Guide: Ford Escort RS Cosworth
Background
Shortly after the FIA decided that Group B would be dropped on safety grounds (mid-way through the 1986 season), Ford abandoned their expensive RS200 programme.
From 1987, Group A became the premier rally category. To qualify, a manufacturer needed to produce 5000 examples of suitable car in a twelve month period.
Coincidentally, Ford had already created a Group A car in the shape of the Sierra RS Cosworth. However, the hot Sierra was a rear-wheel drive machine conceived for touring car racing - on the special stages it was no match for Lancia’s compact four-wheel drive Delta. Nevertheless, the Sierra RS Cosworth achieved much success in the Group A touring car scene for which it had been created.
From a rallying perspective, the years 1987 through 1992 were lean ones for Ford. Calls for a special short wheelbase three door version of the big Sierra Sapphire Cosworth 4x4 (launched in January 1990) were rejected. Instead, the new four-wheel drive iteration was otherwise identical to the rear-drive Sapphire Cosworth launched back in January 1988 (to replace the original Sierra Cosworth).
The Sierra Sapphire 4x4 did make a few appearances as works car between 1990 and 1992, but it was large, heavy and not as sophisticated as its rivals. Accordingly, it never won a WRC event.
For 1993, the FIA decided to halve the Group A homologation requirement from 5000 to 2500 units. The rule change was announced well ahead of time and proved the trigger that convinced Ford to finally build a car capable of winning the World Rally Championship.
The resultant Escort RS Cosworth was developed at Ford’s SVO department in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire. It was loosely based on the fifth generation Escort, albeit substantially modified to incorporate the four-wheel drive Cosworth-powered drivetrain from the Sapphire 4x4. By fitting this equipment into the smaller and stiffer Escort hatchback bodyshell, Ford thought they would have a serious rival for Lancia and Toyota.
Escort RS Cosworth production began in February 1992 at the Karmann works in Rhein, Germany.
The car want on sale in May 1992 and homologation was approved on January 1st 1993.
Chassis
The standard MkV Escort utilised a transverse engine and front-wheel drive layout. To incorporate a four-wheel drive system and longitudinally-mounted engine, Karmann carried out a series of extensive modifications to include the installation of a shortened Sapphire 4x4 floorpan. However, the Escort Cosworth still had a longer wheelbase than a standard MkV Escort (2552mm compared to 2525mm).
Independent suspension was via MacPherson struts with lower track control arms at the front and transversely mounted trailing arms at the rear. Coil sprung Fichtel & Sachs dampers were fitted all round along with an anti-roll bar at either end.
The ventilated disc brakes had a 278mm diameter up front and 273mm diameter at the rear.
ABS was standard along with power-assisted steering.
New 8 x 16-inch five spoke RS alloy wheels were originally shod with Pirelli P700 tyres.
A 65-litre fuel tank was fitted under the trunk floor.
Engine / Gearbox
Cosworth’s latest iteration of the T88 Pinto-derived power unit was dubbed YBT. It was another a water-cooled inline four with a cast-iron block, 16 valve light alloy DOHC head and wet-sump lubrication.
Displacement was an unchanged 1993cc thanks to a bore and stroke of 90.8mm and 76.95mm respectively.
Compared to the outgoing Sierra unit, the YBT motor incorporated a new engine management system and a different turbocharger. It was easily identifiable on account of a blue instead of green head.
The intercooled Garrett AiResearch T35 turbo was the same hybrid unit used by the Group B RS200. Also dubbed T3/T04B, it consisted of a T04B compressor wheel with a T3 turbine and ran at 0.8 bar (with 1 to 1.1 bar overboost). For homologation purposes, a non-functioning water-injection system was supplied under the rear seat.
Engine management was the latest Marelli-Weber IAW P8 system.
A compression ratio of 8.0:1 was carried over from the outgoing Sierra Sapphire.
A catalytic converter ensured the Escort RS Cosworth complied with the latest emissions legislation.
Peak output was 224bhp at 6250rpm and 224lb-ft at 3500rpm.
For comparison, the Sierra Sapphire RS 4x4 pumped out 217bhp at 6250rpm and 214lb-ft at 3500rpm.
