Hi @iain_tyrrell That was mine and a friends car up until 2016. I was the person that rebuilt the car from the shell up (mechanical and electrical) over the period of a few years and competed with it in concours for several years. I have quite a few pictures somewhere of the restoration and build process. Great to see it still in great condition. It was fantastic to drive around B roads.The Motorcraft plugs were fitted when I built the engine so they have never been changed since around 2013!
As a west coast Canadian your vids drop in the AM for me and it is the BEST way to start a day. Never stop Ian, you are The automotive RUclipsr so many have been waiting for all these years!
Yes. Many of these cars, especially ones from entry-level marques were seen as disposable cars to be trashed and neglected, ultimately ending up being driven to-and-from the dollar store by rather hefty ladies, until the “Cash for Clunkers” program came into effect, upon which they all pretty much disappeared. Think about it, when’s the last time you’ve ever seen a Isuzu Gemini RS Turbo Irmscher-Lotus or a Suzuki Cultus GTi? These are the kinds of cars that I would kill to own, but you just can’t find them anymore.
No other Escort comes close. The Mark 3 was the perfection of the Escort. Mk 1 and 2 were the build up to this. The Mk 3 XR3i / Rs1600 are also stunners, especially in white After that escort went crap
@@johnsmith1474 That was my thought, too. I hope Iain’s channel doesn’t go in that direction… Still interesting, nevertheless. Just wish he would not have made the overt announcement about this vehicle being for sale.
@@larsfrandsen2501 What's wrong with you people? He mentions it is for sale, or examines a non-exotic, and what, he is a sell out? He has looked at all sorts of non-exotics. Did I miss something...is this channel called "exotics only"? That RS IS a modern classic. So are the other cars he talks about. And who are you people to decide what commands "respect"? What a bunch of twits.
@@johnsmith1474 I get it's a sales advert, but why would anyone calling themselves a car enthusiast "mock" a very nice example of a near 40 year old (and always relatively rare) hot hatchback that has always had a strong following, even if it isn't to their taste? Almost all old cars are objectively hopeless by modern standards.
@@limpet7r63 plain and simple these things from a purist point of view ie.purchased and could be used in competition successfully these things couldn’t. Ford succeeded with other cars that with basic safety mods and updated brake fluids and materials could actually rally and beat other manufacturers but these things broke gearboxes and nobody was rallying 1.6 turbos anyway in 84 😂
My uncle had one of those, new. And I walked past John Grose Ford every day to school in that era. They let me test drive a Cossie as a 17 year old. Nice to see this one surviving.
Back in the good old days... In the early 90s, I worked at a Ford dealer in Austria - and Turbo Escorts were not such a rare sight. There was allways the fight between the VW GTI, the Fiat Ritmo Abarth and these Fords. They were very quick cars, but also very tricky to handle on wet roads, especialy with worn tires. Very light car, under 900kg, lots of power from a wild turbolaging engine... With their tricky handling manners, those cars died quite fast in accidents. For those, who could handle these little beasts, they gave a lot of fun - till the rust comes. And boy, they rusted early as fast, as they drove. And there was the turbo trouble: nobody explained this to the customers, before they came to the workshop with a dead turbo. And the spare parts were extremly expensive, so the Escort RS Turbo got a very bad reputation, being an unreliable car - all the times, compared to a less powerfull GTI.
@@buggerlugz6753 The 5 turbo was just about OK if properly serviced and kept standard. The trouble was it was too easy to wind up the boost and then the second owners thought the engine could manage on the maintenance diet of a Ford Kent.
Absolutely fantastic. I can appreciate the top end cars you work on Iain, but cars like this were the working mans attainable dream car. Ive owned my 67 Mustang fastback for nearly 20 years, but my 1989 Orion 1.6i Ghia gives me just as much pleasure. Thanks for sharing this beauty.
@@SaintWill70well, compared to a Ferrari or Lambo, they’re certainly more realistic for most people. But yeah, they are definitely getting up there and maybe a bit more difficult to justify. Especially when you can get a 10 yr old AMG for close to the same money.
So glad you mentioned putting the screw back. Im an ex Saab master tech and the amount of 8v Turbos i worked on where the blanking plug had not been put back and just thrown in the bin. As you say then leaving a air leak which causes the venturi flap not to move correctly with the air flow.
Not many mechanics of today can do or indeed have any idea of the successful diagnosing of a cars engine problems without the use of a mega expensive scanner, and will simply exchange parts and "play whilst the customer pays". Well done Iain, your solid background and experience puts you in good stand as an "ace"mechanic, a rare commodity.
My wife learned to drive in ours and wondered what was wrong with the diesel golf she passed her test in it was so slow😂 Worked on and chipped loads of these ,still do the odd one ,set ups mainly . My old S1 recently came 3rd overall at Dubshed (friend who bought it off me in 1997 still has it) Such great memories ,many thanks for this video Iain.
I had a 1986 RS Turbo. Had a lot of work done on it. Bored out to 1800cc. The only job left I had to do was the brakes and discs. What a car. Some idiot stole it while we were shopping in Milton Keynes and it was never found.
