The maximum power of the Ford road version officer was 227 PS (224 bh; 167 kW) at 6,250 rpm and 304 N⋅m; 224 lbf⋅ft (31 kg⋅m) of torque at 3,500 rpm with 95 RON gasoline and a top speed of 232 km / h (GPS) and 237 km / h (147 mph) without large rear wing, while 0-100 km / h (62 mph) takes 5.7 sec. The standard increase in the Garrett AiResearch T3 / T04B turbocharger was 0.8 bar (12 psi) with 1.0-1.1 bar overboost. The car's weight was 1,275 kg (2,811 lb) or 1,310 kg (2,890 lb) for the Lux edition.
The Escort RS Cosworth was the first mass production car to produce downforce in the front and rear (in front 4.6kg / 45Newton at 180 km / h (110 mph) with front adjustable splitter in the center position and 19.4kg / 190Newton downforce with the rear large wing).
The reason behind Escort Cosworth's design was that he should win the World Rally Championship. He did not achieve that goal, but he won eight events between 1993 and 1996 as a Group A car, and two more in the World Car Rally in 1997-8, before being replaced by the Focus WRC.
The Cosworth Escort was developed by the Ford rally team in 1991 and 1992. Its first appearances, before approval, were in the Spanish championship, in the hands of Jose Maria Bardolet, and in the 1992 Scottish Rally, where it was driven by Malcolm Wilson, which was also the main driver of development. Wilson was not formally competing at the event, but his internship times were faster than those of winner Colin McRae. During the latter part of the 1992 season, the development of Sierra Cosworth came to an end, and construction team drivers François Delecour and Massimo Biasion focused on preparing the Escort for the competition.
A Ford Escort RS Cosworth in a stage rally, driven by British driver Malcolm Wilson.
In Escort's first presentation at the World Championship level, the 1993 Monte Carlo Rally, Delecour took the lead with Biasion in second. The pair led the event until the final night, when a late attack by Didier Auriol, driving a Toyota Celica, saw him win, with the Fords in second and third places. However, the new car had demonstrated its potential, which was highlighted the following month, when Malcolm Wilson, driving a car prepared by his own team, briefly drove the Swedish Rally before retiring after an accident. The work team returned to the Portuguese Rally: Delecour took almost from the beginning and won the event with Biasion second, establishing car and driver as serious candidates for the World Championship that year. Delecour won again in Corsica, and Biasion in Greece - their first victory for three years - placing them first and second in the drivers 'championship, and Ford in the joint lead in the manufacturers' title. During the second half of the season, Toyota driver Juha Kankkunen won in Argentina, Finland and Australia, but in New Zealand, with the exception of Delecour's second place (behind Colin McRae), the Fords' results were relatively low, giving the Toyota the manufacturers title. . Both jobs follow Retired at the San Remo Rally, Delecour after an accident and Biasion with engine failure after a radiator hose split, but the event was won by Franco Cunico Italian, in a Cosworth Escort entered privately. It was the first time in several years that a privateer won at this level and, in doing so, surpassed the Lancia Delta Integrale jobs of World Champion Carlos Sainz, demonstrating the Escort's superiority over the previously dominant Lancia. However, the result has been a disappointment for Ford since, although Delecour won the penultimate round of the season in Catalonia, he lost the world title to Kankkunen.
Delecour and Ford were singled out as serious competitors for the 1994 World Championship, especially after Delecour's victory in the Monte Carlo Rally. However, Delecour retired from the second round of the championship, in Portugal, with an engine failure, and a few weeks later he was injured in a road accident, which forced him to lose the next four rounds. Biasion finished third in Portugal, but failed to keep up with the Toyotas, and his results did not improve afterwards, amid reports that his relationship with the team was deteriorating. He left in late 1994 and did not drive again at the World Championship level. In the absence of Delecour, the second Escort was driven by a succession of temporary drivers, including the 1981 World Champion Ari Vatanen, young Belgian driver Bruno Thiry and Franco Cunico. With the exception of Vatanen's third place in Argentina (followed by retirement after a major accident in New Zealand, while challenging for third), the results were indifferent and the team faced some criticism for its dependence on Delecour. The final guest driver proved to be a greater success, however: in a single unit for the team, Tommi Mäkinen won the 1000 Lagos Rally in 1994. Delecour returned to the team at the same event, but was not yet fit and finished fourth , before retiring in the last two rounds. Thiry completed a disappointing season for the team, taking third place in the final round in Britain.