Transmission was through an MT-75 five-speed manual gearbox and a Ferguson permanent four-wheel drive system with 34/66 torque split.
Bodywork
Apart from the doors and roof, none of the Escort Cosworth’s body panels were interchangeable with a standard MkV. They were manufactured at the Karmann works in Germany; steel was used in conjunction with plastic for the trim mouldings and polyurethane for the bumpers.
In a fashion typical of Group A homologation specials, the Escort RS Cosworth came with a range of brawny cosmetic enhancements designed to make the car effective in motor sport.
The aero kit comprised an adjustable satin black front splitter and a dual level rear spoiler. Mounted atop the trailing edge of the boot lid was an integrated wing. Above this was a high level Sierra RS Cosworth-style spoiler supported by a single central pylon.
To accommodate the wide five-spoke alloys, aggressively contoured wheelarch extensions were fitted to all four corners. The fronts were vented to improve brake cooling.
Two large engine cooling vents were added to the hood.
Interior
Inside, the standard MkV Escort dash was modified to incorporate an additional bank of three centrally-mounted gauges (an ammeter, boost gauage and oil pressure read out). The speedometer, rev counter, fuel gauge and water temperature read out were housed in the main binnacle directly behind the custom three-spoke steering wheel. All seven instruments had white instead of black faces.
Another feature unique to this four-wheel drive flagship was the bulky transmission tunnel that Ford integrated with the centre console.
Ford also equipped the car with special Recaro seats trimmed in Polaris Hex fabric.
The list of standard equipment included a tilt / slide sunroof, electric windows, electric mirrors, central locking, tinted glass, a padded centre armrest with cassette storage, a quartz digital clock with ambient temperature display and a Ford 2007 RDS radio / cassette player.
Options
Customers could enhance their car with a range of optional upgrades.
They included leather upholstery, air-conditioning, a passenger airbag, a CD player, rear spoiler delete and tailored floor mats.
In addition, Ford offered a Lux pack that comprised a bundle of options that were also available individually. The Lux pack comprised an electric sunroof, electric heated door mirrors, a Quick-clear heated windscreen, a three-spoke leather covered steering wheel, carpeted door bins, a rear seat armrest, opening rear quarter windows and heated headlight washer jets. A Lux version with leather upholstery was offered as well. An optional extra offered exclusively on Lux models was heated seats.
There was additionally an extremely desirable Motorsport variant that came with basic seats, manual window winders, no audio system, no central locking, no electric boot release, no rear headrests, no headlights washer jets, unpainted exterior mirrors and no fog lights. The majority of cars built to Motorsport specification were painted Diamond White.
Weight / Performance
The standard Escort Cosworth weighed in at 1275kg while those equipped with the Lux pack tipped the scales at around 1320kg.
The car had a 0-62mph time of 5.8 seconds and a top speed of either 147mph (without the big rear spoiler) or 137mph (with the spoiler installed).
Production Changes
Only the first 2500 Escort Cosworths came with the water-injection kit under the rear seat (all of which were built in 1992).
Miki Biasion Edition
In late 1992, Ford produced a batch of 128 Miki Biasion Edition Escort Cosworths for the Italian market.
Biasion had joined Ford for the 1992 season (when he drove a Sierra Sapphire RS Cosworth 4x4). He rallied the Escort Cosworth during 1993 and 1994, during which time he won the ‘93 Acropolis Rally and scored six World Championship podium finishes.
The Miki Biasion Escort Cosworth was broadly similar to the Motorsport specification. All 128 were Diamond White and came with a signed dash-mounted plaque.
Acropolis Edition
In late 1993, a batch of 200 special edition cars was announced to celebrate Biasion’s win on the Acropolis Rally back in early June.
The victory in Greece had been the Escort RS Cosworth’s sole WRC triumph during its debut season and Ford thought it was a good excuse to try and stimulate some demand; sales for 1993 were expected to be around a third of what had been achieved the previous year.
The Acropolis Edition was to be a no frills performance-focused variant that Ford could offer at a slightly discounted price. To that end, like the Miki Biasion Edition, it was broadly similar to the Motorsport specification although an audio system was fitted to broaden appeal.
