Explain: Ford Escort Cosworth
Discussion
Hi,
I was just thinking that there are some cars I do not get, or cars where I fail to see the hype. Then I remembered that Chris Harris also has those thoughts on certain cars aswell, so in a similar idea - I start this thread in the hope that people can explain why they are attracted to a certain car. While I have been thinking there are a few cars I do not get this may be the first installment or Volume1. First contender:
Ford Escort Cosworth.
It raises a few questions, or maybe reasons as to why they get the hype they do:
- Is it the WRC connection?
- Is it the mad styling (ie: spioler etc etc)?
- Is it just because you like Fords?
Those questions may not answer why you like it, so please comment below. I will now explain why I dislike it.
Reasons I Dislike
I will start with the base car, which is a humble Ford Escort - fair enough - but that is not an ideal start in my opinion as the wheelbase is too short for long distance motoring, and I am unsure on width it looks is maybe too wide to do a good blast down some back roads (I am happy to be proved wrong on that last point though). We then move to that spoiler, it just looks like an after-thought and a bit tacky. Moving to the interior, and more so on later models, it is a parts bin special with a steering wheel from a Mk4 Fiesta for example. I see a few nowadays that may have gotten into the wrong hands, and they place aftermarket headlights which again, look chavvy and not very nice at all. In terms of price, last time I checked they were around £15,000 for a decent one - at that price, I would much rather have an Audi RS2 or the lovely Lotus Carlton. Much better cars in my opinion.
Note: I have not read any reviews, so I can take it on face value. I do hope I have not offended any owners in the process of writing this post - that was not the intention, but feel free to defend the Escort.
I was just thinking that there are some cars I do not get, or cars where I fail to see the hype. Then I remembered that Chris Harris also has those thoughts on certain cars aswell, so in a similar idea - I start this thread in the hope that people can explain why they are attracted to a certain car. While I have been thinking there are a few cars I do not get this may be the first installment or Volume1. First contender:
Ford Escort Cosworth.
It raises a few questions, or maybe reasons as to why they get the hype they do:
- Is it the WRC connection?
- Is it the mad styling (ie: spioler etc etc)?
- Is it just because you like Fords?
Those questions may not answer why you like it, so please comment below. I will now explain why I dislike it.
Reasons I Dislike
I will start with the base car, which is a humble Ford Escort - fair enough - but that is not an ideal start in my opinion as the wheelbase is too short for long distance motoring, and I am unsure on width it looks is maybe too wide to do a good blast down some back roads (I am happy to be proved wrong on that last point though). We then move to that spoiler, it just looks like an after-thought and a bit tacky. Moving to the interior, and more so on later models, it is a parts bin special with a steering wheel from a Mk4 Fiesta for example. I see a few nowadays that may have gotten into the wrong hands, and they place aftermarket headlights which again, look chavvy and not very nice at all. In terms of price, last time I checked they were around £15,000 for a decent one - at that price, I would much rather have an Audi RS2 or the lovely Lotus Carlton. Much better cars in my opinion.
Note: I have not read any reviews, so I can take it on face value. I do hope I have not offended any owners in the process of writing this post - that was not the intention, but feel free to defend the Escort.
Firstly it is based on the Sierra platform but just looks like an Escort. [edit] typed too slowly[/edit]
The reason people love them is because:
a) It was a performance car for "normal" people. You didn't have to take a 2nd mortgage to buy and service them
b) it was easy to get more power out of them
c) It has real rally heritage
d) It looks bonkers
e) People like fast Fords
It was made for a purpose, to win rallies. I can therefore forgive the naff interior and the slightly tacky wing
The reason people love them is because:
a) It was a performance car for "normal" people. You didn't have to take a 2nd mortgage to buy and service them
b) it was easy to get more power out of them
c) It has real rally heritage
d) It looks bonkers
e) People like fast Fords
It was made for a purpose, to win rallies. I can therefore forgive the naff interior and the slightly tacky wing
markCSC said:
Firstly it is based on the Sierra platform but just looks like an Escort.
