1995 Ford Escort RS Cosworth

This Escort RS Cosworth comes to auction in unusual circumstances. It was offered as a prize in an online competition run by a company called Ultimate Car Giveaways – you’ll find them by searching that name on Facebook.

In July this year, the company performed a live online draw for the prize (the video is still on their Facebook page) and the name next to the winning number was that of Edward Bott of Livingston in Scotland. Eddie had entered the competition some time before and had almost forgotten about it; he hadn’t been following the draw live, so they had to phone him up to give him the good news. The video of this, with Eddie’s amazed reaction, is also on the Facebook page.

Eddie says he’d always wanted a Cosworth and had promised himself he’d have one, though he never quite believed it. And now he’s found himself with such a car, he feels unable to keep it. He has no garaging, and more importantly, he and his partner have just been approved for a mortgage as they attempt to buy a place of their own….so a deposit would come in very handy. The car is currently in central Scotland.

Bidders should note that while a huge amount of printed history, old MoTs and previous V5Cs come with the car, there is no current V5C so the next owner will need to obtain a receipt of sale from the vendor and apply for a registration document from the DVLA.

The paint looks to be Imperial Blue – it’s a pretty lively colour and can almost look purple in certain lights. The finish is very good but there are minor bubbles at the front edge of the nearside rear wheel arch, while the lower wing of the biplane rear spoiler has some under-surface blemishes on both sides. Other than that, there are only some small lacquer peels on the nose and a spot on the bonnet.

The sides are impressively free from ripples or door-dings; if it’s ever spent time in supermarket car parks, you can’t tell. The panel fit and shut lines are also good but the super-low front spoiler is showing signs of contact. The headlamps have the twin-lamp conversion and the rear lamps have been fitted with clear lenses for the indicators.

Both the ‘ESCORT RS’ and ‘Cosworth’ badges on the tailgate could do with removal and re-seating to look right and the black window channel strips on each door-top have started to blister under the paint. The car sits on white five-spoke AZEV A alloys in excellent condition, shod with Toyo Proxes 225/45 R17 tyres with plenty of life left.

The Recaro leather interior is in great shape. This car appears to be a Lux version – there is a sunroof, electric windows and these all-leather seats. The dash has been treated to some carbon-effect enhancement panels for the sweep around the three small upper gauges and the small section by the driver’s right hand. The original two-deck Ford audio system has been replaced by a CD head unit and a cubby hole. Both the CD and radio functions work fine.

There’s an extra boost gauge (PSI rather than Bar) on the A-pillar where it’s easier for the driver to see. The digital clock works. The carpets are clean and smart with fresh over-mats and the rear seats look like they’ve seen little use. In the boot, the carpets are very clean, but there’s no spare under the shaped cover for the space-saver. The jack and jack handle remain in their polystyrene storage piece. There is no load-bay cover.

The engine bursts into life instantly with a penetrating growl that’s a bit louder than standard. We don’t know the full extent of the modifications to the engine, but apart from obvious items like the blue hoses, aluminium header tank with sight-glass, and the large conical air filter, we assume some performance modifications have been made from the specification of the turbo – it’s a Garrett A/R 60 M24 unit with the potential to make perhaps 350-400bhp if other components have been upgraded to match. On your writer’s test ride, the car certainly goes with all the vigour you’d expect, and perhaps more.

The engine bay is very clean and smart showing no signs of leaks, drips or frayed wiring. The huge aftermarket strut-brace probably contributes to stiffness and the car’s screwed-down, go-kart like feel on the road, as it rides lower than standard on adjustable dampers. There are several holes from some previous installation on the offside inner wing, though they’re protected by a layer of paint.

With a car riding barely a hands’ breadth from the ground, a close examination of the floors and running gear is impossible. What we could see suggested dry, clean components and sound structure.

The odometer and the car’s clean condition, especially the little-worn interior, suggest a mileage of 38,000 but the history shows this to be 138,000, a figure it wears very lightly indeed. The service booklet shows it racked up the first 100,000 in just a couple of years, after which the car’s life got much easier, with the rest of the mileage taking 22 years – only 1800 miles have been covered since 2011.

The huge amount of paper history for this car is both encouraging and a little frustrating – it’s clear that the first owners, one in London and the others in Norfolk, absolutely cherished and pampered the car, keeping every single receipt down to items costing only a few pence. It also seems that most of the modifications we now see were done early in the car’s life.

Since 2010 or 2011, we have much less to go on. The last change of owner is listed in August 2015 on the DVLA’s website, which also confirms the car is MoT’d until the end of February 2021.

This is a hugely tempting chance to get into one of Ford’s all-time performance icons for a reasonable sum. The next owner can get deep into detective work via the thick folder of receipts to establish exactly what has been lavished on the car, while perhaps adding more value by tidying up the minor blemishes and returning some of the non-standard visual aspects to original specification.

We expect this Escort RS Cosworth to sell for between £26,000 and £35,000 to take account of that high mileage early in the car’s life. It’s ready to use and enjoy; a smart-looking example that could be cosmetically improved but which is very presentable without being too perfect to use. And the attention it draws is enormous…we hope the next owner likes being popular!

Viewing is always encouraged and this particular car is situated in Motherwell, Scotland; to arrange an appointment, please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to to ask any questions or make observations on the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

This vehicle is not with us at The Market’s HQ, which means we have had to rely on the owner’s description of it, in conjunction with the photographs you see here, to compile the listing.

With this in mind, we would encourage potential bidders to contact the owner themselves and arrange to view the car in person, or to arrange a dedicated video call in which they can view the car virtually and ask questions.