1989 Ford Escort RS Turbo S2 - 29,264 Miles

Based on the success of the original model, the Series 2 Escort RS Turbo (produced between 1986-1990) was more suited to daily use, whereas the earlier car was a bit of an 'homologation special'. Many new features were introduced for the S2 including utilising the 1,600cc, fuel-injected, CVH engine taken from the S1 Turbo but now fitted with the Garrett T3 turbo (water-cooled, unlike the S1), revised engine management settings, lower overall gearing, an improved gearbox and limited-slip differential, a larger clutch and improved KE-Jetronic unit and inter-cooler. Suspension and chassis changes included stiffer front and rear springs, uprated anti-roll bars, mechanical ABS and larger brakes.

The S2 produced an impressive 132bhp at 5,750rpm, with maximum torque of 133lb/ft produced at 2,750rpm, offering ample performance with a top speed of 125mph and a 0-60mph time of 8.3 seconds. Although on paper these figures were a tad down on the Series 1, the new car was considerably easier to drive quickly and was effectively a faster car.

The car presented here is a 1989 Ford Escort RS Turbo S2 (1990-spec) first registered HDZ 2288 on 9th November 1989 and supplied new by Lindsay Cars Ltd, an RS main dealer in Lisburn, Northern Ireland. A little later, it moved to Southern Ireland, from where it was imported to the UK in 2017 prior to being offered for sale by ourselves in 2019. At that point it had covered a mere 29,000 miles, corroborated by early supplying dealer Ford service history and many previous MOT Certificates.

At the time (November 2019), we described the car as 'An immaculate example in original unrestored condition, with all original panels and an untouched shell, the engine bay is virtually to show standard, the interior is almost completely unmarked and the car has never been modified from new and remains completely standard'. Our vendor was looking for the best he could find when he bought it and has continued to look after the little Ford to a similar standard, if anything, taking the level of detailing a little further. The alloy wheels have never been refurbished and are still wearing their four original Goodyear NCT50 tyres, the spare alloy and original tyre are unused whilst the luggage compartment looks like brand new. The original Ford exhaust was replaced due to age, with a bespoke replica of the original fitted and the brakes were previously overhauled.

During the five years in our vendor's ownership, the car has been stored in a 'bubble' at a respected classic car specialist where it is looked after to a high standard. It will be detailed, serviced and freshly MOT'd prior to the auction so will be in immaculate condition and ready to drive away.

It's not a secret that high performance Fords from this era are becoming sought after and we take pride in finding some fabulous examples to bring to market, however this is certainly one of the best examples we have seen and we encourage your inspection at the NEC.