Ford Escort RS Turbo (1989) – Into the Wild

In terms of sales figures, the Ford Escort has been the best-selling Ford model in the Netherlands since 1983. In total, Ford sold no fewer than 315,580 Escorts here from that year, spread over several generations, of which only a few thousand copies are left today. Today, about 1,100 copies of the fourth generation are still driving around according to the non-conclusive license plate.tv. There are probably even fewer of the Escort RS Turbo as we see it here. At the time, the RS Turbo was the fastest and most expensive Escort you could buy. This example is the first Escort of the fourth generation to be featured in this section. Its predecessor, the third generation, already passed by as a hatchback and station, and we were also able to welcome the second generation. In addition, the Orion, the sedan version of the Escort, also passed in review. The cream of the crop was the 1992 Ford Escort RS Cosworth, the extreme top version of the fifth generation Escort.

The fourth generation RS Turbo had exactly the same 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbo engine under the hood as the third generation RS Turbo. In the pecking order, the RS Turbo was above the Escort XR3i, which had to make do with the 1.6 without turbo. The XR3i was available next to a three-door hatchback or as a convertible, while the RS Turbo was only available as a three-door hatchback. With 132 hp under the hood, the RS Turbo was pretty fast for its time: the sprint to 100 km/h takes 8.7 seconds and the four-cylinder engine only ran out of breath at 206 km/h. This made the Escort RS Turbo a good rival for the Volkswagen Golf II GTI 16V (which was later replaced by the more powerful GTI G60) and the Opel Kadett 2.0 GSi.

The extra set of lamps was standard on the Escort RS Turbo.

Although Ford launched the fourth Escort as a completely new generation, in reality it was mainly a thorough facelift of the third generation. The headlamps were redesigned and the relief on the taillights disappeared. The disappearance of the grille is another notable difference from the third-generation Escort.

In the sunlight, the green paint color of this apparently sleek copy comes into its own. Compared to the less favored variants of the Escort, the RS Turbo distinguishes itself with flared wheel arches and a subtle rear spoiler. Another striking detail are the cooling slots in the hood. In addition, the RS Turbo has two rally lamps next to the headlights. Those extra viewers are original and were part of the standard equipment. This Escort RS Turbo, originally delivered in the Netherlands, has been in the possession of the last owner since 2016. In any case, he/she seems to take good care of this now unique car!

Thanks to Tim van Essen (flickr) for uploading his photos to the AutoWeek forum. Have you come across a unique car on the street yourself? Do not hesitate to upload them in the ‘What did you see today’ topic on the AutoWeek forum!