1986 Ford Escort RS Turbo S1

The Escort RS Turbo Series 1 was specifically developed by Ford’s Special Vehicle Engineering team to set new standards in 'Group N' and 'Group A' motorsport events and was quickly dubbed 'the car to beat'. Ford initially planned to build 5,000 examples, the minimum number required for Homologation in 'Group A', however a total of 8,604 were built due to increased demand. The car was greeted with huge enthusiasm and was only sold through official Rallye Sport dealers.

The much-revered Series 1 cars utilised a 1,600cc CVH unit modified to suit the higher loads and the application of a turbocharger. Computerised fuel-injection and state of the art engine management (in 1986) incorporating boost control resulted in a healthy 132bhp and offered reasonably lag-free acceleration with 0-62mph, taking 8.2 seconds on the way to 128mph. It was the first front-wheel drive road car in the world to use a compact viscous-coupling design LSD instead of a normal mechanical LSD, which greatly improved cornering and drivability.

Aesthetically, the RS Turbo was given a distinctive sporty appearance with a body-coloured front grille, bumpers and aerodynamic aids. Unusually, there was only one choice of finish - Diamond White - and the purposeful interior was trimmed in a combination of Monza and Cashmere fabrics and Recaro LS bucket seats were fitted as standard.

This remarkable example was supplied new by Haynes of Maidstone to its first lucky owner on  27th March 1986 and was enjoyed by a further three keepers until it was purchased by our vendor on 1st December 2020. He is a professional car body repairer and was impressed by the Ford's low mileage, originality and generally sound condition so decided to take some time off from working on customers' cars to work on his own. The RS was subject to a full nut and bolt restoration using old stock Ford NORS parts where possible and retaining all its original factory panels, stamp numbers and barcode plate still on lower cross-member. The engine was completely rebuilt including a reground crank, new big ends and mains, re-bored block (+1mm), oversized forged pistons and new rods, skimmed head, new valves and seats, polished ports, new cam and followers, a new Garrett Turbo, new water and oil pumps and much more. There is an invoice within the file (£3,680.93) detailing the engine build and we understand that over £50,000 and hundreds of hours have been invested in the project. The car has only covered a handful of miles since the work was completed and consequently the engine will need to be run-in for 1,500 miles to ensure a long and happy life. Lots of photographs were taken during the process and some of those images are reproduced here to help you appreciate the fine level of detail.

Over recent years here at Iconic Auctioneers, we have been asked to look after the sale of a good number of 'Performance Fords' that have been restored to a 'world standard' (often with World Record results) and this Series 1 RS Turbo is certainly in that category. For legal reasons, we are discouraged from saying 'as good as new' or 'better than new' but, in this case, if we could - we would.

It's supplied with a Haynes Workshop Manual and a very well presented History File containing the original dealer book pack with the Service Record (six stamps up to 30,072 on 3rd November 1992 plus the engine rebuild @ 36,521 miles), operating guides and manuals, HPI Check Summary, the V5C, the MOT history and the current one valid until 11th July 2025.

We invite and encourage you to come along to Race Retro and view this stunning little RS Turbo in the metal to fully appreciate the quality on offer.