Mr.Tyrrell’s mechanical adeptness and pleasant demeanour along with his good taste in automobiles is always a joy to observe. ….his confidant, careful, firm but fair 😄 checkout test drive operation of historically important and often very expensive machines, on public roads is always a thrill Thank you Iain…. We love your work, awaiting your next episode 🇨🇦🍻🇬🇧
Wow!! This takes me back to 1988. Brilliant. Thanks for featuring it on your channel Ian. What a treat. You are totally correct, they feel really fast behind the wheel. The combination of very lightweight, sudden big boost and a large lag are quite unique. I ran one of these for 3 years and loved it. Trouble is the local car thieves also loved it and spoiled the ownership experience. Sold it in 1991 for......... £3500. Not a wise move.
Fond memories indeed , shorter springs and adjustable koni dampers , superchip and fiddle with the wastegate. It would corner like it was on rails and try to pull its own front end off 😂 Those were the days 👍
Serious collectors generally have a trusted mechanic take care of their entire fleet and wouldn't be bothered thinking they could save a few quid trying the odd job themselves. This could easily have been a failed headgasket or worse.
At last……..Iain has a car I once owned! Very fond memories returning, also had a black series 2 RS turbo escort. As I remember the later was a little more refined, but not as much fun as the earlier model. Thank you👍
I bought a 1.3 litre mk2 Escort 2 door in Calypso blue ( boxy headlights) when I was 21 when it was 3 years old and when I was 20. Did all the servicing etc on it myself from Haynes Manual and have never forgotten the joy of owing it nor places I went in it. Just loved the HT lead and spark plug section. My pal also bought one. We used to tune with a strobe light and a small paint mark adjacent to the distribution cap. What fun ! Thanks for such a great vid
I remember doing my apprenticeship at Ford when the mk3 was launched, and we all thought it "space age" in looks and tech! We used to replace valve stem oil seals regularly on the cvh as they would hardened and would smoke badly. Thanks for the memories Iain, another great video as always.
We used a tool that allowed us to change the valve stem oil seals without taking the head off.. Another ford tech used a spark plug air line diy yoke. The cvh suffered bad from. Sludge build up.. Easiest car to change a cambelt on 20mins. And the styling was amazing to say the least. Seen more S2s than S1s. Loved the looks of them.
This reminds me of my 1986 Merkur XR4Ti in the interior. Same layout for the instruments and radio,and seat material. They were Recaro made in my car. Very comfortable and supportive with spirited driving. This is a nice car.
I remember adjusting the mixture on cars with carbs and the process was similar. Set the idle and timing first, then adjust the mixture until you got the highest idle speed, then re-adjust the idle back down to what it should be. Either side of the correct mixture, the idle would reduce so you look for that sweet spot. Happy memories of when we could work on our cars :)
My neighbour has one of these in storage. Brought it home once for me to look at. It is also in fantastic condition but I couldn't get over how comically small it looked parked next to an E class wagon. Like a toy. Back in the day I past my test in a 1.3L Mk 3 Escort and it was considered a 'normal' sized family car.
The K-Jet running lean was such a classic. Every year the mixture would need to be thinned to pass the CO at MOT time. I used to thin mine and richen it up again when I got home in my original Audi quattro. A great FI system., couldn't really go wrong, even the KE-Jet. One thing was the roller cell fuel pump, always worth checking current draw, should be about 8 amps, as they wore out the current would increase, say to 11 amps and it was time for a new one.
The father of my first long-term girlfriend had the XR3i version back in 1998 - with the exact same wheels, exact same interior - I don't remember if the chrome inserts were around the air vents, but boy does the back seat bring back the memories. The car was extremely rusty but ran great - and although it made usual "Ford noises" - the interior was rattly and loud - the man drove like he had stolen it, maybe he had in fact, don't know. I remember the car being extremely quick and handled well - especially for the engine, which was... 1.4, I think? Also - years later had the opportunity to ride shot-gun in a later - 1993, I think - Escort RS2000 - on a short parts run, while our family car - a beautiful 1986 Audi 100 2.2i - was at the local service centre - and the guy from the shop, the shop being on the far side of a small town - gave it the absolute beans - and those two Fords meant I always had tremendous respect for small, fast Fords. Seems nowadays that Ford, at least the European part - has lost itself somehow with steadily less and less new Fords appearing on the roads - and I can see why - they all seem to lack character, something which both that little XR3i - and the RS2000 - had in absolute spades. Thanks for the - once again, great video - greetings from Latvia.
Hearing Iain's passionate discourse on indicator stalks is just so validating for us product/user experience designers. You would not get this anywhere else.
I was always jealous of the Euro-Fords. As an American living in Europe for 14 years, I couldn’t understand how Ford (an American company) didn’t offer all these cool cars back at home? My older brother always drove Capri’s. He was even in a car club for Capri owners. They would work on them and tune them up then go racing through the countryside. I remember being a young teenager and driving with my older brother at pretty high speeds. Good times. And they all had a lot of lights across the front end of the car like a Rally car. I always thought that was a bit odd. Until we went for a night time romp through the German countryside. Then I understood why they had these lights. And, they looked kinda cool back in the day. Anyways. Thanks for the video and a look back at a car that was more affordable. I love the super cars you feature on your channel. But the more reasonably obtainable cars just as interesting and fascinating too me. Of course most of them don’t have crazy horsepower or visual drama. But I enjoy them just as much if not a tad more. Thanks.