As it transpired, only a single prototype ever got built. The sole example was painted a lurid shade of yellow with matching wheels. Black hood vents and side stripes were fitted and the exterior mirrors were also black.
Monte Carlo Edition
To celebrate Francois Delecour’s victory on 1994 Monte Carlo Rally (the Frenchman’s fifth and last WRC win with the Escort Cosworth), Ford commissioned a batch of 200 specially configured cars based on the Lux pack version.
The Monte Carlo Edition was available in three colours: Jewel Violet, Mallard Green and Ash Black.
Externally it came with handsome new 8 x 16-inch OZ Racing alloy wheels plus silver Monte Carlo decals on the doors and tailgate.
Special colour co-ordinated cloth upholstery was used for the seat centres and door inserts. The front inner seat base bolsters were embroidered with silver Motorsport text. Other cockpit enhancements included an alloy gear knob, a matching handbrake button and a numbered plaque on the dash.
200 Monte Carlo Edition cars were built to include around 80 right-hand drive examples for the UK market.
Series 2 ‘Small Turbo’
In late 1994, Ford made the first major change to the Escort RS Cosworth when the ‘Big Turbo’ YBT engine was dropped in favour of the ‘Small Turbo’ YBP unit. The move was to address criticism of major turbo lag below 3500rpm.
In addition to a redesigned head (now painted silver instead of blue), the YBP engine featured a smaller Garrett AiResearch T25 turbo.
There was also a re-mapped engine management system; the original Weber-Marelli IAW P8 installation was replaced by a less sophisticated Ford EEC IV unit.
The ignition system now came with a single coil per cylinder compared to the static ignition arrangement found in the original version (no distributor was used).
To improve cooling, bigger oil projectors were placed under the piston heads.
Although the new engine produced 3bhp less than before, thanks to its drastically reduced lag, the Escort Cosworth was now less temperamental and much easier to drive.
Martini Racing Edition
Between late 1994 and early 1995, a batch of 200 Martini Racing Edition cars were built for the European market.
These were effectively ‘Small Turbo’ versions of the Monte Carlo Edition painted a special shade of Petrol Blue.
Like the Monte Carlo Edition, the Martini Racing Edition was based on the Lux pack platform. It featured 8 x 16-inch OZ Racing alloy wheels and special colour co-ordinated cloth upholstery for the seat centres and door inserts. The front inner seat base bolsters were embroidered with silver Motorsport text. The gear knob and handbrake button were natural alloy.
A driver and passenger airbag were fitted as standard.
End of Production
Production ran from February 1992 to January 1996. 7145 were built.
This figure comprised 3448 in 1992, 1143 in 1993, 1180 in 1994, 1306 in 1995 and 68 in 1996.
937 were Type 909 Motorsport bodyshells.
The model was discontinued as it could not meet new EU noise regulations.
Competition History
The Escort RS Cosworth’s debut 1993 season yielded five wins from 13 events: three for Francois Delecour (Rally Portugal, the Tour de Corse and Rally Catalunya), one for Miki Biasion (the Acropolis Rally) and one for Franco Cunico (Rallye Sanremo).
Unfortunately, the Toyota Celica GT4 proved superior. Seven wins meant the Japanese firm took the Manufacturer’s title by twelve points (157 compared to Ford’s 145).
Toyota driver Juha Kankkunen was crowned the ‘93 Driver’s champion on 135 points. Delecour was second with 112 points and Biasion was fourth with 76.
Thereafter, the Escort scored just three wins during the course of the next three seasons: the 1994 Monte Carlo Rally (Francois Delecour), the 1994 1000 Lakes Rally (Tommi Makinen) and the 1996 Rally Indonesia (Carlos Sainz).
For 1997, new regulations took effect as Group A was replaced by the WRC era. Ford were permitted to compete with the Escort RS Cosworth which was modified to incorporate a new engine, improved cooling, uprated rear suspension, revised aerodynamics and some layout changes. Carlos Sainz took two wins during 1997 (on the Acropolis and Rally Indonesia) which proved to be the Escort’s last victories at World Championship level.
Text copyright: Supercar Nostalgia
Photo copyright: Ford - https://www.ford.com
