was doing poorly. The next step was revising the Sierra’s bodywork to better handle the conditions it’d encounter in racing. The body had been reworked with fiberglass and aluminum parts. A large dual rear wing with an upper “whale tail” was introduced to keep the car stable at high speed.
5,545 examples of the Sierra RS Cosworth were produced, of which 500 were converted into the racing variant Sierra RS500 Cosworth. These models received the high-performance Cosworth competition engine, a larger T04 turbocharger, a larger intercooler, and more. The rear-wheel drive Sierra RS500 Cosworth was a fun car to watch with flames shooting out of its exhaust as it drifted around corners, but it didn’t see much success at the championship level having only secured one win.
The rear-wheel drive model was eventually replaced by the Sierra RS Cosworth 4×4 in 1990 to try and stay competitive. This version made some podiums, but it only lasted until 1992 when the Sierra model was discontinued. Ford still had plenty of Cosworth engines available and the need for a replacement model that could fill in and continue to race with the developments the Sierra RS Cosworth 4×4 was built on. Introducing the Ford Escort RS Cosworth.
The Ford Escort RS Cosworth
Under the skin, the Ford Escort RS Cosworth was the Sierra RS Cosworth really. It carried the previous car’s chassis, transmission, drivetrain, Cosworth YB engine, and other components. All that was really updated was the engine management system, turbocharger, and the exterior. This way the Escort RS Cosworth carried with it all the developments and research from the Sierra and negated the need to start from the ground up.
The only other issue was making this car look like an Escort. The car was pieced together by different entities to culminate in one iconic design. Ford SVO oversaw the construction, the body was tooled by Karmann, and MGA Developments crafted the front splitter and the dual “whale tail” spoiler. Once everything was said and done, the design held some resemblance to the Ford Escort, but all that was really interchangeable with the standard model were the passenger doors and the hood.
The initial 2,500 models produced in 1992 were the homologation special versions to meet requirements for Group A competition. These early Ford Escort RS Cosworth models that were sold to the public carried a detuned 2.0L I4 Cosworth YBT engine that had an oversized hybrid turbocharger consisting of a Garrett T3 turbine that was combined with a T04B compressor wheel. These models also featured a large intercooler and a non-functioning water injection system that was tucked away under the passenger seat.
The original 2,500 helped meet regulations, but the road version suffered from turbo lag that wouldn’t kick in until the engine had surpassed 3,500 RPM. In 1994, Ford swapped the turbocharger to a smaller Garrett T25 that helped reduce turbo lag and made it more drivable on everyday roads. Performance between the original 2,500 and the subsequent models is virtually the same though, with the performance specs coming in at 224 horsepower and 224 lb-ft of torque. That power was sent through a Ferguson MT-75 manual transmission to all four wheels. The drivetrain split was set at 34% to the front and 66% to the rear to help achieve more oversteer. All this allowed the Ford Escort RS Cosworth to speed to 60 mph in just 6 seconds.
The Ford Escort RS Cosworth came in three trims for the general public – Motorsport, Standard, and Lux. Motorsport trimmed models came in white, had manual crank windows, no audio system, no electric trunk release, no sunroof, no fog lights, and no electronic car locks. That last bit is part of the reason these cars were stolen a lot in the ‘90s. Standard version added a sunroof, electric windows, electronic car locks, a padded armrest with storage, and a radio/cassette player for a sound system. Lux models improved upon the Standard by offering heated elements, leather upholstery, a rear seat armrest, and heated headlight washer jets.
A number of special editions were created of the Ford Escort RS Cosworth too. The first was the Monte Carlo edition sold in the United Kingdom that was limited to 200 examples featuring OZ Racing wheels, Monte Carlo stickers, and Recaro seats. Next was the Miki Biasion edition sold to the Italian market and limited to 120 examples. These were essential Ford Escort RS Cosworth Motorsport trimmed models that included a special plague on the dashboard with Biasion’s signature. Another was the Martini edition that was limited to 200 examples featuring the Martini Racing logo on the dashboard, on the trunk lid, and OZ Racing wheels. Finally, there’s the Arcopolis edition that’s a yellow Ford Escort RS Cosworth with yellow wheels of which 200 examples were planned, but only one was produced.
Motorsports & Beyond
The Ford Escort RS Cosworth unfortunately never quite saw the WRC success Ford had hoped. The rally car saw eight Group A event wins during its career between 1993 and 1996, but it never reached a championship win. Ford couldn’t keep up with the likes of the Toyota Celica GT-Four, Subaru Impreza, or Mitsubishi Lancer during this time. That doesn’t diminish how cool this car is though. It whipped around corners, shot flames out of the exhaust, and had one of the best sounding engines in rally car history. Plus, the fact that the public was able to get a similar version for themselves.
The Ford Escort RS Cosworth was actually still tearing through rally courses this past decade with the help of the late, great Ken Block and Hoonigans. The “Cossie” was Block’s Ford Escort RS Cosworth car that he planned to drive in rally, rallycross, and some Gymkhana competition, but the car caught fire during Stage 4 of the New England Forest Rally and was too far gone to repair. The car was turned into shrapnel, put into paint, and sprayed on the roll cage in the “Cossie V2”. Block’s second Ford Escort RS Cosworth brought his dream back to reality and was seen by fans at numerous events all around the world. Now, Block’s iconic livery is the one most associated with the Ford Escort RS Cosworth and both have their place in motorsports history.
Majority of motorsport versions were white, but very small amounts came in red and black aswell. I read somewhere that 300 motorsports were made, 260 white, 33 red and 7 black ones. Two different sources said this.