Suppression of Group B in 1986 was an impulse to cars with turbo wheel drive base for Group A Rally. The Escort RS Cosworth was Ford sporting street … unmatched.

In addition to Lancia, Ford was the brand from the beginning supported the FIA in the decision prohibit Group B and suspend the S. Lancia Group was very sure that your Delta could be a good Group A rally, and he was right. Ford believed the same with the Sierra and failed. Between 1987 and 1992, Ford Sierra XR tested with 4×4, the RS and Cosworth Cosworth 4×4. And in those six seasons, one victory, of Didier Auriol / Bernard Occelli Tour de Corse 1988.

In 1986 Ford launched the fourth generation Escort (Second front-wheel drive). In 1988, during a meeting at Ford Motorsport (in England), Stuart Turner suggested then- His head placing the engine, transmission and axles of a Sierra Cosworth 4×4 a body Escort. But the same thing happened with the failed project Escort RS1700T: A great idea that Ford took too long to develop.

Between 1988 and 1989, Motorsport Ford manufactured the Escort first prototype turbo and AWD (Known internally as ACE), even before the Sierra Cosworth 4×4 hit the market. Then the project went from Motorsport department special vehicles Ford (Special Vehicles Engineering, SVE) who built 18 prototypes. One of them, in 1990, Mia Bardolet won the Rally of Talavera (Earth Championship), the first victory of this model. In 1991, although the number of units for homologation in Group A was reduced from 5,000 to 2,500, it seemed that production was next. Finally, in 1992, Karmann began assembly Escort Cosworth (could not be manufactured in the normal chains Escort) and May this year launched. Homologation in Group A was in January 1993, six years after the Lancia Delta HF 4WD five Toyota Celica GT-Four.

Ford Escort RS Cosworth: engine

He Cosworth YB engine was the, in other words, a Cosworth cylinder head on the old block modified Ford Pinto. The first Ford Escort Cosworth version was called YBT, with 2-liter, four cylinder head valves per cylinder in V at 45, electronic injection Weber Marelli and 8 to 1 compression ratio. Garrett turbocharger was a large specific size for this model, with elements T3 and T4 (internally T3 / T04 B and also known as T34), and an intercooler overboost air / air. Yielding 227 hp at 6,250 rpm and 298 Nm at 3,500 rpm.

The transmission did not change much in relation to the Sierra, except for the shaft length. Given the It was made from Sierra, a car with longitudinal engine also change and longitudinal rear-left center differential moved to a belt connected to the front differential axle shaft. The front differential was right engine and the left drive shaft passing through the casing. A similar to that of some cars and off-road all-wheel drive made from a rear-drive solution.

The center differential normally sent more force to the rear wheels (33/66) and had a viscous coupling in the central and rear. The gearbox was five-speed. The suspension was also Sierra: McPherson front and behind, dragging a triangle with oblique axis. That is, functionally, It was the characteristic suspension of rear-drive cars until they began to wear (the Mercedes-Benz 190 from 1982) multilink systems. Versions of Group A had a similar rear suspension arms but instead of a triangle drag.

That was its chassis

The chassis was shortened platform of the Sierra along with elements of normal Escort and others specific to this release. The wheelbase was 2.55 meters shorter than the Sierra (2,61), but greater than a Delta or Celica. He huge rear wing was not to make nice (Who would look nice), but providing real downforce. In fact, Ford Escort Cosworth claimed that was the first production car with negative lift coefficients on both axles.

East Ford Escort Cosworth first sold between 1992 and 1994. Once it was approved in Group A, Ford modified the engine to be less abrupt and more suitable for a production car. The motor of this second variant known as YBP and is distinguished, among other things because the Garrett T25 turbocharger was a, smaller and less inertia, with a maximum pressure of 0.95 bar to 1.3 coming momentarily overboost. With proper distribution to the new airflow, engine response was very different. It gave maximum power (220 hp) at a rate much lower: 5,750 rpm. The maximum torque was practically the same (290 Nm), but also slower rate: 2500 rpm. You can tell one another engine by opening the hood: the first has a striking blue and signs with large characters on the cylinder head cover, the second is more discreet and simple words’ Ford Cosworth. “

He Ford Escort Cosworth was produced until 1996, which it was also the last year that participated in the World Rally Championship as Group A and initially it seemed that neither could do as WRC. Although for a production of 20 units stipulated, the rules indicated that a WRC had to be based on a car that had been built 25,000 units when the Escort Cosworth 7,185 had been made and was not going to do more. The FIA ​​granted an exception and ran Escort WRC seasons 97 and 98. Although a production of 20 units, none of which was stipulated as homologated road car. The mechanical differences with the Escort Cosworth series were very large; among others, Ford replaced archaic rear suspension inherited from Sierra by a similar McPherson which had the Delta and Celica from the beginning.

In short, and to conclude, although the He came Ford Escort RS Cosworth late to be a contender in the World Rally Championship as a road car it was fully satisfactory. In fact, under certain criteria, it was preferable to other models of the generation of the turbo AWD… Like the Lancia Delta HF Integrale or the Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD Carlos Sainz.

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