ESCORT COSWORTH
ENGINE 1993cc Cosworth YB built by Reyland Motorsport, Pro Alloy fuel tank, intercooler, radiator, coolant and power steering reservoirs and Pro Alloy gearbox breather system, custom eight-injector fuel system, custom Primary Designs exhaust system, Garrett GT35 turbo, Tial wastegate, Piper cams with vernier pulleys, custom motorsport wiring loom with Pectel T6 ECU, Aeroquip fittings throughout, carbon fibre battery box, Rouse Motorsport custom hoses, Group A air filter, internally-mounted ATL fuel cell, battery relocated to rear
POWER 700bhp (owner’s estimate)
TRANSMISSION Quaife 91G sequential gearbox, Nissan Skyline centre differential, Bara Motorsport 7in front differential with custom driveshafts, Ford Motorsport 9in rear differential, front and rear differential coolers (with temperature switch control), Nissan Skyline ATTESA pump with E-TS torque-split controller, gearbox oil cooler (with temperature switch control), Quaife gear position indicator, Geartronics paddle-shift, hydraulic clutch conversion with AP cylinder
SUSPENSION Öhlins remote-reservoir coilovers, Ford Motorsport Group A magnesium rear arms and square beam, rose-jointed throughout
BRAKES Front: 370mm discs with Alcon six-pot callipers; rear: 330mm discs with Alcon fourpot callipers; race-spec pads, bias pedal box with AP Racing master cylinders, CompBrake hydraulic handbrake conversion
WHEELS & TYRES 9x18in Compomotive MO6 wheels in ET10 offset with carbon centre caps, 245/40x18 Toyo R888R tyres
EXTERIOR Carbon fibre roof, carbon front splitter with hockey sticks, original front wings modified to WRC spec, rear panels widened to accommodate wider wheels, Morette twin headlight conversion with HID ballast and bulbs, Nomad tinted rear lights, Perspex windows moulded to original spec (to retain use of electric window function), fuel filler cap relocated to side window, fog light grilles, Custom Carbon wing grilles, Pro-Bolts throughout
INTERIOR Fully stripped with custom roll cage, Cobra bucket seats with carbon shells, AiM carbon steering wheel with integrated shift lights, Talon switch control panel, AiM dash display with GPS, OMP plumbed-in fire extinguisher, flocked dash and front door panels, carbon rear panels, carbon boot panel, custom carbon floor plates
the former home of this high-spec YB: it’s running a custom eight-injector setup, a full suite of Pro Alloy upgrades, some top-secret internals (because pioneering tuners don’t like to show their hand), and making in the region of 700bhp. Further dyno tuning will reveal more precise figures, but suffice to say the transmission has been beefed up to suit.
The Cossie is now fitted with a Quaife sequential gearbox mated to a Geartronics paddle-shift (“That’s my favourite part of the car,” Adam enthuses), and the diff situation has been carefully thought through for maximum attack. A Bara Motorsport 7in differential with custom driveshafts sits at the front, while there’s a Ford Motorsport 9in unit out back; in the middle we find a Skyline diff with ATTESA E-TS (Nissan’s proprietary torque-splitting system, the acronym standing for Advanced Total Traction Engineering System for All-Terrain – Electronic Torque Split).
The rest of the chassis setup boasts a similar fusion of athleticism, with remotereservoir Öhlins coilovers and Alcon brakes bolstering the motorsport vibe.
The interior of the EsCos has always been tame in standard form, but any cynics will enjoy a pleasing environment here. In addition to a liberal flocking, Adam’s gone fullmotorsport with a pair of high-end carbon Cobra buckets, an AiM carbon steering wheel with integrated shift lights and display,
“Ten years later, here we are with my dream collection of seven Fords, all of which get used and appreciated”
a competition-focused Talon switch control panel and AiM dash display – plus custom roll cage and plumbed-in fire extinguisher.
This really is a build of beautiful detail: look at the windows, for instance, which are lightweight Perspex but moulded perfectly to the original shape to retain the functionality of the electric winders. And you’ve probably spotted the fuel filler is now mounted in the side window, running to a fuel cell in the centre.
The carbon theme continues to the exterior, with the roof, splitter and assorted other details being woven from the lightweight material. Even the VIN plate is carbon fibre.
We also find a variety of superbly executed and subtle touches, such as the original front wings being converted to WRC spec, and the rears widened to accommodate chunky 9x18in Compomotives.
Adam has created something really spectacular here, his vision realised by car-builder Mike at MAS Tuning in Crewe – a tangible way to exorcise the demons of the past, and a keen demonstration to the wider Ford community of how things can be done.
“Ten years later, here we are with my dream collection of seven Fords,” he says, “all of which get used and appreciated. I also have a Mk1 Escort currently undergoing a YB turbo conversion, with a six-link setup getting done by my dad. This Escort Cosworth hasn’t seen much use since the build was complete due to the lockdown, but hopefully when the shows are back up and running you’ll be seeing a lot more of it.”
We certainly hope so. The bark from the custom Primary Designs exhaust is something else, and the menacing presence of that optimised black bodywork makes a hell of statement.
Whatever your personal preferences, and however you envisage the dream Cossie, there’s no denying that this Escort is exactly what the world needs.