The reason people love them is because:
a) It was a performance car for "normal" people. You didn't have to take a 2nd mortgage to buy and service them
b) it was easy to get more power out of them
c) It has real rally heritage
d) It looks bonkers
e) People like fast Fords
It was made for a purpose, to win rallies. I can therefore forgive the naff interior and the slightly tacky wing
Why then are they worth much more than a Celica GT-Four, which was out around the same time, same demographic, and is actualy a shade faster too?The reason people love them is because:
a) It was a performance car for "normal" people. You didn't have to take a 2nd mortgage to buy and service them
b) it was easy to get more power out of them
c) It has real rally heritage
d) It looks bonkers
e) People like fast Fords
It was made for a purpose, to win rallies. I can therefore forgive the naff interior and the slightly tacky wing
I think point "e" may have a lot to do with it.
You have to remember the era in which it came from. 1992. Pretty bleak time, this was before credit cards and equity release, most people couldn't dream of owning a performance car like this, it was a fair chunk more expensive than a hot hatch remember, don't even go there on insurance!. Plus no Internet, just top gear and car magazines to keep you interested. There was no social barriers motor wise, no 'chav' culture or anything like that, clarkson had one and traded it for a Ferrari 355 for example. It was all about the performance back then rather than image. Good times.
I have never been one of the multitude of Fast Ford fan-boys, but I must admit to a grudging respect towards the Escort Cosworth. Good on Ford for making the effort to create something special to try and win rallies, which you could also buy in road-going form. I know it wasn't altogether successful as a Group A rally car, but it was there or thereabouts during a fairly competitive period of the sport. Other than that I am a sucker for vents and flared wheel arches!
As a fan I will step up.
The bodyshell is not a proper mk5 escort. It's slightly longer and has a cut down sierra 4x4 platform underneath. The the back wheel to door gap is larger than on a standard one, which is a good way to tell a genuine from a fake.
The spoiler works with the front bumper to provide downforce, removing the spoiler gives an extra 4 mph to the top speed of a standard example. 144 instead of 140. Very much designed to be with the car, apart from in Switzerland where the large spoiler is banned.
The engine can be turned from 227 to silly power if you're pockets are deep enough. About a grand will get it to the 300bhp mark, 350bhp is a decent figure as the gearbox needs strengthened to take more.
Like other 80s/90s hot hatches it was a homologation special, built in low numbers and with a decent background in rallying and being a reasonably good car to drive.
A good if expensive platform to build a very capable car.
The bodyshell is not a proper mk5 escort. It's slightly longer and has a cut down sierra 4x4 platform underneath. The the back wheel to door gap is larger than on a standard one, which is a good way to tell a genuine from a fake.
The spoiler works with the front bumper to provide downforce, removing the spoiler gives an extra 4 mph to the top speed of a standard example. 144 instead of 140. Very much designed to be with the car, apart from in Switzerland where the large spoiler is banned.
The engine can be turned from 227 to silly power if you're pockets are deep enough. About a grand will get it to the 300bhp mark, 350bhp is a decent figure as the gearbox needs strengthened to take more.
Like other 80s/90s hot hatches it was a homologation special, built in low numbers and with a decent background in rallying and being a reasonably good car to drive.
A good if expensive platform to build a very capable car.
fathomfive said:
Wasn't the base car effectively a Sierra, with cannily grafted Escort bits on the outside / interior?
Or did I dream that?
Or did I dream that?
Jonny1984 said:
Aren't the Escort Cosworths based on the Sierra platform? I've never driven one, but standard ones are supposed to feel their age now. I just love how they look
Not really no. These vehicles are of monocoque construction, not a ladder chassis. So while a Sierra might have been a starting point, it's more than just a couple of bashed panels to make the Escort RS Cosworth.If you want to simply it, then yes ok it is a Sierra, but only in the same way a BMW Z3 is only an e30 3 Series....
As said, it was all to do with their cheap price considering how much performance you got.
For me, it's the looks and the power. All the Cosworths look amazing in my opinion, from the 3door with its crazy whale tail spoiler, to the more subtle Sapphire. Doesn't matter which model you owned, every one would draw attention and respect.
Not quite sure what you mean by "parts bin" interior, as it was mostly an Escort interior with some Recaros and Cosworth emblems. A Sapphire Cosworth interior with the facelift dash and full black leather is a lovely place to be though!
