Registration: Q42 GEH
Chassis: SABTVR03844271068
Odometer: 34,000
Transmission: Manual
MOT: September 2026
- Highly modified to track / fast road specification
- Believed to be making c.550 bhp
- £3,000 gearbox overhaul by Bara Motorsports
- Full alignment in 2023
- Driven 30 miles to our saleroom
The Ford Escort RS Cosworth was developed in the early 1990s as a high-performance homologation model by Ford Motor Company in collaboration with Cosworth, specifically to compete in Group A rallying within the World Rally Championship. Although it carried the Escort name, the car was actually based on the Sierra RS Cosworth’s platform, heavily modified to meet new regulations. Launched in 1992, it featured a turbocharged 2.0-litre engine, and advanced four-wheel-drive technology, making it both a competitive rally machine and a desirable road car. Throughout the mid-1990s, the Escort RS Cosworth achieved notable success in international rallying, driven by top competitors and helping Ford maintain a strong presence in the sport before being succeeded by newer models later in the decade.
So what do we have here? Well, to anyone around in the early Nineties this looks to be a Ford Escort RS Cosworth in Diamond White. Yes, the infamous ‘whale tail’ rear wing has been replaced with the motorsport wing more commonly seen on Carlos Sainz’s rally car and it sits on rally-inspired OZ alloys but all the other RS Cosworth cues from the swollen arches to the muscular stance are very much present. Yet this example sports a Q-plate, given to it because the DVLA have been unable to confirm its build date. Our vendor believes it to have been stolen early in its life and its identity removed, so that when it was recovered it was given a new VIN by DVLA and has been marked as “Rebuilt - assembled from parts some or all of which were not new” on the V5 - their way of recording a car built using a combination of used and new parts or rebuilt from a salvage condition. We don’t have any paperwork to back that up and, considering it was done way back in 1994, we doubt the true history will ever be entirely clear.
Whilst all this means that we cannot definitively describe this as an RS Cosworth built by Ford, it is quite clearly not a Mk5 Escort tarted up to look like a Cossie. It has a 2.0-litre 16-valve turbocharged Cosworth YB engine, mounted longitudinally in what appears to be a genuine RS Cosworth shell and driving all four wheels with plenty of other details which would help with identification. We have taken lots of photos, particularly of the underside so that potential bidders can make their own assessment. Even better, come down and take a closer look in the metal.
What is very apparent is that it has had some serious and expensive work done to make it a properly focussed driver’s tool. Our vendor has kindly provided the following details:
“Ap paddle clutch
Red Bara big tooth mt75 gear box (rebuilt in 2023)
Hi torq starter motor
6 pot 355mm ap front brakes
Ebc rear disc / red pads
Poly bushed all round
Koni suspension
Morrette headlights
Sparco bucket seats
4 point harnesses
Carbon door cards
Kill switch
Gell battery
Genuine Cosworth dash
Engine spec - 550 bhp Cosworth YB engine, 200 4x4 block, 6 long stud head bolts, 4 layer steel head gasket, Big Wing baffled sump, Bd16 inlet cam, Kent cam pulleys, Hart Swedish type inlet manifold, 83lb Siemens injectors, Garrett GT30 turbo, Trial 44mm external wastegate, 2wd exhaust manifold, Pro alloy rad / intercooler / turbo cooler swirl pot / twin fuel pumps Breather can system, 3 in stainless exhaust, K&N air filter, ATP electronics ECU, air injector boost control”
The condition is excellent. Although it may have been prepared with track work in mind, this is no battered ‘track hack’ and is something you would be proud to take to any meet or show. The wheels are free from any damage and wrapped in serious looking Nankang NS-2R rubber. Even the super-aggressive splitter is in good shape. Inside the stripped-out interior, the motorsport vibe continues with buckets, harnesses, an RS steering wheel and purposeful looking centre console with isolator and brake bias controls.
The Escort RS Cosworth is without doubt a bona fide modern classic and, like many ‘Fast Fords’, prices have bucked the general market and seen some serious gains. This example represents a rare opportunity to get on board at a far more affordable price point. Maybe it isn’t the one for the purist but, with its comprehensive performance upgrades and that classic turbo-charged power delivery, we would anticipate this being an exciting and rewarding drive whether on track or a challenging country road.