Thankyou for featuring this car Iain, great to see it , it sounds pretty good under load, I think these were 900 - 950 kgs, your right about the power to weight, that's what makes the difference, I've never owned anything fancy, just normal cars, but I do have a lot of interest in them, I've noticed the difference when you start going past 100 bhp per tonne, this Escort with roughly 140 bhp per tonne should feel quite spritely, quite enjoyable, great to see you feature it, I notice you have lots of knowledge earned over time and experience, more car mechanics should be learning this sort of knowledge to make sure we can keep as many older cars on the road as possible for as long as possible
Very nice Iain. Never had one but I did have an XR3i of that era. Your talk on this period car with a turbo, reminds me of the Saab 900 which someone I knew had. As I remember if driven really hard you could get the turbo to glow red. So nice to see real mechanics with spanners. Today they train them in garages to ask the computer which tells you what is wrong and orders a new plug in module!!! A knowledgeable mechanic tuning a car with a screwdriver in his ear can never be beaten can it Iain LOL? Thanks for another great video. Cheers, Bob
The saab 900 turbo might not looked as good as the rs escort but was light years ahead.. Better engines engineered and built with far better metal. Saab far better built cars I drive a old saab 9 5 now 2002 lol. And I'm an ex ford 90s trained motor tech was ford mad. Went to an indie garage 2000 seen old Saabs audis mercs.. Far better built
This takrs me back. A friend of mine Rick) who was a Ford engineer had one that was modified by his older brother (Ahmed) who I believe, worked for Ford Motorsport division. It was rapid for it's time.
So interesting to see a "humble" Ford, albeit a rare one now, amid all those supercars! And kudos to the owner for keeping this so factory fresh all these years.
I often found that cars of that era had to be set a bit lean to pass the MOT emissions test. Once you’d got the pass you could the richen up the mixture to get them to run properly!
@@timc5969 did the Audi 80 sport have a vacuum line on the warm up regulator to enrich the mixture at higher vacuum? I know that swapping the fuel distributor was common on turbo cars
I had one for a week, when I was just 18, which was a company car and reward for beating my sales target......it was in graphite grey with the full body kit. Acceleration was scary, but not as much as the clink when closing the door and the feeling this thing would be a death trap in a crash. However, still great fun.
I had an early R11T and traded that in for the R5GTT. In both cars I had a lot of fun showing fast fords a clean pair of heels. I had to laugh at Iain's "Gentleman with something to prove" remark because the driver of one of my midnight RST conquests came flying past me as I slowed to observe the 40 limit. By the time I'd rounded the corner and negotiated the junction, I could see the blue lights ahead. RST owner was busy trying to explain his antics to a couple of traffic cops, both giving his car a good look over with their high intensity torches. Minutes earlier the R5 had left the RST for dead, being a tad more agile round the bends. Wholehearted agree with the "So much fun..." aspect of 1980s cars!
This came from an era when you could adjust fuel injection systems, where as modern systems are pretty much pre set, so it represented a electronically managed carburettor in its day. The mechanic I used was particularly talented with his adjustments, being Alfa Romeo trained, allied to the old Crypton Tuners , ( remember those) which he kept thankfully long after they were not required for moderns- as an older customer I kept bringing him older cars to manage! I was always pleased with the colour of the inner exhaust as a light “dull” grey , rather than black like some classics exhibited , which proved they were running rich.
My dad had one as a kid. The normal version off course. 1985 1.1 laser in brown metallic and gold striping. He bought it brandnew, it had some cool options like a 5 speed gearbox and nice seats. But no tacho, that was just a big clock. This RS was my poster car as a kid :)
Friend of mine had one of these with a specialised engines uprated engine and hybrid turbo, he let me drive it and i hit the rev limiter very quickly after pulling out of a junction, the engine backfired and ripped the rear silencer clean open. Really easy cars to work on, everything on the car was never more than a weekends work, even engine changes. Great video, brings back a lot of memories, that exhaust is a very distinctive sound that you just dont forget.
As you said "tricks at my disposal" I said under my breath "Pull the HT leads off individually and see which one makes no difference", even though it must have been 20 years at least since I last did it! You never forget the old methods :) Never owned or used a pair of chicken pliers though. HT voltage up your arm wakes you up pretty sharpish :)
Anyone who's been round bikes for an length of time will be familiar with NGK spark plugs. I've been riding for over 40 years and every bike I've owned barr none has had NGK's fitted and I can't recall ever having a bad one.👍 My Dad had a series of Fords back in the day, Cortinas, a Consul, Mk1 & 2 Granadas and bought a 5 series BMW in the late 80's which was in a different class.👍 I used to (still do) use normal pliers and an electrician's HV rubber glove to do plug checks. In my ignorance I once pulled the HT lead off a magneto ignition petrol rotavator to stop it which was a big mistake, not in the least bit funny although my mates thought it was hilarious!
My bro did the same waxed his 4 times a week until it failed mot for front cross member rot. He couldn't believe it. Shame as they looked the part Great mens
The CVH was so much nicer with the turbo. More grunt obviously, but the turbo seemed to somehow make it feel less harsh. These always sounded lovely, IMO even on the standard exhaust.
