SERIES ONE RS TURBO
RS Turbos have been a lifelong passion for Adam Bowler. So, when he discovered that this one was riddled with rot and bodges, he couldn’t bring himself to scrap it; instead, he built it into something rather incredible.
This RS Escort is one of the best we’ve seen — seriously.
This is one of the best RS Turbos we’ve ever seen. While we’re no strangers to hyperbole (it’s 2021, that’s basically what social media is made of), we’re a very long way from exaggerating here. There are just so many reasons why this Series One is a true-blue winner — the spec, the finish, the sheer damned desirability of it — but the most significant factor is that this is a millimetre-perfect embodiment of all the Mk3 Escort dreams we’ve collectively enjoyed over the last several decades.
Naturally, given that it’s 35-odd years since the RS Turbo launched, we’ve seen countless modified examples, and it’s possible to turn these cars into absolute monsters — Cosworth YB transplants, 4WD conversions, we’ve seen it all. But Adam Bowler’s project is different. It keeps all the fundamental touchpoints of the formula (the CVH motor, the FWD layout, the stock bodylines with the factory RS kit) and essentially turns it into the ultimate version of itself. For us — and, we imagine, pretty much everybody reading this magazine — this is exactly what we’d do with a Series 1 RS Turbo if only we had the time, money and skill to do it.
Serious one
Now, the eagle-eyed may have spotted the legend ‘Series One Recovery Services’ emblazoned across the Escort’s rear end, the fonts on the bootlid perfectly matched and the window’s backflash being oh-so-’80s, and this enigmatic phrase doesn’t imply some manner of rehab for die-hard RS addicts; this is in fact the name of Adam’s vehicle transport business.
“I’ve had all kinds of RSs, XRs and fast Fords over the years,” he explains, “and S1s in particular hold a special place in my heart — so much so that I named my company after them! After seeing one brand-new at 14-years-old I knew I had to have one, it looked like nothing else at the time. I got my
“I BOUGHT MY FIRST AT 19 AND HAVEN’T BEEN WITHOUT ONE SINCE”
first one at 19 and I’ve had nine of them since… I’ve never been without one or more from then on, and have two at the moment. I’ve always modified my cars too, RSs were effectively de-tuned race and rally cars, so I reckon modifying them is just putting them back to standard really!”
Adam’s got nine different Fords at present, and it’s safe to say that the S1 is the jewel in a very shiny crown. Although the car wasn’t this alluring to start out with, not by a long shot: our lifelong Ford enthusiast bought this RST as a 40th birthday present to himself, as he had another Series 1 that was mid-way through a restoration and he wanted one which he could just jump in and enjoy. This example was actually found on eBay while he was out on the lash with his buddies celebrating his birthday, and we all know what cars can turn out like when you bid on them after a few bevvies…
“I put a deposit on it there and then, and picked it up a few days later,” Adam recalls. “Condition-wise it wasn’t mint, but tidy, and seemed solid which was the main thing. But how wrong was I?”
After a couple of months the RS was really starting to look tired, so Adam decided to have it painted to freshen it up. He took it to a mate’s garage and, upon stripping it down and removing the bodykit, they found a cavalcade of horrors from the Escort’s past — dodgy repairs, globs of silicone holding it together, it was one bodge after another. So what was intended to be a quick blow-over turned into an in-depth, two-year bare shell restoration.
Full-time
“It took every day off, weekend and evening over the next two years to weld it all back together,” he remembers, with gritted teeth. “It was solid where they usually rust, and rotting where they are usually solid due to the hideous repairs by a former keeper. My own welding isn’t fantastic so my mate Adrian, who owns the bodyshop the car was in, handled most of it — along with the paintwork. If it wasn’t for him I would have broken the car, it really was that bad.”
There are lessons to be learned here about commitment and tenacity, all of which are far easier said than done, and it’s testament to the lads’ work that they’ve taken a hopeless basket case and turned it into the shimmering vision of perfection you see before you. Part of what really helps it to pop is that the shell has been painted in Frozen White, the modern shade having an icy crispness over and above that of the original Diamond White, and there are myriad details for the hardcore spotter to enjoy: the Raceline RL7 wheels are pukka old-school Mk1s (again finished in Frozen White), the rear spoiler is actually an RS1600i item rather than the subtly different RS Turbo effort, the exhaust may look standard but it’s actually a custom stainless steel job that’s been made to OEM dimensions but with a
straight-through silencer… everywhere you look, it’s a riot of detail.
Perhaps the most exciting bit is the number that’s swishing about in that pristine and beautifully detailed engine bay: 268 bhp. This is the type of figure that would have caused jaws to drop on Southend seafront back in the day — indeed, it’s a mighty number today, excellent power from a CVH — and it’s been achieved by the application of a Stage 3 roller-bearing T3 turbo with cut-back blades, Stage 3 CNC head, and L6 Cosworth management. There’s also a Kent Cams camshaft, a Pro Alloy radiator and GRS
intercooler, a Fiesta RS Turbo inlet that’s been adapted for a Cosworth throttle body, green injectors, Ramair induction and a whole bunch of other tricks, and the bottom end’s been freshly rebuilt, balanced and blueprinted. It’s the perfect spec for a CVH, making sweet numbers, and Adam’s running it through a CTS Stage 2+ gearbox with Quaife ATB diff and AP Racing four-paddle clutch to give those front wheels a fighting chance of getting every one of those horses down. The upgrades throughout the chassis are also appropriately immense; we’re talking GAZ Gold coil-overs working with the ARB set-up from the homologation special RS1600i, while the front end enjoys a sodding great Brembo upgrade pinched from a Mk1 Focus RS, joined by a Cosworth disc conversion out back.
Inside out
Where Adam’s eye for detail really makes itself known is in the interior. There’s absolutely no mucking about here, this is first-and-foremost a driver’s car as the Recaro Pro Racer SPG seat and Sparco five-point harness demonstrate, and the flawless innards have been stripped of all soundproofing, carpets, and everything else superfluous. But it’s no rough-and-ready track car finish, it’s all beautifully presented and he’s gone to the trouble of having what plastics remain flocked in their original OEM colours, providing a conceptual and stylistic bridge between factory-original and racetrack-purity. And everywhere you look, the clever bespoke details keep on coming. The custom chassis plates proudly state the ‘Series One Recovery Services’ name. The fuel filler’s been carefully deleted, since there’s now a tank/swirl pot setup in the boot. It’s obvious from every inch of this car that it’s been a true labour of love. A lot of people wouldn’t have bothered to save the car on discovering what a basket case it was, but Adam’s gone in completely the opposite direction.
“I find that S1s get a reception wherever you go in them,” he says. “People always comment and want to talk about it when I’m out and about.” It’s that sort of car, the type that draws people in to share happy memories and, frequently, tales of unfulfilled teenage yearning. This car was king of the seafront back in the 1980s and 1990s, the lord of the cruise. Today, Adam’s has been magnificently reimagined as the best possible version of itself. That’s why we’re happy to say it’s one of the best RS Turbos we’ve ever seen. We wouldn’t change a damn thing about it.
“IT’S THE SORT OF CAR THAT DRAWS PEOPLE IN TO SHARE TALES OF UNFULFILLED TEENAGE YEARNING”