BUYER’S GUIDE: Fiesta RS Turbo
The RS-badged Mk3 has always had a cult following, but now you can add classic to that status. Here’s why.
What you need to know and how much you should pay for Ford’s early ’90s feisty and fast Fiesta.
A fter the XR2i failed to hit the spot with the motoring press, Ford pledged that the RS Turbo version would be much more of a driver’s car.
Launched in April 1990 and screwed together by the manufacturer’s Special Vehicle Engineering (SVE) department, the fastest Fiesta yet looked to the casual observer to be little more than the XR2i with a transplanted Escort RS Turbo engine, but the creation of the near 130 mph hatchback was much more involved.
While the block, crank and compression ratio were the same as the Escort’s, the rest of the Fiesta’s engine was significantly different. Notably, there was the use of a smaller Garrett T2 turbocharger, the addition of the XR2i’s cylinder head and the engine management being taken care of by Ford’s own EEC-IV system, which actually incorporated the boost control module, MAP sensor and wastegate solenoid valve from the Sierra Cosworth.
The changes blessed the Fiesta with a near flat torque curve and excellent driveability, but the real reason for switching to the smaller turbo was to save valuable space. So tight was the installation that the manifolds were also redesigned and a slimmer radiator was employed.
The Fiesta did away with the Escort’s limited-slip differential and other than a set of Ferodo pads made from the same materials as the Sapphire Cosworth’s, the brakes were pure XR2i. Drivers did get help with keeping the Fiesta on the straight and narrow thanks to a much revised chassis though, featuring such upgrades as a quicker steering rack, 20 mm rear anti-roll bar and revised castor and camber angles.
Other than a decent turn of speed, the Fiesta also offered customers a good level of equipment, which included the distinctive three-spoke 5.5x14 inch alloy wheels, Recaro seats, leather steering wheel and leather gearknob.
Even though its £11,950 price tag raised a few eyebrows, the Fiesta sold well and it was only the insurance industry that fast-tracked its demise in 1992.
As with then, the Fiesta has a strong following and its popularity is only going to grow. It might be newer and arguably not as classic, but when you can have a tidy, much quicker RS Turbo for the price of a tired Mk2 XR2, it’s hard not to see the appeal of the forced- induction Mk3.