Just loved seeing an old fast Ford from my era being looked at, superb video. Loved your observations about the stalks on BMW’s of the 80’s being the best, that probably explains why so few current BMW drivers never indicate anymore, the stalks are too difficult to use.😂
The 80's hierarchy amongst pals. It started with the Ford Escort XR3. You were the lowest rung of the ladder, yet because you owned an XR3 you were still cool. You then like me owned the XR3i. I actually owned 3 of them. One white, one black, and the top dog orangy red (I think it was called Rosso Red). Mine had aftermarket twin square front headlights. You then had this. The Mark One Escort RS Turbo. If you owned one of these you were very lucky indeed. Not only because you were loved by males and females alike, it also meant it hadn't been stolen yet. My red XR3i had the full interior and wheels of an RS Turbo. No idea how or why it came to be...
Ah great to watch Iain. As others have mentioned it was great to see how he treated the Escort, nice to see a proper engineer at work. Brought back lovely memories for me from when I owned a Series 1 RST for 4 years back in the early 90's. Thank you Iain 😊
Things were actually built to last past 100,000 miles. Unlike a modern Ford Hot Hatchback. I don’t even know if they’re selling any in 2023, but if they are, I guarantee you that once you get past 100K miles and ten years of ownership, it’s gonna have tens of thousands of dollars worth of electronic failures
The restorations are fantastic the detail work and the explanation of how different engines or parts work and why are great! The history is the best part, how someone who manufactured tractors could be Involved in some of the most expensive sports cars, or who invented what and why is priceless!!!
Great video & what a beautiful car , a friend of mine had a R/S turbo to , your video drought back many memories of driving around to McDonald’s and showing of all our car back in the day
My brother had a car business back in the 80s and had one of these! I was working for him at the time and decided to get in early one morning and take it for a quick spin before he arrived,I pulled it out the showroom and took a left into a side street and booted it! It pulled straight over to the right or left,can’t remember now but,I hit 2 parked cars! It wasn’t a good day!
Never knew I’d be that lucky for this video! Watching you work your magic on one of my all time favourite classics is an honour and privilege. Keep up the amazing videos!
In the states, we had the Escort GT, which was non-turbo, but otherwise nearly the same. It was better than most Japanese and German (basically the Jetta/Golf) competition but in the 80's and early 90's in the states people had nearly given up on domestic cars. Until the Ford Taurus.
Anyone in their late forties love these Cars because they are the Cars we grew up with. Owning one takes us back to Cars we couldn’t afford in the day. But we remember not to leave it parked as they were so easy to nick. Lovely example in good hands to fix. Easy fix with nothing major wrong and a go in a RS you’ve had worse days 👍
My Dad had a 1984 GL. It’s great to see this video as although they didn’t have much in common, it’s nice to see this car as this type of Escort is the first car I remember.
Like you, I worked on and drove loads of these "Back in the day" and I'm amazed at what they fetch now. There was one at HH Auctions at Duxford last week with estimate of 40-50K!
Yep, that’s why the 7 was so quick in its day even with a small engine. Caterham still carry on with the lightweight design ethos. 550kg or lighter or a little heavier depending on model.
@@simes205 that's still very light. I had a '74 Alfa GT Junior 1600 which was 1000kg, and I thought that was a pretty light car. Your 205 must handle like a kart.
My rs turbo used to foul up cyl 1 on cold start. After changing the plugs many times I changed the injector o rings which had failed on cyl 1 and was leaking fuel into cyl and fouling plug
Great to see the master at work, thank you for sharing this wonderful classic! I did enjoy seeing the mechanic in the background climbing into the engine bay of the Countach at 1:50 :D
Theres still a why? or two outstanding. Was it just a defect in the particular plug, (insulation breakdown?), and was it just the passage of time that caused that? Sometimes, a simple failure can be the machine trying to tell you about an upstream problem. If it only happens once, maybe just chance, a second time might be coincidence, but the third one s enemy action. Apart frm the concours question of originality, there can sometimes be a good reason to stick with OEM plugs. I dimly remember a 1960s Vauxhall motor that would only tolerate GM's AC plugs and misbehaved with any other (nominally-equivalent) brand. I don't suppose I'm telling Iain anything he doesn't know, but there's only so much that can be put in a video.
I remember my good friend hade one back in 1994 and we loved driving around in it.. but it had a bad habit! When it was warm and been driving for 30 min to and hour, and we went in to buy something to eat ore other stuff.. then when we cam back to start it?? It wouldn't 😡😡 but we could easy push it a few meters and it started ASAP 🤔.. also started fine when it was cold.
Ahh this is my era. I cut my teeth on these Ford's and tuned many k jetronics on many different brands as the garage I served my time in the late 70,s was independent so we got everything in and we did everything and boy did I appreciate Mr William Hilton's teaching at Keswick rd garage Blackpool no longer there so many memories. Now on HGV,s for Scottish council a baptism of fire. Love your show 👍
I love older cars, they are honest cars, they dont use all the new electrified steering, gear shifting, brakes etc, you really feel whats happening and they are easy to work on unlike todays computers on wheels. My mother had an Escort in the mid 80s same shape as this one however it was the non-turbo model. I drive a Golf 4 GTI 132kw and its semi computerised but still basically an older car as well and love it.