The Ford work team ended in late 1994 and the rally program was handed over to the RAS Sport team in Belgium. Biasion was replaced by Bruno Thiry, while Delecour stayed with the team. The season has been shortened to eight events and maintenance has been much more restricted than in previous seasons. Group A cars also had to operate with a smaller turbo restrictor than the previous one, which was a particular disadvantage for Ford, as the seven-speed box in the Escort rally was not suitable for a low rev engine. Delecour, although complaining loudly in interviews about changing the rules, finished second in Monte Carlo. Bruno Thiry then led the Corsican Rally and looked likely to win, until a failure of the wheel bearing, which under the previous rules his mechanics would have been able to correct, put him out of the rally. Delecour finished second, but there were no more three places in the season and Ford finished at the bottom of the manufacturers' championship.
The RAS experiment was unsuccessful, Ford replaced its rally team in the 1996 season. Thiry stayed as the second driver, but Delecour left the team and was replaced by Carlos Sainz. Sainz took third place in the drivers' championship, with victory in Indonesia and second in Sweden and Italy. However, Escort has by this time been overtaken by Mitsubishi and Tommi Mäkinen, who won that year's title, and at the end of the season, interest shifted to the next season and the new rules of the World Rally Car.
Although a special dispensation was required, Ford was allowed to adapt the Cosworth to a World Rally Car, to serve as a stopgap until a specific WRC was developed. The rear suspension with semicircular arm, considered one of Cosworth's weaknesses, was replaced by MacPherson, and modifications were made to the body and transmission. The rally cars would be driven by the team of Malcolm Wilson, now known as M-Sport. During the 1997 and 1998 seasons, he went on to mark two more wins for Carlos Sainz. With Thiry, Ari Vatanen (on a punctuated podium base at Safari Rally after Thiry suffered an injury) and four-time world rally champion, Juha Kankkunen, now behind the wheel of the cars, the name Escort has finally left the scene. rallying completely after a double podium at the 1998 British Rally, which ends the season.
Outside the World Championship, the Escort Escort, like its predecessors, was very successful at national and European level, winning many national rally titles. These titles include: Belgian (1993, 1994, 1996), British (1994), Italian (1994, 1995, 1996), German (1993, 1994), French (1993, 1994, 1995), Netherlands (1993, 1994), Austrian (1994, 1995), Greek (1994), Bulgarian (1995, 1996), Turkish (1994, 1995, 1996), Swiss (1995), Danish (1995), Finnish (1995), Irish (1995), Portuguese ( 1995), Czech Republic (1996), Lithuanian (1997) and, in 1994, Belgian driver Patrick Snijers won the European Rally Championship driving a car prepared by RAS Sport. He was also a successful competitor of Group N. Tuning parts were (and are) readily available, and the lower-specification Escort Cosworth's became a common feature even in relatively low-level rallies in Europe during the 1990s.
In recent times, all Escort Cosworth varieties (Group A, N and WRC) are regularly seen at historic rally events and festivals. Ken Block also added two to his fleet for the stage rallies and Gymkhana 10. Unfortunately, due to a gearbox issue, one of the cars fell and was destroyed in a fire. As part of the Cossie World Tour 2019, its second car has been upgraded to a modern specification.
Escort also had a foray into Formula 1, albeit as its Safety Car. It was, in fact, used during two Grand Prizes in the 1992 season to test this new safety concept, which was officially introduced to the sport the following year (using other road cars).
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