The Ford Escort RS Cosworth is a rally version homologation special of the fifth generation European Ford Escort. It was designed to qualify as a Group A car for the World Rally Championship, in which it competed between 1993 and 1998. It was available as a road car from 1992 until 1996 in very limited numbers. The first 2500 cars made before 1 January 1993 are in fact "Homologation special versions." It was instantly recognisable due to its large "whale tail" rear spoiler. One of the main selling points was the Cosworth YBT, a highly tunable turbocharged 2.0 L (1,993 cc) with a bore x stroke of 90.8 mm × 77 mm (3.57 in × 3.03 in) Inline-four engine which had an output of 227 PS (167 kW; 224 bhp) in standard trim. Tuning companies have achieved power outputs of over 1,000 bhp (746 kW; 1,014 PS).
Development
Ford developed the car around the chassis and mechanicals of the Sierra Cosworth, to accommodate the larger Cosworth engine and transmission, while clothing it in Escort body panels to make it resemble the standard Mk 5 Ford Escort. This accommodation was required as the floor pan of the regular MK5 Escort was designed for front-wheel-drive only initially (although a 4 wheel drive version, the RS2000 4X4 was soon introduced). Designed under the guidance of Rod Mansfield and John Wheeler of Ford's SVO department, the styling was designed during 1989, a year before the standard Escort was launched, by Stephen Harper at MGA Developments in Coventry. The spoiler was added by Frank Stephenson, who originally proposed a three-deck piece, one of the distinctive features of the car itself. The body tooling was created by coachbuilders Karmann at their facility in Rheine, Germany, where the cars were manufactured.
Changes were made to the engine management system and a new turbocharger was fitted. Permanent four-wheel drive with a 34/66% front/rear split came courtesy of an uprated five-speed gearbox as used in the Sierra Cosworth. Recaro sports seats came as standard. Later production models were available without the oversize tail spoiler although by far the majority were still ordered with it.[citation needed] Like its Sierra predecessor, they are commonly nicknamed "Cossie" by enthusiasts.
The Escort Cosworth was a rare car, with 7,145 vehicles produced from the start of production on 19 February 1992 until the last car rolled out of the factory on 12 January 1996.
A small number were officially imported to the United States by a third party. Now that a number of vehicles are older than 25 years, there are an increasing number that are being imported to the United States.
The car's top speed was 150 mph (240 km/h), which rivalled cars including the Audi Quattro, BMW M3, Nissan 300ZX, and Toyota Supra, and comfortably outperformed traditional "hot hatchbacks" like the Volkswagen Golf GTI.
Two versions were produced. The initial 2,500 units were "homologation specials" used to get the FIA accreditation in Group A and were fitted with an oversized Garrett T3/T04B Hybrid turbo and air/water intercooler (this turbocharger is a hybrid consisting of a Garrett T04B compressor wheel combined with a Garrett T3 turbine and is also known as T34). These units displayed significant turbo lag due to the huge inertia introduced by the T34 unit and the detuned nature of their competition derived engine until 3,500 RPM. From 3,500 RPM when the turbo wakes up the Escort RS Cosworth is reminiscent of a Group B car with the savage entry of the turbo. The power transferred 66% to the rear axle and 34% to the front. The first 2500 had a water injection system under the rear passenger seat. This was non-functioning and was in place to demonstrate water injection capability for the FIA inspectors.
The initial cars included features that, although they made the Cosworth a more effective car, did not enhance it as a road vehicle, and once the rules were satisfied Ford attempted to make the car less temperamental and easier to drive under normal conditions, a second version was produced. This second generation, starting production from late 1994, was fitted with a Garrett T25 turbocharger, a smaller unit which reduced turbo lag and increased usability in everyday driving situations. Performance remained largely unchanged.
Performance
Max power of the road version officially from Ford was 227 PS (224 bhp; 167 kW) at 6,250 rpm and 304 N⋅m; 224 lbf⋅ft (31 kg⋅m) of torque at 3,500 rpm[7] on 95 RON petrol and a max speed of 232 km/h (144 mph) (GPS) and 237 km/h (147 mph) without the big rear wing, while 0–100 km/h (62 mph) takes 5.7 sec. Standard boost from Garrett AiResearch T3/T04B turbocharger was 0.8 bar (12 psi) with 1.0-1.1 bar overboost. The car weight was 1,275 kg (2,811 lb) or 1,310 kg (2,890 lb) for the Lux edition.
The Escort RS Cosworth was the first mass production car to produce downforce at the front and rear (at front 4.6kg/45Newton at 180 km/h (110 mph) with adjustable front splitter in middle position and 19.4kg/190Newton downforce with the rear large wing).
Road variations
The road going car could be purchased in three variations. Motorsport/Roadsport, Standard and Lux (Luxury).
Most Motorsport cars were Diamond White and lacked electric windows, a radio, sunroof, central locking, fog lamps. Interiors were cloth only.
Standard and Lux cars often had optional extras added at the time of order but generally they included full electrics which the Motorsport model did not. A leather interior upgrade was also optional.
Towards the end of production, the 'whale tail' spoiler could be deleted from the factory. It is unknown how many buyers chose this option.
To celebrate the victory in Monte Carlo in 1994 by Francois Delecour, Ford created the Monte Carlo edition for the UK market. This was available in three colours, Ash Black, Mallard Green and only for this edition, Jewel Violet with an estimated 200 produced total. The differences to a standard car were: 8 x16 OZ Racing Wheels, Monte Carlo stickers on the wings and tailgate, motorsport Recaro seats, alloy gear knob and chrome brake handle button. They were otherwise mechanically unchanged.
The Miki Biasion edition was an Italian market only launched in 1992 with a production run of 120. Each car came with a numbered plaque on the dashboard with Biasion's signature. They were all white, non-sunroof bodies, hexagon trimmed seats, manual windows, no radio and no electric boot release.
The Martini edition was produced to celebrate the partnership between Ford and one of its main sponsors. This edition was limited to 200 models.
The Acropolis edition was an all yellow car with yellow wheels built to celebrate Miki Biasion's victory there in 1993. Only one was built out of a planned 200.
There were a few non-factory editions, most notably an Arrows edition as part of the same Formula 1 teams promotional duties (estimated to be 25 made) by Brooklyn Ford and Wolf editions in Germany where a number of tuning parts could be added such as an additional 'lip' spoiler.
Source: Wikipedia
Last edited by Man of Steel; 01-01-2021 at 10:32 AM.
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