1994 Ford Escort RS Cosworth Monte Carlo

Highlights

• Enormously rare ‘Monte Carlo’ special edition
• 1 of 200 built, only about 70 were RHD
• Professionally rebuilt and significantly enhanced drivetrain
• Incredibly in-depth service record and history
• Highly original, with well-preserved interior 

Overview

Cossie. That’s all you need to say to any petrolhead and immediately images are conjured of a massive rear wing, wide arches and all four wheels spinning away as gravel scatters at rifle pace, probably on a Welsh forestry track. The soundtrack is a bombastic cacophony of turbo whistling and fire-crack exhaust on the overrun. The acrid tang of burnt petrol hangs heavy in the air as a metallic force of nature fires off into the distance. Most likely sideways… Sigh.

Sorry, you completely lost us to nostalgia for a moment there. But that’s what the Escort RS Cosworth does. It’s one of the few cars that the vast majority of enthusiasts will agree on. That agreement largely taking the shape of “yes we’d like one, please and thank you”.

Unfortunately, they also had a reputation for getting nicked and driven through shop windows by unsavoury types, so they’re rarer than they should be. Thankfully, those days are long gone and the Escort Cosworth is appreciated and cherished for what it truly is – an era-defining performance machine that just happened to also be a bedroom wall poster come to life.

But this isn’t just any Escort Cosworth, as wonderful as that would be. Oh no. This is the rarest variant of all, the legendary Monte Carlo special edition. With just 200 made (and only about 70 of those being RHD models), getting your hands on a genuine example is nigh-on impossible. And yet, that is precisely what we have here: a genuine, dyed in the wool, beautifully preserved Monte Carlo. Complete with entirely appropriate “M3NTE” private registration, because why not?

A couple of years after acquiring the vehicle, the current owner had the engine comprehensively rebuilt and much improved, with an emphasis on enhancing the performance and longevity of the car without removing its character. As you’ll see, they’ve certainly done that.

Vanishingly rare, extremely well maintained and carefully improved, we think this is a wonderfully compelling machine. One thing’s for sure, you won’t see another quite like this…

History and documentation

• First registered 1 August 1994 (making it one of the last “Big Turbo” Escort Cosworths)
• No.014 of 200 built, with plaque on dash to confirm
• Only about 70 RHD examples were built, so this is a very rare machine
• Well known from the show scene in the 00s
• Just two former private keepers
• Current keeper since August 2002
• Full document pack
• Immense collection of service history, invoices, old MOTs and even old tax discs – in total enough to fill two box files
• Current MOT with no advisories expires 7 May 2025
• Fewer than 5,000 miles covered since March 2006
• Engine professionally rebuilt in 2005, with about 6,000 miles covered since
• We’re told that the car has never been involved in an accident and hasn’t been welded
• 16,104 miles on the clock (five-figure odometer, so this has ‘gone around’)
• V5 present in owner’s name
• HPI clear (checked October 2024)
• The private registration (M3NTE) is included in the sale

Interior

• Original Monte Carlo exclusive Recaro sports seats, finished in grey fabric with an “oil slick” pattern to the centre panels
• The seats are all in great condition for their age, with no tears or notable sagging in evidence, just a little wear to the outer bolster on the driver’s seat
• The light grey headlining looks to be secure and undamaged, aside from a little sag at the rear
• Grey carpets and complementary ‘Cosworth’ branded black over-mats run through the cabin and appear to be in good order
• Like all Monte Carlo models, it benefits from a full period ‘Lux’ specification
• Electrically operated door mirrors and side windows
• Electrically operated, factory fitted sunroof
• Original Ford branded double deck CD/cassette/radio system
• A-pillar mounted ‘Apexi’ boost gauge
• A powder fire extinguisher has been installed to the right of the driver’s seat
• Custom leather gearstick gaiter with standard metal Monte Carlo gear knob
• The steering wheel and handbrake button are also unique to the Monte Carlo special edition
• All of the switchgear and instrumentation looks to be present and correct, and shows well with a light patina that hints at the car’s originality
• The seller advises that the airbag light occasionally illuminates but not so often as to move him to investigate further
• The boot carpet is light grey and presents in excellent condition, with a spacesaver spare and towing toolkit underneath a fitted carpet cover
• Airbag light aside, we’re assured that all the equipment in the cabin works as it should, with no issues to report

