FWD ESCORT STORY
The rear-wheel-drive Mk2 Ford Escort was dead. Oldfashioned engineering was ousted, and in came efficiency, practicality and new technology. Here’s the full story of Mk3-Mk6 front-wheel-drive Escorts…
The 20-year tale of the fast frontwheel-drive Escort models.
Some may look back and remember a time of black armbands and lost love when Ford ceased production of the old Mk2 Escort, but, faced with overwhelming competition in the form of VW’s Golf GTi, early 1980s Britain was gagging for a hot hatch with a Blue Oval badge, complete with front-wheel drive.
So, in came a new name for Ford fans to hold their heads high – the XR, starting in 1980 with the XR3 - a proud new Escort that could keep up with the Germans.
This Escort bore no relation to the conventional Mk2 which it replaced and was all the better for that. The new-generation of Escorts featured a choice of engines, including the 1.6-litre overhead-camshaft CVH unit which was being manufactured at a brand-new factory at Bridgend in South Wales, and was mated to a fourspeed transmission and front-wheel-drive layout which had partly been developed in conjunction with Mazda of Japan. MacPherson strut independent front suspension, and coil spring independent rear suspension all helped to provide a thoroughly modern ‘chassis’, while the body style for the XR3 was always only available as a three-door hatchback.
The engine produced no less than 96bhp, 0 to 60mph took only ten seconds (fast in those days!) and the top speed was at least
110mph. That, of course, was for cars with the original four-speed transmission – the still-new five-speed alternative became available during 1982, but this was mainly to provide better fuel economy, and to allow high-speed cruising without the engine working too hard.
This, the original XR, was well-liked, but it was thought that its handling should be improved, and that because the opposition (VW, mainly) had already adopted fuel injection, then that should be incorporated too. Something had to be done. And that something wasn’t just an improved XR3 – it was, rather bizarrely, a pair of cars designed by different teams for different purposes.
HEALTHY INJECTION
On home turf, Ford’s SVE (Special Vehicle Engineering) department in Dunton, tackled the GTi head-on, developing mainstream improvements to the suspension, steering, interior, rear brakes and fuel system – now adopting Bosch L-Jetronic injection.
Only two years after the original Escort XR3 had gone on sale, it was replaced by the better, and even more popular, XR3i. Much of the development work which went into turning one car into a better version was centred around the letter ‘i’, which of course stood for ‘injection’. It was the substitution of a 105bhp engine in place of 96bhp, the standardisation of the five-speed transmission, and (before long) the significant upgrading of the new car’s ride and handling, which made the XR3i so successful. The new-type four-hole ‘cloverleaf’ alloy wheels were appealing, the entire balance of the car was the best yet seen on a performance front-wheel-drive Escort, and the top speed of about 115mph made the car very brisk in traffic.
Because it was seen to offer great value for money – £6,030 for a steel-wheel equipped version at the end of 1982 – the XR3i sold in big quantities all around Europe. In the first full year of 1983, almost 25,000 XR3is were sold in the UK alone.
GERMAN ENGINEERING
Meanwhile, over in Germany, Ford Motorsport was already working on a homologation version for Group A rallying and circuit racing, which required a minimum of 5,000 examples to be built. The resulting RS1600i would also reintroduce the Rallye Sport brand, spawning a whole generation of competition-inspired Fords.
Starting with a carburettor-fed XR3, the regular 1.6-litre CVH engine was reworked, with ported cylinder head, raised compression ratio (9.9:1 instead of 9.5:1), high-lift camshaft, solid lifters (allowing the engine to reach higher revs than the XR3’s hydraulic tappets), finned cam cover, four-branch exhaust manifold and Bosch K-Jetronic mechanical fuel injection. There was also a funky AFT distributorless
ignition with twin coils and electronic rev limiter, allowing for 115bhp at 6000rpm, and over 160bhp in race tune.
RACE CAR FOR THE ROAD
Still, even a stock RS1600i was pretty quick, hitting 60mph in 8.7 seconds and 118mph flat out. XR3s were by this point equipped with a B5 five-speed gearbox, but the RS1600i used an 0.88 fifth instead of the regular 0.76. More importantly, the RS’s suspension really set it apart from lesser Escorts, featuring the XR3’s springs and 26mm front anti-roll bar, plus oil-filled Koni dampers with 1in lowered front spring platforms, an alloy crossmember and links from the track control arms to the body.
