FIESTA RS1800

The RS Turbo is the poster-boy of fast Mk3 Fiestas but, thanks to insurance costs and emissions regs it only existed for a couple of years, and the lesser-known RS1800 is the car it arguably should have been in the first place. The ageing CVH was replaced by the box-fresh Zetec, the 16v nat-asp twin-cam making the same power as the outgoing RST. Okay, 0- 62mph times were half a second down, but with no lag it was generally real-world faster. This was no ordinary 1800 Zetec either – the RS1800 used the cams, throttle body and ECU from the justlaunched 2.0-litre variant. The car also had a thicker front anti-roll bar to reduce understeer, and slightly lowered suspension. It was as if Ford had taken the RS Turbo and factory-modified it on the RS1800 buyers’ behalf. With its big-wing seats, RS2000-like wheels and cool paint options it cut quite a dash and, while the purist or investor will automatically gravitate toward the RS Turbo, many will tell you that the RS1800 is the smart choice. But with only around fifty of them still on UK roads, you might have trouble finding one…

VITAL STATISTICS

MADE 1992 to 1995 PRICE WHEN NEW £12,712 PRICE NOW £2,500 to £8,000 POWER 130bhp TORQUE 119lb.ft TOP SPEED 124mph 0-62MPH 8.3 seconds