Why The Ford Escort RS Cosworth Is A Proper 90s Hero

In the 1990s, Lancia and Toyota dominated the World Rally Championship’s Group A era. Why? Because the lardy Ford Sierra Cosworth simply couldn't compete anymore. And so it was that Ford needed a new rally weapon. The Escort RS Cosworth was it.

An Escort by name, but not really by nature, Ford's new Cossie used a cut-down Sierra 4x4 chassis. The aggressive styling might have been in-yer-face, but it all served a purpose. The bonnet louvres, for example, fed air to the massive intercooler. The bulging wheelarches covered a wider track and big wheels. And the front and rear spoilers generated proper downforce.

Image source: motorstown.com

The Escort Cosworth had a lot of mouth, but it also had the muscle to back it up. Power came from Cosworth’s legendary turbocharged 2-litre twin-cam ‘four’, the YBT. Early cars churned out 227bhp and 220lb ft torque, but power dropped to 217bhp with the 1994 facelift (a smaller turbo reduced lag for better driveability).

Performance was pretty epic; 0-60mph took just 6.3 seconds (quicker than a current Focus ST), while top speed was kept down to 138mph by the drag-inducing rear wing.

The Escort Cosworth had a mixed WRC career. The Ford team picked up seven wins through ‘93 and ‘94, but the works outfit closed ahead of the ‘95 season, before being re-established again in ‘96.

The WRC introduced new World Rally Car rules for ‘97. The Escort (now run by M-Sport) was adapted to suit, but wasn’t a true WRC; Think of it more as a Group A Plus car, much like the Mitsubishi Evos. Carlos Sainz picked up two wins that year, after which the Escort was pensioned off in favour of the new Focus WRC.

The Escort Cossie was at least hugely successful in local rally championships. It was extremely popular on circuits, too. But it wasn’t just motorsporters who loved it. It was a darling of the Max Power crowd as well.

Around 300bhp was very easy to unleash from the YBT engine, while 400-500bhp wasn’t too difficult either. Even as much as 1000bhp was possible. Problem was, however, it was also popular with TWOCers (taking without consent), meaning it'd probably get nicked before you had a chance to get the spanners out for power mongering.

The Escort RS Cosworth became a legend in its own lifetime. It was a true supercar for the 'people' (we’ll overlook the 5-figure insurance premiums...) and a consummate B-road bruiser. Now, its rightly regarded as one of Ford’s all-time greats and a proper 90s hero. Sad to think then that there are only around 660 left in the UK...

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Specs

Built: 1992-1996Engine: 1,993cc turbocharged in-line fourPower: 227bhpTorque: 220lb/ft0-60mph: 6.3 secondsTop speed: 138mphGearbox: 5-speed manualWeight: 1275kg

Bet you didn’t know...

The works rally cars had 7-speed gearboxes. Jeremy Clarkson gave his away in a Top Gear Magazine competiton. The iconic rear wing was actually an option.