It’s always a treat to get some
special cars together, but when those cars come in the form of three Escort
Cosworths with nearly 1,700bhp between them, well, that’s just the kind of
thing you need to photograph for a magazine, isn’t it?
Colin’s not afraid to use it, either. With
anti-lag and launch control wired in, this sucker is ready to put other cars in
their place – an idea he’s entertaining for National Day, which should turn
some heads!
And
yet, despite all its power, it’s beautiful. Almost factory fresh, much like the
other cars here.
And yet, despite all its power, it’s
beautiful. Almost factory fresh, much like the other cars here. But what about
Dave’s car, the Mallard Green beauty? Where does that rank when compared to the
others? Considering Dave has put as much wrench time in on those as he has his
own, it’s no great shock to discover that his Cosworth is just as impressive as
the others.
Owned for nine years, Dave’s car
represented the more ‘used’ of the three. The paint wasn’t exactly immaculate
when he bought it, and while it has a set of Asevs and some Koni suspension, it
was, in terms of spec, lagging behind the cars Len and Colin had bought. No
worries though, because Dave seems to be a bit of master of his craft, or
should we say crafts. He’s a bit of an automotive polymath, with mechanical
work, electrical work and paint all skills wedged firmly under his belt. His
paint gun not only reviltalised his own car, it’s also brought life back to
parts of Colin’s, too. And his engine work is evident in all three.
In terms of his own car, the improvements
happened quickly, despite a promise to his wife that the car would stay
standard (though let’s be honest, we’ve all used that one before)! So within
two months it was wearing a T34, then a few months later some green injectors
found a new home and the car was up to 320bhp. Over the next couple of years
the power grew thanks to a T4 turbo, 8 injectors, lower compression,
long-studded block and a level 8 ECU – all fitted by Dave – put the car to
around 520bhp.
It didn’t end there though, because as the
car stands it’s the most powerful of the three with an eye-watering 610bhp. The
main protagonist of the figure is the Borg Warner twin scroll EFR 8374 turbo as
well as plenty of goodies from Spec R, Auto Verdi con-rods, CP pistons and
more, which again, was all screwed together by Dave himself.
All that power makes Dave’s car a bit of a
shouty beast, but that’s nothing compared to the glorious whine from the
transmission. You see when you’re kicking out big power, it’s easy for the car
to start spitting out gearboxes, which it did. The solution came in the form a
straight-cut five-speed ‘box, resulting in a road-going EsCos with that genuine
WRC whine – it’s glorious.
All
that power makes Dave’s car a bit of a shouty beast, but that’s nothing
compared to the glorious whine from the transmission.
Add the Rota alloys – a rare treat for a
Ford – the carbon splitters and the front end consisting of twin headlights and
detailed grills and the end result is one savage-looking car with the power to
back it up.
Having said that, with no one car running
less than 500bhp, they’re all pretty savage, but not over the top or built to
such a level that they’re undriveable. What they are, quite simply, are prefect
representations of why the Escort Cosworth is still one of the most iconic
Fords out there and as we suggested earlier on, they also represent the last
generation cars to offer true nuts and bolts modification.
We love the new stuff, don’t get us wrong.
There is no shortage of, for example, new Focus RSs running big power, Fiesta
STs are being pushed further and further now and who knows what the new Mustang
will bring when it hits our shores. The thing is, it’s a different school of
thought from the cars you see here. These cars are powerful and exciting and
engaging in a different way, not a better way, just a different way. A way that
takes us back.
Although
it’s a 26 year old engine design, the Cosworth YB retains an unbreakable
relationship with the modified Ford scene.
As the Cosworth moves well into the
spectrum of being a proper classic, it’s a treat to see a group of cars like
this, with big power and perfectly executed modifications. The only problem for
us is, much like you, we want an Escort Cosworth more than ever now!
