Graham Cody’s Imperial Blue Escort Cosworth
has been transformed from an abandoned non-runner into a fully restored,
540bhp, powerhouse of performance…
The
Ford Escort RS Cosworth was a sports derivative and rally homologation special
of the fifth generation European Ford Escort
Liverpudlian joiner, Graham Cody, recalls a
memorable conversation that he had back in 2004 when he was knee deep in GM
spares and in the process of building a 350bhp Mk3 Vauxhall Astra GSi. “I
received a call from a mate who had just been to look at a low-mileage Escort
Cosworth,” he says. “It was described to me as a ‘money pit’ due to the fact
that it was a non-runner with a faulty gearbox. My friend passed on the car,
but my curiosity had been aroused and I decided to check it out for myself,” he
grins.
The EsCos in question belonged to a lad who
was unable to keep up with the maintenance and servicing costs of his pride and
joy. Over the years, the Imperial Blue battleship had been mildly modified and
was running a Stage 3 performance upgrade, yet the expiration of its
transmission presented an expense that couldn’t be met.
“The owner wasn’t mechanically minded and
couldn’t afford to have the gearbox repaired,” continues Graham. “The car had
sat on his driveway for a significant period of time following the discovery of
the problem. Eventually, his missus told him to get shot of it and he offered
it up for sale at a knockdown price,” he says.
Graham had always fancied a slice of Blue
Oval bliss, but his preoccupation with Vauxhalls had taken him away from the
idea during the preceding years. However, the availability of the EsCos excited
him, and some quick maths suggested that he might be able to manage the Astra
project alongside the Escort. Picking up where his mate had left off, he handed
over the required readies and carted his new toy home on a trailer.
Uprated
fuel system is hidden underneath the car
Work on the Astra was in full swing, and
Graham’s day job was unexpectedly demanding an ever-increasing number of hours
following a heightened appeal for his services. Even so, the newly acquired
EsCos was treated to an intense detailing session before being tucked away in
the Cody family garage, though its subsequent yearlong hibernation was never
part of the plan to return it to the road.
“I was made up with the car, but twelve
months had flown by without an opportunity for me to get stuck into it.
Realising that I’d let things slide, I vowed to get the gearbox sorted and
began to strip it down as soon as I’d finished mucking about with the
Vauxhall,” he tells us.
Back to Basics
The nuts and bolts of the Escort started to
form a heap on the garage floor, and before he knew it, Graham had reduced the
car to a bare shell. “I could have fixed the transmission and sorted the minor
scratches and scuffs that I’d discovered on the bodywork. Instead, I concluded
that a car as special as my EsCos deserved nothing less than a complete
restoration!” he smiles.
Underside
of this stunning EsCos is very clean
This determination to rejuvenate the RS saw
its suspension components sandblasted, powder-coated and polybushed before the
delivery of a set of Gaz Gold coilovers and a front strut brace. AP Racing
six-pot brakes and Compomotive MO6 wheels also appeared on the parts pile, and
Graham’s mate, Chris, fixed the shell to a rotating spit so that the underside
of the car could be coated in stoneguard in advance of the respray.
Project progress was a drawn out affair as
a consequence of Graham’s relentless work schedule. Occasional bouts of late
night eBay indulgence were as much as he could muster for weeks at a time,
although trigger happy mouse clicks resulted in the purchase of some of his
car’s key equipment; RS500 grilles, Morette twin headlamps, a carbon fibre
splitter, hockey sticks and a matching exhaust heatshield were soon winging
their way onto the freshly painted shell, while a genuine 909 Motorsport short
ratio gearbox with a Tilton clutch, a lightened flywheel and new driveshafts,
replaced the original factory items.