Hi @iain_tyrrell That was mine and a friends car up until 2016. I was the person that rebuilt the car from the shell up (mechanical and electrical) over the period of a few years and competed with it in concours for several years. I have quite a few pictures somewhere of the restoration and build process. Great to see it still in great condition. It was fantastic to drive around B roads.The Motorcraft plugs were fitted when I built the engine so they have never been changed since around 2013!
Where is that 1975 model
@@reuben3431 it’s an 1986 model.
Sick car cracking job 👍🏼
@@orangelip1 thanks. 👍
I fitted Motorcraft plugs in 2017
As a west coast Canadian your vids drop in the AM for me and it is the BEST way to start a day. Never stop Ian, you are The automotive RUclipsr so many have been waiting for all these years!
Likewise live in Burnaby just outside Vancouver. Love watching Ian's vids on Sunday morning with a coffee.
Alberta, Canada here
@@ajay-xjs Stamped territory. What a party.
28:52 28:52 28:52
28:52 28:52
seeing a hot hatch from this era in such spectacular condition is a treat.
Yes. Many of these cars, especially ones from entry-level marques were seen as disposable cars to be trashed and neglected, ultimately ending up being driven to-and-from the dollar store by rather hefty ladies, until the “Cash for Clunkers” program came into effect, upon which they all pretty much disappeared. Think about it, when’s the last time you’ve ever seen a Isuzu Gemini RS Turbo Irmscher-Lotus or a Suzuki Cultus GTi? These are the kinds of cars that I would kill to own, but you just can’t find them anymore.
No other Escort comes close. The Mark 3 was the perfection of the Escort. Mk 1 and 2 were the build up to this. The Mk 3 XR3i / Rs1600 are also stunners, especially in white After that escort went crap
A joy to see a master at work who can still do things by sound and feel.
"Gentleman trying to prove something" haha lovely, Iain is such a sweet guy, full of humor
Lovely episode thanks Ian. So nice to see a humble Ford mixing it with the exotica yet you treat it with the same level of respect. Lovely.
@@johnsmith1474 That was my thought, too. I hope Iain’s channel doesn’t go in that direction…
Still interesting, nevertheless. Just wish he would not have made the overt announcement about this vehicle being for sale.
think we must follow the same people :)
@@larsfrandsen2501 What's wrong with you people? He mentions it is for sale, or examines a non-exotic, and what, he is a sell out? He has looked at all sorts of non-exotics. Did I miss something...is this channel called "exotics only"? That RS IS a modern classic. So are the other cars he talks about. And who are you people to decide what commands "respect"?
What a bunch of twits.
@@johnsmith1474 I get it's a sales advert, but why would anyone calling themselves a car enthusiast "mock" a very nice example of a near 40 year old (and always relatively rare) hot hatchback that has always had a strong following, even if it isn't to their taste? Almost all old cars are objectively hopeless by modern standards.
@@limpet7r63 plain and simple these things from a purist point of view ie.purchased and could be used in competition successfully these things couldn’t.
Ford succeeded with other cars that with basic safety mods and updated brake fluids and materials could actually rally and beat other manufacturers but these things broke gearboxes and nobody was rallying 1.6 turbos anyway in 84 😂
Here’s a man who can quote on the relative quality of steering column stalks on cars from the ‘80s! Brilliant
My uncle had one of those, new. And I walked past John Grose Ford every day to school in that era. They let me test drive a Cossie as a 17 year old. Nice to see this one surviving.
Back in the good old days... In the early 90s, I worked at a Ford dealer in Austria - and Turbo Escorts were not such a rare sight. There was allways the fight between the VW GTI, the Fiat Ritmo Abarth and these Fords. They were very quick cars, but also very tricky to handle on wet roads, especialy with worn tires. Very light car, under 900kg, lots of power from a wild turbolaging engine... With their tricky handling manners, those cars died quite fast in accidents. For those, who could handle these little beasts, they gave a lot of fun - till the rust comes. And boy, they rusted early as fast, as they drove.
And there was the turbo trouble: nobody explained this to the customers, before they came to the workshop with a dead turbo. And the spare parts were extremly expensive, so the Escort RS Turbo got a very bad reputation, being an unreliable car - all the times, compared to a less powerfull GTI.
All hot hatches were like this, the 1.6/1.9 Pug 205Gti too. It wasn't the cars, it was the clown drivers mainly.
Wonder if the RS Turbo was as unreliable as the Renault 5 turbo? (which needed new cylinder head gaskets every couple of months.)
@@buggerlugz6753 The 5 turbo was just about OK if properly serviced and kept standard. The trouble was it was too easy to wind up the boost and then the second owners thought the engine could manage on the maintenance diet of a Ford Kent.
a friend of mine got a Kadett GSi and his brother owns a 205 Gti... Welcome to the 80/90!😍
@@buggerlugz6753No, the RS Turbo is very reliable if looked after. (110,000 miles on an un-rebuilt engine so far 😉.)
Absolutely fantastic. I can appreciate the top end cars you work on Iain, but cars like this were the working mans attainable dream car. Ive owned my 67 Mustang fastback for nearly 20 years, but my 1989 Orion 1.6i Ghia gives me just as much pleasure. Thanks for sharing this beauty.
