Lot Ended
Description
Series 2 facelift model; recent new cam belt kit and water pump;
various choice upgrades; well-maintained with lots of invoices; driven 90
miles to the sale; new MOT; lots to like at a very tempting guide
price
Ford announced
its all-new MkIII Escort in 1980, the new car being the first Escort model to
feature front-wheel drive and a transverse mounted engine.
A 'hot-hatch' version, the XR3, was available from the start and
was followed by a much hotter limited edition version in 1983, the RS1600i. This
only lasted in production for one season, and in 1984 it was replaced by the new
Escort RS Turbo.
The RS Turbo used a
combination of a tuned 1.6-litre CVH fuel-injected engine with a Garrett turbo
bolted on. This package worked very well and produced a healthy 132bhp, making
it one of fastest Escorts, sprinting to 60 in 8 seconds on its way to a maximum
of 125mph.
Only available in Diamond White, the
RS Turbo was very successful for Ford, becoming a favourite with tuners and
remained in production until 1990, with a minor facelift in 1986 when the MkIV
Escort came out.
First registered in April
1989, this Ford Escort RS Turbo is a Series 2 facelift car (updated body kit;
revised suspension settings; revised engine management system; revised gearbox
etc) and has had five owners from new, the current since April 2018. It has
covered 97,883 miles to date and comes with a large file of invoices to show
regular upkeep over the years.
The invoices
show that the gearbox was overhauled in 2000 at c.85k miles and in 2010 it was
fitted with a new turbo supplied by Turbo Technics of Northampton. A new front
mount intercooler has also been fitted at some point. Other modifications
include a Mongoose stainless steel exhaust; Jamex shocks and lowering springs
(25mm drop); uprated Airtec radiator with twin electric cooling fans; CVH34 fast
road camshaft; oil cooler; high torque starter motor; Clifford Concept 600
alarm/immobiliser; competition bonnet release catches etc.
In June 2018 at 94,490 miles the car went to Interpro Automotive of
Bristol for a rolling road tune-up, the dyno sheets showing 157.8bhp and
175lb/ft. It has also been fitted with a new set of Goodyear tyres fairly
recently.
Other recent invoices include an oil
service in November 2021 at 96,531 miles; new High Torque starter motor in
November 2022; complete new cam belt kit and water pump in June 2023 at 96,989
miles; oil service in September 2024 at 97,445 miles since when it has only
covered 400 miles.
Driven 90 miles to the sale,
it has an MOT until September 2026 with just three minor advisories relating to
the rear suspension bushes and the o/s/f ball joint cover – all easy fixes.
Retaining all its original handbooks in the original wallet, it also comes with
20 old MOTs.
We are told that the car
drives as well as it looks and never runs hot thanks to the uprated
cooling system. It has certainly been starting promptly and running well as we
have moved it around on site.
Fast Fords of
this era have become increasingly collectable of late and this unusually
well-preserved example, with lots of history and a few choice upgrades,
looks mighty tempting at the modest guide price suggested. It's
worth noting that only 8,604 RS Turbos were made,
just 5,000 in RHD, and you can bet that a good chunk of those have
been lost by now, one way or another...
Consigned by James Dennison – 07970 309907 –
james.dennison@brightwells.com