The only letdown was the braking system, with tiny XR3-type 239mm ventilated discs up front and awful 180mm drums at the back; it was made worse when converting the RS1600i to right-hand drive, using a floppy linkage to join the pedal box to the left-hand servo – resulting in a decidedly vague action.
Launched at the October 1982 British motor show alongside the XR3i, many folk (SVE included) reckoned the RS was an inferior product. But that hardly mattered, because the RS1600i looked magnificent.
No one could miss those seven-spoke 6x15in RS alloy wheels wrapped in Dunlop 195/50x15 rubber – massive by 1982 standards – or the distinctive decals applied to the bonnet and both sides. Its hard-asnails appearance also binned the XR spoilers and spats in favour of a bigger rear wing and deeper front airdam. UK models added a set of round driving lamps and front fogs.
Adding to the RS1600i’s appeal was the cockpit, where a pair of grey Scheel seats and RS-badged rear bench were joined by a four-spoke RS steering wheel. Just perfect.
Unlike the XR, all RS1600is were built at Saarlouis in Germany. And by May 1983 they were ready for a few changes. Along with the regular 1983 Mk3 Escort bodyshell alterations, the RS received a bigger fuel tank (48-litre rather than 40), revised suspension fixing points, new top mounts (a rubber disc and one central nut instead of the earlier two bolts into the tower), and smooth velour upholstery.
RS1600i production stopped in July 1983, after 8,659 had left the lines. Its success as a motorsport machine was limited to class honours but its prominence as a hot hatch was destined to live on.
ADDED BOOST
Like the RS1600i – and like all the greatest Ford icons – the original Escort RS Turbo had one true purpose: to win. And, just like the RS1600i, it was built for Group A motorsport eligibility, with 5,000 road cars required.
As always, that meant Blue Oval buyers were in for a real treat: a factory-built Escort with bundles of trick kit. Enter Ford’s first turbocharged European production car, and the world’s first front-wheel-drive to use a viscous-coupling limited-slip differential.
By 1983, Ford’s Escort Turbo Rally Championship (in which Turbo Technics 125bhp T3 turbo kits were fitted to carbfed 1.6 CVH Mk3s) was showing promise, so SVE started work on a road car with the basic ingredients needed for motorsport. The brief was pretty simple: a turbo specced for power rather than usability, a chassis to cope with 200bhp, wheelarch extensions to cover 8.5in-wide rims wearing slick tyres, and an LSD to harness the torque.
Using the omnipresent XR3i as a base, the RS Turbo’s 1596cc CVH engine was reworked with uprated big end bearings, flat-topped pistons (dropping the compression ratio to 8.3:1) and a hybrid cylinder head, mixing the RS1600i’s flowed inlet and exhaust ports with the XR3i’s hydraulic tappets and cam, plus new sodium-cooled exhaust valves.
Its Bosch KE-Jetronic fuel injection was an efficient development of the previous system but still harked back to the Rally
Championship setup. As did the choice of oversized Garrett T03 turbocharger (a T02 was deemed more suitable for a road car), which SVE reckoned was capable of running upto 260bhp.
In standard trim, using a specially cast manifold and big-bore exhaust system, the RS Turbo produced 3.5 to 7.1psi boost, in turn kicking out 132bhp at 6000rpm. That meant 128mph top speed and 0-to-60mph in 8.1 seconds.
Acceleration was aided by a 4.27:1 final drive ratio inside a beefed-up XR3i transmission, which received bracing ribs, stronger bearings, bigger teeth and a heavyduty clutch. Most importantly, it gained an FF Developments viscous-coupling differential, using silicone fluid friction rather than a mechanical LSD’s clutch plates. Well-proven in Rally Championship Escorts, it offered fantastic traction without steering wheel-snatching torque steer.
SVE also re-engineered the XR3i’s chassis to combine softer-valved dampers, an Orion rear anti-roll bar and a more civilised version of the RS1600i front end, featuring separate anti-roll bar and tie bars. But the standard XR3i brakes were a disappointment, sorely lacking the Ford Motorsport AP calipers approved for Group A competition.
