1995 Ford Escort Cosworth Gp N Rally Car

Stuart Turner of Ford was the leading light in pushing through the Ford Escort Rally program in the nineties. Previously, the Sierra Cosworth had maintained a competitive presence in world rallying but a new genre of rally cars was emerging. The brief now called for a smaller, lighter car to challenge the rapidly emerging cars from Japan. Indeed, Turner had cited that nearly a third of all cars entered in a previous national rally were Japanese in order to encourage the Ford decision makers in Detroit to 'sign off' the Escort Cosworth rally program. They still took some robust persuading as the production model was only available in front wheel drive and the RS Escort was going to be far removed from the production item destined for the 'masses'. Worse still, production would have to be outsourced to Karmann, Germany. Two major considerations swayed Ford's decision to go ahead, firstly the new Escort was being labeled rather bland by the press and needed a 'halo/hero car' and secondly the drivetrain for the new rally car was the well proven, world beater system from the Sierra Cosworth. Turner's plan had been to produce a 'pizza' rally car; Sierra Cosworth base with an Escort body-shell topping. A prototype was entered in a somewhat obscure rally in Spain, it won, and Ford's Marketing machine quickly seized the opportunity with an advertising campaign that meant they could only continue wholesale with the program, spawning the mantra, 'Everything we do is driven by you'.On its WRC debut 1993 Monte Carlo Rally, the RS Escorts of Miki Biasion and François Delecour led until the final stages. It was a success and provided Ford with ten WRC victories from 1993 - 97 for Miki Biasion, François Delecour, Franco Cunico, Tommi Mäkinen and Carlos Sainz.

Offered here this Ford Escort Cosworth Group N Rally Car was built by R&M Motorsport in Frankfurt from a Trimmed LHD 909 Bodyshell in March 1995. It was bought into the UK and used by Neil Thompson of Performance Parts Luton under the guise of its German number plate. In 1997 it was sold to its previous keeper and registered in the UK on a Q plate and used in a Rally Sprint and RSOC shows. Purchased by our vendor in 2011 and re commissioned for stage rallying with the following upgrades; new fuel lines, installation of an FIA fuel drain, FIA approved Motordrive fibreglass seats and FIA belts (all of which are still in date), replaced cambelt, current spec restrictor to the turbo fitted, and professionally set up to suit by Dave Griffiths of InterPro producing 297 BHP and 317 ft/lb at the time. Since then it has been used it as a show car and competed in the 2011 Regency Stages Tarmacm Rally and is only now available due to lack of use. Currently in the iconic Jolly Club / Canico Martini colours.Other specification includes; Hemmerle Matter Cage, Anti Lag, Water Injection, 4:4 Diff, LSD Front and Rear, Group N Sport Gearbox, Bonnet Lamp pod & Bumper corner pods, Kevlar Guards, Homologated Group N Alloys with Pirelli P Zero road tyres, OZ Group A Alloys with Dunlop C03 Slicks, Morette headlight conversion, small spares package. MSA Logbook, fuel drain and window film fitted, so it is ready to rally. Complete with Ford Motorsport Group N Rally Preparation Manual and FIA Group N Homologation papers. Also included are previous event paperwork including some from the 1998 Rallye de la Boucles de la Semois that the car completed are the original pressed alloy German plates and copies of the German papers (although not current as marked as exported in Germany).

This car is a proper time warp Group N spec, fully sorted and well prepared having done little work with only 12000 KM from new.