Car Of The Day: August 23, 2012

Today's car of the day comes from Dean-O-mite's collection and is MicroChamps' 1993 Ford Escort RS Cosworth.

The Ford Escort RS Cosworth was a sports derivative of the Ford Escort. It was designed to qualify as a Group A car for the World Rally Championship, in which it competed between 1993 and 1998. It was available as a road car from 1992-96 in very limited numbers. It was instantly recognizable due to its large "whale tail" rear spoiler. The main selling point was the Cosworth YBT engine, a highly tunable turbocharged 2-litre engine which had an output of 217 hp in standard trim. It was also widely acknowledged to have excellent handling.

For more information and pictures of the real car please visit: Ford Escort RS Cosworth

This is a recent addition to my collection, thanks to JustDavid.  This had long been on my most-wanted list, and David spotted it at the Albuquerque gathering, and picked it up for me. (THANKS AGAIN, DAVID!)
MicroChamps was the brand name the MiniChamps parent company decided to give their first venture into the small-scale market.  The MicroChamps name is cast into the base.  It is a very nice casting, at 1/64 scale.

Ford developed the car around the chassis and mechanicals of its predecessor, the Sierra Cosworth to accommodate the larger Cosworth engine and transmission, whilst clothing it in Escort body panels to make it resemble the standard Mk V. The Escort Cosworth was a rare car, with 7,145 vehicles produced from the start of production on 19 February 1992 until the last car rolled out of the factory on 12 January 1996. A tiny number were unofficially imported to the United States, where it was considered one of the greatest performance Fords of all time.

The initial cars included features that, although they made the Cosworth a more effective car, did not enhance it as a road vehicle, and once the rules were satisfied Ford attempted to make the car less temperamental and easier to drive under normal conditions. The second generation, starting production from late 1994, were fitted with a Garrett T25 turbocharger, a smaller unit which reduced turbo lag and increased usability in everyday driving situations. With these later models, the 'whale tail' spoiler became a delete option.