Still, RS1600i-style 15in alloys (shod with Michelin 195/50x15s) were inarguably sexy, nestling within funky flared wheelarches and a bodykit picked from the parts bin: XR3i rear spoiler, Orion grille, Rallye Sport dealer-option side skirts and front spoiler with cooling ducts. In pukka 1980s’ tradition almost everything was colour-matched to the RS Turbo’s mandatory Diamond White paint scheme. Blue decals and driving lamps completed the look.
The regular XR3i also donated its Monza velour-trimmed cabin, albeit boasting a pair of Recaro front seats. Fortunately, most buyers opted for a £470 Custom Pack, which included central locking, electric front windows and tilting/sliding glass sunroof.
The RS Turbo made its debut at October 1984’s Paris motor show, with Saarlouis assembly starting just two months later, in left- or right-hand drive. Production ended on 20 December 1985; after 8064 examples had been built; of those, 5576 were UK cars.
On track, the RS Turbo proved more successful than the RS1600i, scoring multiple BTCC class victories thanks to a whopping 270bhp in race trim and 300bhp when qualifying.
But despite being designed for rallying, the RS Turbo was a total flop, cursed with poor handling and unreliability. Still, at least it made its mark in motorsport – something future front-wheel-drive Rallye Sport Fords would only dream about…
THE SECOND COMING
When the Mk3 Escort was replaced by the smooth-nosed Mk4, Ford could have ditched the RS model altogether. The outgoing RS Turbo had fulfilled all needs for homologation, and there were no plans to take the facelifted Escort rallying.
What’s more, the freshly-revised XR3i was proving immensely popular, boasting enough speed and standard kit to keep showrooms buzzing. Although the same basic platform and mechanical layout was carried forward, the transition from Mk3 to Mk4 was really a major rethink for the XR3i. In the next four years, mainstream
Escorts were eventually made available with two old-style overhead-valve engines, two different CVH types, two diesels, ‘softer’ styling for the nose of the shell, a different fascia and different seats – and a slightly improved version of the XR3i package.
From 1984, Ford had launched a Karmann-created Cabriolet version of the Escort, which was carried on when the Escort became Mk4 in 1986. There was also an XR3i-specified version of the Mk4 Cabriolet, which carried on until 1990.
But Ford still needed that halo-model hot hatch. And, besides, all the ingredients for another RS Turbo were on hand.
Starting, as always, with an XR base, SVE created an altogether more civilised machine than the Series One. The Series Two was now a fully-fledged road car rather than detuned track weapon, but it was no less potent than its predecessor.
Still pumping out 132bhp from a turbocharged 1.6-litre CVH, the Series Two’s engine had been modernised in line with Ford’s 1986 ‘Lean Burn’ updates, including a reduced compression ratio (8.2:1), revised cylinder head, pistons and oil pump. The Bosch engine management system was refined, the intercooler and one-piece inlet manifold were improved for smoother running, and the Garrett T3 turbo was now water-cooled.
The B5 five-speed gearbox stayed too, now tamed with a toned-down limitedslip differential (the coupling plates were modified to give a softer action), a bigger clutch and a motorway-friendly 3.82:1 final drive ratio. Although the official performance figures (128mph and 0-to60mph in 8.2 seconds) were similar to the Series One’s, the Series Two felt numbed.
Much of the reduced sensitivity was attributed to the new suspension setup, which ditched the race-bred tie-bar front suspension in favour of regular XR3i-type kit plus an Orion 16mm rear anti-roll bar. On the plus side, the Series Two’s braking system was a vast improvement, featuring Sierra XR4i 260mm front discs, 229mm rear drums and basic ABS, known as Stop Control System.
CREATURE COMFORTS
Better road manners were reflected in a comfy cabin, although the oh-so-important Recaro front seats were now on the RS Turbo’s options list. Instead, the Series Two’s
cockpit was the same as an XR3i unless an extra-cost Custom Pack was specified, which added electric front windows, central locking and glass sunroof. A heated windscreen, electric mirrors, trip computer and upgraded stereo were available too.
XR3i origins were also abundantly obvious from outside, where the RS came in matching colours (Diamond White, Rosso Red, Black or Nimbus Grey metallic), boosted by slim wheelarch extensions, side skirts and Cosworth-style bonnet vents. Unlike the XR3i, the Turbo had a colourcoded rear spoiler and window surrounds (the cheaper car’s were black) but it was tough for the casual bystander to tell the pair apart. Even the RS’s 15in dog-leg alloys looked similar to the XR’s 14in rims.