If you ever have the chance, drive an Escort Cosworth. Standard, they are a little rolly-polly in the corners, but they would still keep up with much more exotic stuff. The engine can be a bit underwhelming in standard guise too, but the true beauty about Cosworths is there tunability. Get a good, reliable stage 1 map to around 270hp, fit uprated dampers and springs and put on better brakes, and you will be left with a B-Road blaster capable of leaving cars tens times its worth for dead! Also, the Cosworth YB really is a legendary engine. You will get a lot of people saying its just a Pinto with a turbo slapped on, but it is so much more. Rod Tarry has the fastest cosworth in the world, and IIRC he is pushing over 900hp from his....900hp from an engine design that can be found from as early as the 1970's!
Cosworths are a legendary car OP. Drive one, it would all make sense then!
For me, it's the looks and the power. All the Cosworths look amazing in my opinion, from the 3door with its crazy whale tail spoiler, to the more subtle Sapphire. Doesn't matter which model you owned, every one would draw attention and respect.
Not quite sure what you mean by "parts bin" interior, as it was mostly an Escort interior with some Recaros and Cosworth emblems. A Sapphire Cosworth interior with the facelift dash and full black leather is a lovely place to be though!
If you ever have the chance, drive an Escort Cosworth. Standard, they are a little rolly-polly in the corners, but they would still keep up with much more exotic stuff. The engine can be a bit underwhelming in standard guise too, but the true beauty about Cosworths is there tunability. Get a good, reliable stage 1 map to around 270hp, fit uprated dampers and springs and put on better brakes, and you will be left with a B-Road blaster capable of leaving cars tens times its worth for dead! Also, the Cosworth YB really is a legendary engine. You will get a lot of people saying its just a Pinto with a turbo slapped on, but it is so much more. Rod Tarry has the fastest cosworth in the world, and IIRC he is pushing over 900hp from his....900hp from an engine design that can be found from as early as the 1970's!
Cosworths are a legendary car OP. Drive one, it would all make sense then!
It was also before the Impreza and Evo came 'household names' so didn't have much competition.
It also build on the success and reputation of the Sierra Cosworth.
When it was launched I was a grubby university student and remember making a special trip out to Dalby Forest to see the Escort Cossie making its world (?) debut in some minor club rally, and also getting an invite via the University Motor Club to the launch party at the local Ford dealer (special guest Malcolm Wilson). So it was a Big Thing at the time.
It also build on the success and reputation of the Sierra Cosworth.
When it was launched I was a grubby university student and remember making a special trip out to Dalby Forest to see the Escort Cossie making its world (?) debut in some minor club rally, and also getting an invite via the University Motor Club to the launch party at the local Ford dealer (special guest Malcolm Wilson). So it was a Big Thing at the time.
It was a car built for a purpose, constrained by a set of regulations.
The only reason a road version existed at all was the need to produce 2500 in order for them to compete in motorsport which was its sole reason for being produced. Without those regulations the car would never have seen the light of day.
Thats not the case with the current regulations which is why the wrc focus bears no relation to any road version. An RS of recent years is purely a marketing tag to sell a specific spec of car and has no motorport pedigree.
Homologation specials such as the escos when built by a mass market car manufacturer will always use standard components in order to keep down costs, they are never meant to be exotics (and many exotics use mass produced switches etc). They also have to relate to the hum drum cars that are the bread and butter for the car maker for marketing reasons, as mentioned its really a 4x4 sierra cosworth in drag, but the sierra was old news and the Mondeo not suitable so the escort it was.
The Lotus Carlton started life as a standard 3000 GSI so hardly bespoke either, but still a great car.
Horses for courses.
The reason for its popularity :-
Pure motorsport pedigree
Built in relatively low numbers
Engineered by a proven race and rally winning manufacturer.
Direct link to the best engine builders in motorsport for many years. The YB cosworth engine is still a capable motor which can even now produce a proven 700 bhp plus in race spec. Not bad for a 4 pot 2 litre.
The bodykits there for a reason not to be pretty.
It was the car to have for a generation of working class people at the time, who can now afford to own an example and tuck it away.
As they got cheaper they fell into the wrong hands, this further reduces the number of good examples which then become even rarer, as these are the ones to own the demand keeps prices high and rising.
They will always be a niche market car but the RS brand has a big following so they will always be in demand.
Rather than buying a new escos someone at the time could have purchased a top spec Granada Scorpio instead for similar money, a good example of the grannie is probably less than a grand now where as the same escos will be 15k plus.
