GOLDS CLASS
750bhp rwd escort RS perfection!
The mighty Escort Cosworth may have a huge cult following in the UK, but its popularity and appeal isn’t just limited to these shores. Oh no. Built with the sole aim of taking on the World Rally Championship, the Escort Cosworth was seen and admired the world over. So it’s no surprise that a country fixated with rallying, a country that has produced more rally champions than any other, a country that yielded true rally greats such as Ari Vatanen, Hannu Mikkola, Juha Kankkunen, Tommi Mäkinen, and Marcus Grönholm, instantly fell in love with the Cossie. Yes, Finland loves an EsCos!
Finnish Ford fan, Samuli Saarimaa, is no exception: “When I was about 16 I remember seeing a Sierra Cosworth in the city centre every weekend. At that point I was dreaming that one day I would own my own Cossie!”
golden ticket
That day came true some years later in 2010 when Samuli had the chance to buy this Escort Cosworth from a friend. Originally bought from Holland in 2004, Samuli’s mate decided he’d had enough of the Cossie, so Samuli swept in to seal the deal.
Despite already being converted to rear-wheel drive and featuring a smattering of upgraded and modified parts, the EsCos was a far cry from the flawless finish it boasts today. Samuli recalls: “The previous owner had lost interest in the car, and it showed. It was pretty awful. It had all the parts with it, but everything was fitted incorrectly or was just thrown together.”
With the initial aim of getting the car roadworthy once more, Samuli set to work on the motor. A Garrett GT30 and a set of BD15 cams were fitted to the largely standard YB, and produced a useable 430bhp and 500Nm.
With the engine pulling strongly, the next job was to sort out the handling. The EsCos handles pretty well as standard, but in standard trim it has power to all
four wheels. Converting it to reardrive can adversely affect the balance, unless the geometry and suspension are adjusted to suit. Samuli did more than just ‘adjust’ a few settings here and there, he really went to town and modified the shell to get the best possible suspension set-up.
wrc-inspired
The front and rear turrets have been raised and now feature adjustable top mounts, and the rear arches have been widened by about an inch – the same as the WRC shells.
“It’s so light and fast I started to fear for my own safety”
The front end already wore WRC wings and bumper, so the track is now about an inch wider all round than the stock Escort Cossie geometry. “All the modifications are designed to make the car wider and give it a lower centre of gravity,” explains Samuli.
With a chassis capable of handling the power, and a reardrive conversion, Samuli soon got bored of ‘just 430bhp’ so went searching for more power. The same spec engine – still on standard rods, pistons, and crank – was given a new lease of life with a fresh rebuild. A few more trick parts saw the YB producing a respectable and, more importantly, reliable, 570bhp and 630Nm.
power, power, power!
The car remained like that for 2012, but speaking with the guy who makes his engines, Juha Hämäläinen – who’s built many mental YBs in his time, including a 1000bhp/1000Nm version for a Mk2 Escort drag car that has previously run a quarter-mile time