Yet no one really cared, because the RS Turbo was an instant hit, grabbing huge sales (22,108 in the UK alone) from its 1986 launch until its demise in summer 1990.
In true Ford fashion, the Series Two improved along the way. A knock sensor for the ECU was added in April 1987, and in July the Custom Pack became standard – after which all RS Turbos had Recaro front seats.
Better still, the September 1989 facelift introduced a so-called ’90-spec, complete with deeper front bumper, wrapped-over rear spoiler and Zolda cloth upholstery.
By then, of course, it was a generation away from a homologation special – and in most respects a thoroughly better machine, so no wonder Ford continued the recipe onto the all-new Mk5 model in the ‘90s, albeit with the turbocharger replaced by a new range of modern DOHC engines.
RETURN OF AN ICON
By the time the RS2000 name returned to the Escort in 1991 it was making 50% more power than the original Mk1, could go 21mph faster, and could hit 60mph nearly a second quicker. It could do all of this despite being much heavier and better equipped too.
The first RS2000s also came with distinctive bonnet bulges, flush grille, chunky side skirts, and a rear spoiler – all the stuff you’d expect to find on a Rallye Sport Ford. But it didn’t last. October 1992 saw the introduction of a Mk5B facelift. The bonnet bulges went and along came Ford’s contemporary ‘smiley’ face front end and bulbous rear lights. Though, from September 1993 the Mk5B was available with the option of 4x4 transmission, but since power was not increased to account for the extra transmission loses, the 4x4 was a fair bit slower to 60mph.
While the fifth generation Escort was offered with an RS badge just a few months after launch, there was no sign of an XR3i replacement until February of 1992. The new XR3i had been held back until the first of the brand-new Zetec (originally called ‘Zeta’) 16-valve DOHC engines could be made available.
As a replacement for the Mk3/Mk4 models, it was very much the ‘same as, same as’ for the Mk5. It did, however, definitely lack the marketing spark of its predecessors – which, in no small part, lead to Ford using the Mk5 Escort body styling as their new World Rally challenger, creating the infamous Escort RS Cosworth as a result. But that’s a completely different story for another day…
By 1992, the Escort’s reputation had somehow been rescued, especially when the brand-new twin-cam engine became available. Ford seemed to be trying hard, therefore the new Escort XR3i went on sale with a choice of 105bhp or 130bhp 1.8-litre power units, all allied to the robust new five-speed MTX75 gearbox, and with four-wheel disc brakes. Unfortunately,
competing against the more powerful RS2000, at a time when insurance costs were crippling, and costing over £15k, the new XR3i couldn’t emulate the sales success of its predecessors, and the badge was finally laid to rest in January 1994.
FINAL CHAPTER
That wasn’t the end for the Escort though, as a final update came along in 1995, now using the Mk6 Escort body with its smaller front lights and smoother front end. The performance models had lost their swagger somewhat (as did many models of the time), but Ford did release one or two hidden gems, including the GTi and Mexico. But it was the revamped RS2000 that stole any limelight going. The old MK5’s polished alloys that were prone to corrosion were ditched in favour of simpler design, the suspension was tweaked, and the cabin was the best-equipped of any Escort. Again, a 4x4 version was available, but again due to the power-sapping transmission losses, didn’t prove particular popular with buyers – just 601 4x4s were registered in the UK.
Ford did take the Mk6 RS2000 rallying, but unlike the Escort Cosworth that was competing in the top-tier Group A and latterly WRC Championships, the ‘F2’ category the RS2000 was destined for didn’t require any homologation specials. So, while the RS2000’s I4 engine proved it was capable of 280bhp in ‘Kit Car’ form on the rally stages, there was never any need to translate this performance potential into a road-going homologation special, so road cars never had any more than 150bhp.
The Ford Escort ceased 30-plus years of production in 2000, when the very last Mk6 models rolled off the production lines and Ford entered a new chapter for the new Millennium with all of its attention on the new Focus. However, the Escort name does still live on in the Far-East, where a Mk3 Focus-based saloon car badged as an Escort is available on the Chinese market. Sadly, no performance models exist, so the Mk6 RS2000 really is the end of an era for sporting Escort fans.