Bjorn has 16 Ford Escorts, 9 of which are RS

The Ford Escort was rather ordinary. Nothing to get excited about. Perhaps the Escort was the most well-behaved family car that ever existed. His story begins in 1967. The Escort had to take the place of the Anglia, which was certainly very popular in England, but could no longer hide the fact that it was very old. The Anglia had lasted nearly thirty years. At the time, no one could have imagined that the Escort would surpass those three decades. As inconspicuous as the Escort was, the recipe was spot on. The combination of robust and simple technology, enough interior space for a family and the necessary groceries, a body variant for everyone, driving characteristics that no one could fault and a consumption that did not even bankrupt a modest worker, ensured that the Escort nestled itself at the top of the sales statistics from the very beginning.

In 30 years, Ford Escort sold welld

Competitors such as the Opel Kadett, Vauxhall Viva and the Mini had a hard time against the Escort, especially in Great Britain. Just seven years after its introduction, Ford could shout from the rooftops that the two millionth Escort had rolled off the line. In six generations, the Escort evolved from a sixties sedan with a dog bone grille, through all kinds of angular variants to a boring hatchback, which Ford tried to spice up with the round shapes that the car industry embraced in the 90s. The introduction of the Ford Focus in 1998 came as a breath of fresh air for the mid-size buyer who wanted to drive Ford. But that did not detract from the performance of the Ford Escort in its thirty-year lifespan.

RS stands for Rally Sport

And for performance you’re in the right place with Ford. At least, as long as the two magic letters ‘RS’ are behind the model name. RS stands for Rally Sport; with the RS models, Ford celebrated its racing and rallying successes, which began with the very first Escort. The Mark I was one hell of a rally car, helping iconic drivers such as Hannu Mikkola, Björn Waldegård, Ari Vatanen and Roger Clark to make their name on the rally scene. The famous ‘Win on Sunday, sell on Monday’ is said to have been invented by Henry Ford. Buyers loved the Escort RS, just like its successors. Internally, Ford made sure that they also continued to perform on Sunday.

No Escort in rallies from 1983 to 1993

It wasn’t until the rules allowed Group B’s flaming guns in 1983 that the valiant Escort was caught up. Not that Ford suddenly disappeared from the scene. The fantastic RS200 may not have had the chance to shine in the World Rally Championship, but the Sierra RS Cosworth later more than made up for it. When the big Sierra became too unwieldy and therefore too slow, there was only one natural successor: the Escort RS Cosworth. Between 1993 and 1997, the Escort drove home its last ten wins.

The Ford Escorts RS, not even all of them because he has a total of 9 RSs of the 16 Escorts owned by Bjorns. In addition, he also has special fast Fords such as the Focus RS and the Ford Sierra RS Cosworth RS500.

Bjorn was already a member of the Ford XRRS club at the age of ten

The letters RS were already world famous for a long time. Also with Bjorn Geelen, whose life span does not cover much more than the thirty years that the Ford Escort lasted. Bjorn is 38, and grew up in the heyday of the Escort. He watched breathlessly as men like Vatanen and later Kankkunen and Sainz tossed and slammed their Escorts over rally trials. By the age of ten, Bjorn was already a member of the Ford XRRS club. “I watched the rallies, and in races I often saw Ford taking all the podium places. At that time I really looked up to my cousin Maurice, who has had several Escorts. Almost everyone in his group of friends also had an Escort, which they were crazy about. I think that’s what sparked love in me. My parents like cars, but not as much as I do, they are also not as brand-stable.”

As a sixteen-year-old, Bjorn talked mother in Fiesta Supersport

Young Bjorn made good use of this. Because he had to have a Ford, driver’s license or not. As a 16-year-old, Bjorn managed to talk his mother out of her Suzuki Alto. He bought a Fiesta Mk2 1.4 Supersport, which his mother drove during the week. In 1999 Bjorn got a girlfriend, who later became his wife. Real love, because she grew up with the Ford madness. After owning dozens of Fords, a plan slowly formed in Bjorn’s head. “I cautiously started thinking about a collection,” he says. “I thought it would be nice to have all the Escort models, and I succeeded – partly thanks to my wife. But that was not very exciting, so I started collecting RS models.”

That collecting rage is not limited to the Escort, because Bjorn also has a Fiesta RS, a Focus RS and several Sierra’s RS Cosworth, including an ultra-rare RS500. But he has a huge soft spot for the Escort. He proudly shows his seven showpieces. “The Cosworth is an absolute childhood dream,” he says, “and the Cosworth T35 is my favorite car. But I also think the Mark I and Mark II are beautiful cars. They are all very special. Sometimes I don’t believe I’ve collected so many dream cars.”

Ford Escort Twin Cam on the wish list

That collection was made possible by the commercial spirit that Bjorn already possessed as a boy. He still regularly buys special Fords and resells them to enthusiasts. He invests the money he earns in his collection. Because of course there is always something to be desired. Bjorn dreams of the progenitor of the RS models, the Escort Twin Cam – with Lotus engine – from 1968. “But huge amounts are asked for that”, he knows, “and that also applies to the Mark I RS1600, which I would also like to have.” The Mark II RS1800 is also on Bjorn’s wish list. The Mark IV, the fourth generation, is not listed there. “I think the fourth generation Escort is the least beautiful anyway, so I prefer to give priority to the other cars on my wish list.”