The market dictates prices, hardly anyone wants an old Granada, but obviously lots of people still want to own a nice escos.
Your buying into a brand, an iconic model and a rare collectable item, the car just comes for free.
and yes there are far better cars out there for far less money if all you want is a car to drive well and which nobody gives a second glance to, which probably suits a lot of people.
The only reason a road version existed at all was the need to produce 2500 in order for them to compete in motorsport which was its sole reason for being produced. Without those regulations the car would never have seen the light of day.
Thats not the case with the current regulations which is why the wrc focus bears no relation to any road version. An RS of recent years is purely a marketing tag to sell a specific spec of car and has no motorport pedigree.
Homologation specials such as the escos when built by a mass market car manufacturer will always use standard components in order to keep down costs, they are never meant to be exotics (and many exotics use mass produced switches etc). They also have to relate to the hum drum cars that are the bread and butter for the car maker for marketing reasons, as mentioned its really a 4x4 sierra cosworth in drag, but the sierra was old news and the Mondeo not suitable so the escort it was.
The Lotus Carlton started life as a standard 3000 GSI so hardly bespoke either, but still a great car.
Horses for courses.
The reason for its popularity :-
Pure motorsport pedigree
Built in relatively low numbers
Engineered by a proven race and rally winning manufacturer.
Direct link to the best engine builders in motorsport for many years. The YB cosworth engine is still a capable motor which can even now produce a proven 700 bhp plus in race spec. Not bad for a 4 pot 2 litre.
The bodykits there for a reason not to be pretty.
It was the car to have for a generation of working class people at the time, who can now afford to own an example and tuck it away.
As they got cheaper they fell into the wrong hands, this further reduces the number of good examples which then become even rarer, as these are the ones to own the demand keeps prices high and rising.
They will always be a niche market car but the RS brand has a big following so they will always be in demand.
Rather than buying a new escos someone at the time could have purchased a top spec Granada Scorpio instead for similar money, a good example of the grannie is probably less than a grand now where as the same escos will be 15k plus.
The market dictates prices, hardly anyone wants an old Granada, but obviously lots of people still want to own a nice escos.
Your buying into a brand, an iconic model and a rare collectable item, the car just comes for free.
and yes there are far better cars out there for far less money if all you want is a car to drive well and which nobody gives a second glance to, which probably suits a lot of people.
markCSC]Firstly it is based on the Sierra platform but just looks like an Escort. [edit] typed too slowly[/edit said:
The reason people love them is because:
a) It was a performance car for "normal" people. You didn't have to take a 2nd mortgage to buy and service them
b) it was easy to get more power out of them
c) It has real rally heritage
d) It looks bonkers
e) People like fast Fords
It was made for a purpose, to win rallies. I can therefore forgive the naff interior and the slightly tacky wing
I think both the rally heritage and anyone that loves car loves a fast ford! I know they're knocking on a bit now and probably aren't as quick as some luke warm cars of today but those rose tinted glasses do make them look awesome - exactly the same as an old Mexico or RS2000.a) It was a performance car for "normal" people. You didn't have to take a 2nd mortgage to buy and service them
b) it was easy to get more power out of them
c) It has real rally heritage
d) It looks bonkers
e) People like fast Fords
It was made for a purpose, to win rallies. I can therefore forgive the naff interior and the slightly tacky wing
The hype began with the Sierra Cosworth which had 205hp and blew most performance cars away at the time. then came the Sierra RS500 Cosworth and the outlandish looks became iconic. The Escort was the final iteration to make the car smaller but the whale tail trademark sealed its success. Very quick cars for their price level and totally nothing to do with the Escort.
It was at least a genuine RS car. More criticism could have been levelled at the Esort RS2000 which was very much a poor man's RS1800 using a Cortina engine....and of course Ford have always been the blue collar performance car though, these days, with far more disposable income, the price differential seems less important to people more obsessed with badges and residual values and boring stuff like that.
It was at least a genuine RS car. More criticism could have been levelled at the Esort RS2000 which was very much a poor man's RS1800 using a Cortina engine....and of course Ford have always been the blue collar performance car though, these days, with far more disposable income, the price differential seems less important to people more obsessed with badges and residual values and boring stuff like that.
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