@@SaintWill70well, compared to a Ferrari or Lambo, they’re certainly more realistic for most people. But yeah, they are definitely getting up there and maybe a bit more difficult to justify. Especially when you can get a 10 yr old AMG for close to the same money.
Love Orion’s, always have since I was a child, never sure exactly why but definitely have a soft spot for them.
So glad you mentioned putting the screw back. Im an ex Saab master tech and the amount of 8v Turbos i worked on where the blanking plug had not been put back and just thrown in the bin. As you say then leaving a air leak which causes the venturi flap not to move correctly with the air flow.
Not many mechanics of today can do or indeed have any idea of the successful diagnosing of a cars engine problems without the use of a mega expensive scanner, and will simply exchange parts and "play whilst the customer pays".
Well done Iain, your solid background and experience puts you in good stand as an "ace"mechanic, a rare commodity.
My wife learned to drive in ours and wondered what was wrong with the diesel golf she passed her test in it was so slow😂
Worked on and chipped loads of these ,still do the odd one ,set ups mainly . My old S1 recently came 3rd overall at Dubshed (friend who bought it off me in 1997 still has it) Such great memories ,many thanks for this video Iain.
I had a 1986 RS Turbo. Had a lot of work done on it. Bored out to 1800cc. The only job left I had to do was the brakes and discs. What a car. Some idiot stole it while we were shopping in Milton Keynes and it was never found.
Had one in my youth still remember the reg 40 years later, B607 PJF
Mr.Tyrrell’s mechanical adeptness and pleasant demeanour along with his good taste in automobiles is always a joy to observe.
….his confidant, careful, firm but fair 😄 checkout test drive operation of historically important and often very expensive machines, on public roads is always a thrill
Thank you Iain…. We love your work, awaiting your next episode 🇨🇦🍻🇬🇧
He reminds me of a Professor! Great video
Wow!! This takes me back to 1988. Brilliant.
Thanks for featuring it on your channel Ian. What a treat.
You are totally correct, they feel really fast behind the wheel. The combination of very lightweight, sudden big boost and a large lag are quite unique.
I ran one of these for 3 years and loved it. Trouble is the local car thieves also loved it and spoiled the ownership experience.
Sold it in 1991 for......... £3500. Not a wise move.
Fond memories indeed , shorter springs and adjustable koni dampers , superchip and fiddle with the wastegate.
It would corner like it was on rails and try to pull its own front end off 😂
Those were the days 👍
It's amazing that a person who owns a car like this doesn't seem to have thought it might be something so basic as a futzed spark-plug.
Serious collectors generally have a trusted mechanic take care of their entire fleet and wouldn't be bothered thinking they could save a few quid trying the odd job themselves. This could easily have been a failed headgasket or worse.
At last……..Iain has a car I once owned! Very fond memories returning, also had a black series 2 RS turbo escort. As I remember the later was a little more refined, but not as much fun as the earlier model. Thank you👍
I bought a 1.3 litre mk2 Escort 2 door in Calypso blue ( boxy headlights) when I was 21 when it was 3 years old and when I was 20. Did all the servicing etc on it myself from Haynes Manual and have never forgotten the joy of owing it nor places I went in it. Just loved the HT lead and spark plug section. My pal also bought one. We used to tune with a strobe light and a small paint mark adjacent to the distribution cap. What fun ! Thanks for such a great vid
I remember doing my apprenticeship at Ford when the mk3 was launched, and we all thought it "space age" in looks and tech! We used to replace valve stem oil seals regularly on the cvh as they would hardened and would smoke badly. Thanks for the memories Iain, another great video as always.
We used a tool that allowed us to change the valve stem oil seals without taking the head off.. Another ford tech used a spark plug air line diy yoke.
The cvh suffered bad from. Sludge build up.. Easiest car to change a cambelt on 20mins.
And the styling was amazing to say the least.
Seen more S2s than S1s.
Loved the looks of them.
This reminds me of my 1986 Merkur XR4Ti in the interior. Same layout for the instruments and radio,and seat material. They were Recaro made in my car. Very comfortable and supportive with spirited driving. This is a nice car.
From Fawds to Ferrari's from Rolls Royce to Renaults. Everything seems to garner the same level of interest, attention to detail and care. 👏🏻
This might very well be my favorite episode yet! Thank you for sharing.
This mk didn't do anything for me until i saw Princess Diana's speced out blue and black one, and I admit now that I'm a big fan
It's that you do cars that are not just supercars and high end collectables that makes me keep coming back to this channel.
I remember adjusting the mixture on cars with carbs and the process was similar. Set the idle and timing first, then adjust the mixture until you got the highest idle speed, then re-adjust the idle back down to what it should be. Either side of the correct mixture, the idle would reduce so you look for that sweet spot. Happy memories of when we could work on our cars :)
My neighbour has one of these in storage. Brought it home once for me to look at. It is also in fantastic condition but I couldn't get over how comically small it looked parked next to an E class wagon. Like a toy. Back in the day I past my test in a 1.3L Mk 3 Escort and it was considered a 'normal' sized family car.
The K-Jet running lean was such a classic. Every year the mixture would need to be thinned to pass the CO at MOT time. I used to thin mine and richen it up again when I got home in my original Audi quattro. A great FI system., couldn't really go wrong, even the KE-Jet. One thing was the roller cell fuel pump, always worth checking current draw, should be about 8 amps, as they wore out the current would increase, say to 11 amps and it was time for a new one.
