In this new chapter of cars for true motor lovers we have the Ford Escort RS Cosworth, one of the most famous compact sports cars of the ’90s.
The 1990s gave a lot. While in Japan they marketed the best sports cars they had ever created, with the Supra, GT-R, NSX and RX-7 at their best, in Europe we had other types of very characteristic and well-known vehicles, cars for true motor lovers like the Ford Escort RS Cosworth that stars in this article.
Based on the fifth generation of the legendary Escort, considered the predecessor of the Ford Focus, the RS Cosworth version was the most high-performance in the range, the epitome of a model that had already marked an era in the past with its excellent participation in rally races. .
The Escort RS Cosworth would return Ford to glory in the World Rally Championship (WRC), where it competed for several years and achieved 10 important victories, highlighting those achieved by such famous drivers as Miki Biasion, Tommi Mäkinen and Carlos Sainz together with his inseparable co-pilot Luis Moya.
Cars for true motor lovers: Ford Escort RS Cosworth
But, going back to the Ford Escort RS Cosworth in question, the firm with the blue oval had already established a precedent, the Sierra Cosworth that it had marketed between 1986 and 1992. This family-style model was already equipped with an engine developed by the British specialist Cosworth and a rear propulsion system that, in the RS500 Cosworth, knew its maximum expression.
However, Ford had something else up his sleeve and in 1992 he introduced the heir, the Escort RS Cosworth. Based on the Sierra Cosworth chassis and mechanics, albeit with the Escort bodywork, the company made the decision to adopt this configuration as the Escort platform had been designed for front-wheel drive engines.
Created under the direction of Rod Mansfield and John Wheeler, the first sketch emerged as early as 1989, a year before the fifth generation Escort was even introduced. Its widened bodywork, its new bumpers, the skirts and that characteristic spoiler that quickly identifies it are part of the style made by the famous designer Frank Stephenson.
Added to the bodywork created by Karmann’s experts was a pair of sports seats signed by Recaro, a three-spoke steering wheel, an instrument panel with a white background, a new gear lever knob and additional gauges located in the position highest on the dash to indicate readings such as turbo pressure.
Under the hood, Ford again turned to Cosworth and its 2.0-liter inline-four with a Garrett T3 turbocharger. The result was 227 horsepower and 304 Nm of torque, managed by a five-speed manual gearbox with which it achieved a 0 to 100 km/h in 5.7 seconds and a top speed of 232 km/h.
Unlike the Sierra Cosworth, the Ford Escort RS Cosworth featured a four-wheel drive system and weighed 1,275 kilograms.
The Escort RS Cosworth was available in three different versions: Motorsport, Standard and Lux. The first had a more sporty approach and dispensed with elements such as power windows, sunroof, central locking, fog lights or leather seats. The Standard and Lux versions, on the contrary, had numerous optional comfort elements.
During the four years of commercial life, Ford offered different special editions, such as the Monte Carlo for the United Kingdom (200 units), the Miki Biasion edition (120 units) or the Martini edition (200 units).
Production and competition
Ford sold just 7,145 Escort RS Cosworths between February 1992 and January 1996, which makes it truly special, even for collectors willing, three decades after its official market launch, to pay large sums of money to include it in your garage.
He also had a great career in motorsport, highlighting his participation in the World Rally Championship for four seasons and achieving eight important victories. Ford designed it to win the championship, although in the end it would not achieve it before the dominance of rivals such as Toyota, Subaru or Mitsubishi.
Despite this and its short commercial life, the Ford Escort RS Cosworth has gone down in history as one of the most iconic cars of the ’90s and one of the best Fords ever built.