Dealers consult automotive engineering teacher

Moreover, a growing collection has one problem: it must remain manageable. Space is tight in Bjorn’s warehouse, and owning many cars simply means a lot of maintenance. The fact that he is a lecturer in automotive engineering does Bjorn no harm. He single-handedly keeps his Fords in top condition and regularly receives calls from Ford dealers who know his expertise and need his help in curing a problematic one.

At the introduction of the Focus RS3, Ford approached him: would he like to show some of his cars? He is proud of this, but as far as he is concerned, his passion for collecting is not about public recognition. Bjorn: “I think it’s great that other enthusiasts enjoy my cars, but I don’t like to flaunt what I have. First of all I do this for myself. I prefer to sit in my shed with my cars. Stroking, smelling, brushing and looking. Then they are at their best.”

This story has previously appeared in AutoWeek 9 2020.

We highlight these seven RSs:

Ford Escort RS2000 AVO (1974)
An Escort RS2000 from 1974 is special by definition. With the 100 hp that Ford extracts from the two-liter Pinto block, it is also a nice poison frog by today’s standards. The advantage of the proven technology is that the RS2000 is much easier to maintain than the RS1600, which was developed especially for rallying. Bjorn’s copy still embodies the ultimate Escort for many enthusiasts. The fact that this car came off the line at Ford’s Advanced Vehicle Operations plant in Aveley, Essex, UK, makes it much more desirable than its German-made brother.

Ford Escort RS2000 (1977)
The RS2000 of the second generation Escort came on the market in 1975, and kicked it with 110 hp from its two-liter to a top speed of 180 km / h. You could order this Escort in a whole range of bright colors, of which the orange of Bjorn’s copy was perhaps the most striking. Purists immediately see that Bjorn’s car is not quite right. The nose of the Mark II RS2000 was originally slanted, but Bjorn doesn’t like that: “I know that the slanted nose is typical for this model, but I always thought that was incredibly ugly. That’s why I built a straight nose on my car. I think it’s much nicer, and as I said: I collect for myself! By the way, I now also have an original RS2000 with a slanted nose, which I am restoring.”

Ford Escort RS1600i (1982)
In the 1980s, there was nothing more beautiful for the expressive motorist than striping. The most grotesque combinations of stripes and letters appeared on the sides of cars. In England they made up a term for it: go-faster-stripes. In that respect, Ford kept it subtly on the RS1600i. Bjorn’s car is a pre-production model of the car that was supposed to put the Escort RS back on the map after an absence of a few years. The 1.6-liter engine with a special cylinder head brought 115 hp to the asphalt, with which the Escort reached 100 km / h in 8.8 seconds.

Ford Escort RS Turbo (1986)
You can safely call the mid-1980s the turbo era. Rallying was dominated by the flaming Group B turbos which proved so deadly that they were banned in 1986. Fortunately, the Escort RS Turbo was not banned. You could only order it in white, and because of the wide wheel arches and large spoilers you bought a car that declared itself far superior to the ordinary Escorts. The 1.6 under the hood was not only fed by a large turbo, but also by Bosch’s famous KE Jetronic injection system. With more than 130 hp, the Turbo was the first Escort RS to break through the magical limit of 200 km / h.

Ford Escort RS2000 16v (1991)
In 1991 Ford had big plans. The RS2000 was meant to make its ancestors of the past proud. It received a further development of the two-liter DOHC block from big brother Sierra under the hood. In England, Ford even built an entire rally championship around the RS2000. It was not a great success, but with 150 hp and a chassis in the best Ford tradition, this is a fantastic driver’s car.

Ford Escort RS Cosworth T35 (1992)
The Escort RS Cosworth is very special, because it is not an Escort at all. Or at least not quite. Actually, it is a Sierra chassis crammed into an Escort carriage, or vice versa. If you know it, you will see it. The stocky and greasy appearance of this Escort commands respect. That it is meant to be fast is dripping from all sides. No wonder this thing became a rally icon. Bjorn’s copy is one of 2,500 homologation cars, including water injection preparation. It also has the Garrett T35 turbo, which provided the two-liter block with its power in the first years of production. That T35 had a considerable turbo lag, but with this turbo you can tune the block to enormous power. As if this Escort with its 227 original horsepower isn’t brutal enough…

Ford Escort RS Cosworth T25 (1994)
In 1994 the Escort RS Cosworth was slightly modified. The Garrett T35 – with its enormous turbo lag – went to waste and was replaced by the newer and much more civilized T25. He hardly knew what a turbo lag was and made the Escort just that little bit easier to drive for anyone who wasn’t a rally driver. As far as Bjorn is concerned, the RS Cosworth loses some character, but the T25 is also an icon. In fact, with a production number of only 2500, it is a real rarity. And with its all-wheel drive – which sends most of the power to the rear axle – the Cosworth is always a great car, whatever its turbo.