The father of my first long-term girlfriend had the XR3i version back in 1998 - with the exact same wheels, exact same interior - I don't remember if the chrome inserts were around the air vents, but boy does the back seat bring back the memories. The car was extremely rusty but ran great - and although it made usual "Ford noises" - the interior was rattly and loud - the man drove like he had stolen it, maybe he had in fact, don't know. I remember the car being extremely quick and handled well - especially for the engine, which was... 1.4, I think? Also - years later had the opportunity to ride shot-gun in a later - 1993, I think - Escort RS2000 - on a short parts run, while our family car - a beautiful 1986 Audi 100 2.2i - was at the local service centre - and the guy from the shop, the shop being on the far side of a small town - gave it the absolute beans - and those two Fords meant I always had tremendous respect for small, fast Fords. Seems nowadays that Ford, at least the European part - has lost itself somehow with steadily less and less new Fords appearing on the roads - and I can see why - they all seem to lack character, something which both that little XR3i - and the RS2000 - had in absolute spades. Thanks for the - once again, great video - greetings from Latvia.
Hearing Iain's passionate discourse on indicator stalks is just so validating for us product/user experience designers. You would not get this anywhere else.
I was always jealous of the Euro-Fords. As an American living in Europe for 14 years, I couldn’t understand how Ford (an American company) didn’t offer all these cool cars back at home? My older brother always drove Capri’s. He was even in a car club for Capri owners. They would work on them and tune them up then go racing through the countryside. I remember being a young teenager and driving with my older brother at pretty high speeds. Good times. And they all had a lot of lights across the front end of the car like a Rally car. I always thought that was a bit odd. Until we went for a night time romp through the German countryside. Then I understood why they had these lights. And, they looked kinda cool back in the day. Anyways. Thanks for the video and a look back at a car that was more affordable. I love the super cars you feature on your channel. But the more reasonably obtainable cars just as interesting and fascinating too me. Of course most of them don’t have crazy horsepower or visual drama. But I enjoy them just as much if not a tad more. Thanks.
Thankyou for featuring this car Iain, great to see it , it sounds pretty good under load, I think these were 900 - 950 kgs, your right about the power to weight, that's what makes the difference, I've never owned anything fancy, just normal cars, but I do have a lot of interest in them, I've noticed the difference when you start going past 100 bhp per tonne, this Escort with roughly 140 bhp per tonne should feel quite spritely, quite enjoyable, great to see you feature it, I notice you have lots of knowledge earned over time and experience, more car mechanics should be learning this sort of knowledge to make sure we can keep as many older cars on the road as possible for as long as possible
I love the third and 'fourth' gen. Escort. A good driving car. And styling that has stood the test of time, IMO.
Very nice Iain. Never had one but I did have an XR3i of that era. Your talk on this period car with a turbo, reminds me of the Saab 900 which someone I knew had. As I remember if driven really hard you could get the turbo to glow red.
So nice to see real mechanics with spanners. Today they train them in garages to ask the computer which tells you what is wrong and orders a new plug in module!!! A knowledgeable mechanic tuning a car with a screwdriver in his ear can never be beaten can it Iain LOL?
Thanks for another great video. Cheers, Bob
The saab 900 turbo might not looked as good as the rs escort but was light years ahead.. Better engines engineered and built with far better metal.
Saab far better built cars I drive a old saab 9 5 now 2002 lol.
And I'm an ex ford 90s trained motor tech was ford mad.
Went to an indie garage 2000 seen old Saabs audis mercs.. Far better built
Ian, you’re engaging and your knowledge is inspiring on these “analog” cars. Love to watch a master at work!
🤟🤠
This takrs me back. A friend of mine Rick) who was a Ford engineer had one that was modified by his older brother (Ahmed) who I believe, worked for Ford Motorsport division. It was rapid for it's time.
So interesting to see a "humble" Ford, albeit a rare one now, amid all those supercars! And kudos to the owner for keeping this so factory fresh all these years.
The torque steer was savage on the one I had.
I often found that cars of that era had to be set a bit lean to pass the MOT emissions test. Once you’d got the pass you could the richen up the mixture to get them to run properly!
Now this is what’s called years and years of experience
The wealth of experience is real and AWESOME!
I drove an Escort XR3 DOHC, silver with black aerofoil and stripes plus sunroof for a few years - loved it.
I had an Escort MK3 L 1.6L CVH 4 box, I had a lot of fun with it.
Always enjoyable to see you tapping into your years of experience when nursing an engine back to full health.
For Bosch K-jet, the control pressure at the warm up regulator is also very important.
A little trick we used to do on Mk1 Golf GTI’s was to fit the warmup regulator from an Audi 80 Sport.
@@timc5969 did the Audi 80 sport have a vacuum line on the warm up regulator to enrich the mixture at higher vacuum? I know that swapping the fuel distributor was common on turbo cars
I had one for a week, when I was just 18, which was a company car and reward for beating my sales target......it was in graphite grey with the full body kit. Acceleration was scary, but not as much as the clink when closing the door and the feeling this thing would be a death trap in a crash. However, still great fun.