Exterior

• Deeply attractive, mostly original Mallard Green paintwork
• The paint shows well for its age, with some stone chips to the front bumper, a few touched in chips in other places and some minor blemishes including a handful of paint blisters on the rear wing
• The full RS Cosworth bodykit is present and in good order, with side skirts, bumpers, wide arches, bonnet vents and that iconic rear wing all looking very well indeed
• Also fitted is a colour-coded front splitter and a set of Morrette quad headlamps
• All of the bodywork looks to be in good order, with the panel gaps and alignment all appearing to be excellent, even attracting comment at shows
• In 2005 the bodykit was removed and the sills were prepared, primed, stone chipped and painted as a precautionary measure
• The sills and the rest of the underside have been heavily treated with WaxOyl
• There are some corrosion spots under the rear window of the tailgate, on the lip of the tailgate and above the windscreen, but nothing that would concern us
• The front fog lights are smoked, while the rear light clusters are half-smoked
• All of the door bottoms, both sills, the wheel arches and the door jambs look to be in great condition, with no corrosion or damage we could discern
• The Ford badge has been removed from the tailgate, otherwise all of the badging appears to be present and undamaged
• Unique gold ‘Monte’ graphics, including a ‘014 of 200’ badge on the tailgate
• A custom set of 18-inch Compomotive alloy wheels have been commissioned and fitted, which echo the original 16-inch wheels in design, even including the ‘Monte’ stamp in the casting
• All of the wheels look to be in very fine condition, with no kerbing or lacquer peel apparent and a lovely silver finish
• A matched set of Yokohama tyres (255/40 R18) are fitted, which all look to be in good health, with decent tread levels and no sidewall damage we could see, though it would be worth double checking their age before relying on them for maximum grip
• In all, it’s a fabulous looking thing which will surely make the next owner the envy of wherever they go

Mechanical

• 1,994cc four-cylinder, 16-valve DOHC ‘big turbo’ engine
• Four-wheel drive system
• Five-speed manual transmission
• The original fuse box has been replaced with a new OEM item
• August 2005: full engine rebuild by Harvey Gibbs at SCS – since then, the car has covered c.6,000 miles (1k running in, a further 1.5k on 12psi max boost)
• New oil pump and engine gaskets
• Brand new long-studded 200 block
• Big wing baffled sump and windage tray, additional oil return union fitted
• Standard crank (unground)
• Brand new Mahle pistons, machined for lowered compression and valve cut outs (7.6:1)
• Genuine WRC four-layer steel head gasket (the bottom end is believed to be good for 500bhp)
• Minor head work around valve stems, complete head rebuild including new lifters
• Custom made black ignition leads
• Distributor superseded with new Ford coil pack ignition but remains in place
• New light blue Bosch injectors
• T3/04 Turbo rebuilt incorporating 360 thrust bearing and .63 exhaust housing
• Genuine WRC ‘air-to-air’ injectors, mounted on a custom bracket with fully braided hoses and Aeroquip fittings
• All pulleys were removed and nickel plated
• Custom billet alloy fuel rail, with Aeroquip unions and braided fuel lines
• Aeromotive adjustable fuel pressure regulator
• Pro Alloy RS500 style intercooler
• Genuine new Behr radiator
• New Bosch “023” high flow fuel pump with separate wiring loom
• 3 bar MAP sensor
• New custom-made Pectel control systems engine loom
• Pectel board in P8 ECU running a Harvey Gibbs / Ahmed Bayjoo, Dyno / Live map
• Engine made 375bhp and 380lb-ft on the SCS dyno (paperwork included in the file)
• Power Engineering stainless steel exhaust system, with lambda boss welded into the downpipe
• K&N ‘Monster’ cone induction kit and polished alloy trumpet
• Cam cover refinished in Mallard Green
• Alternator, starter motor and front differential refinished in two-pack silver and clear lacquer
• Powder coated subframe, alternator bracket, inlet manifold, thermostat housing and MAP sensor bracket
• Blue Samco boost hoses
• Black Samco main and ancillary water hoses
• GGR/Tarcal stainless water header tank, mirror breather catch tank and four port breather kit, all with threaded unions / connections and Aeroquip high pressure hoses
• Polished swirl pot
• Alcon six paddle clutch plate using a genuine Ford / AP clutch cover, fitted at the same time as the new engine
• Quick shift gear linkage
• Koni springs and dampers, offering a 25mm drop over the standard suspension
• Poly-bushes have been fitted throughout
• Polished stainless steel dual spar front strut brace
• Powder coated anti-roll bar and brackets
• Refurbished steering rack
• Modified WRC nylon steering rack bushes fitted
• Front brakes: AP Racing CP5200 four-piston calipers, with AP Racing 315mm grooved discs and Ferodo pads (these do fit under standard 16” OZ wheels)
• Rear: standard-sized grooved discs, pads and calipers have been renewed
• Braided steel brake lines
• The seller advises that the ABS light comes on sometimes but that braking appears to be unaffected
• Comprehensive service and maintenance record, superb MOT history
• Timing belt service carried out in November 2020
• The car has just received an oil service
• Aside from the above-mentioned ABS light, we’re assured by the vendor that the car starts, runs and drives very well, with no mechanical issues or problems to report

Summary

Escort RS Cosworths are special, they always have been and always will be. Monte Carlo special editions are even more noteworthy, and RHD examples are the rarest of all. Which makes this utterly delectable example a serious collectible and deeply desirable machine.

Just imagine turning up to your local car meet in this. Or wandering out to the garage to look at it while thinking “that’s MY Escort Cosworth”. Having been carefully kept, meticulously maintained and sympathetically improved by just three owners over the last 30 years, it’s now ready to be adored by someone new.

Whoever that new owner is, when you fire it up for the first time and feel that giant air-snail whistling its way to a crescendo before it fires you towards the horizon we haven’t a doubt that you’re going to be wearing the kind of smile that won’t fade for a very, very long time.

To arrange a viewing, please request this in the Q&A section. You can click through to the seller's profile and use the 'Email Me' function to arrange a viewing privately. This seller is located in Sidcup, Kent.