I had an early R11T and traded that in for the R5GTT. In both cars I had a lot of fun showing fast fords a clean pair of heels. I had to laugh at Iain's "Gentleman with something to prove" remark because the driver of one of my midnight RST conquests came flying past me as I slowed to observe the 40 limit. By the time I'd rounded the corner and negotiated the junction, I could see the blue lights ahead. RST owner was busy trying to explain his antics to a couple of traffic cops, both giving his car a good look over with their high intensity torches. Minutes earlier the R5 had left the RST for dead, being a tad more agile round the bends. Wholehearted agree with the "So much fun..." aspect of 1980s cars!
This came from an era when you could adjust fuel injection systems, where as modern systems are pretty much pre set, so it represented a electronically managed carburettor in its day. The mechanic I used was particularly talented with his adjustments, being Alfa Romeo trained, allied to the old Crypton Tuners , ( remember those) which he kept thankfully long after they were not required for moderns- as an older customer I kept bringing him older cars to manage! I was always pleased with the colour of the inner exhaust as a light “dull” grey , rather than black like some classics exhibited , which proved they were running rich.
Brings back memories, had my Series 1 in the early 2000s
Love the mk3 escort. That is why I still have my Xr3.
Beautifully cared for car, simple 'fix, but but but, a 'master's touch' on the tuning. Wonderful to watch.
So nice to see a mk3 Escort in your workshop, especially an RS Turbo.
The 4-way speaker control 'stick' always makes me chuckle, like who needed that?
Stereo in & quadrophonic out....they were garbage
My dad had one as a kid. The normal version off course. 1985 1.1 laser in brown metallic and gold striping. He bought it brandnew, it had some cool options like a 5 speed gearbox and nice seats. But no tacho, that was just a big clock. This RS was my poster car as a kid :)
Friend of mine had one of these with a specialised engines uprated engine and hybrid turbo, he let me drive it and i hit the rev limiter very quickly after pulling out of a junction, the engine backfired and ripped the rear silencer clean open. Really easy cars to work on, everything on the car was never more than a weekends work, even engine changes.
Great video, brings back a lot of memories, that exhaust is a very distinctive sound that you just dont forget.
Had one of these in the early 90’s. Still miss it today
Takes me back... Thank you.
As you said "tricks at my disposal" I said under my breath "Pull the HT leads off individually and see which one makes no difference", even though it must have been 20 years at least since I last did it! You never forget the old methods :) Never owned or used a pair of chicken pliers though. HT voltage up your arm wakes you up pretty sharpish :)
Anyone who's been round bikes for an length of time will be familiar with NGK spark plugs. I've been riding for over 40 years and every bike I've owned barr none has had NGK's fitted and I can't recall ever having a bad one.👍 My Dad had a series of Fords back in the day, Cortinas, a Consul, Mk1 & 2 Granadas and bought a 5 series BMW in the late 80's which was in a different class.👍 I used to (still do) use normal pliers and an electrician's HV rubber glove to do plug checks. In my ignorance I once pulled the HT lead off a magneto ignition petrol rotavator to stop it which was a big mistake, not in the least bit funny although my mates thought it was hilarious!
I owned one in 1989, a great car. I still miss it.
Terrible car, you're wearing rose tinted spectacles
My dad had one in 85. I used to wax it with Simoniz on summer weekends. He used to love explaining to me how the limited slip diff worked.
My bro did the same waxed his 4 times a week until it failed mot for front cross member rot.
He couldn't believe it.
Shame as they looked the part
Great mens
.. Brilliant, You Sir Are a Tribute, To The Planetary Surface..
That Noise! 🤤 and what knowledge, such a great watch. Best wishes to the new owner, whoever is lucky enough to grab it!
The CVH was so much nicer with the turbo. More grunt obviously, but the turbo seemed to somehow make it feel less harsh. These always sounded lovely, IMO even on the standard exhaust.
Just loved seeing an old fast Ford from my era being looked at, superb video. Loved your observations about the stalks on BMW’s of the 80’s being the best, that probably explains why so few current BMW drivers never indicate anymore, the stalks are too difficult to use.😂
I had one of these in the 90s, sold it as a non-runner! Knew off by heart that the NGK part no was BCR8ES - Great video.
One of my dream cars in the 80s. Manged to get a mk1 xr3i and that was nice
My mates RS Turbo had seen some memorable moments, out Raving driving all about town, an amazing car and great memories ❤
The 80's hierarchy amongst pals. It started with the Ford Escort XR3. You were the lowest rung of the ladder, yet because you owned an XR3 you were still cool. You then like me owned the XR3i. I actually owned 3 of them. One white, one black, and the top dog orangy red (I think it was called Rosso Red). Mine had aftermarket twin square front headlights. You then had this. The Mark One Escort RS Turbo.
If you owned one of these you were very lucky indeed. Not only because you were loved by males and females alike, it also meant it hadn't been stolen yet. My red XR3i had the full interior and wheels of an RS Turbo. No idea how or why it came to be...
Ah great to watch Iain. As others have mentioned it was great to see how he treated the Escort, nice to see a proper engineer at work. Brought back lovely memories for me from when I owned a Series 1 RST for 4 years back in the early 90's. Thank you Iain 😊
Best stalks in my opinion are those on the Rover P6, elegant and tactile. Good vid Ian, it’s nice to see something usable/ normal on the channel.
Always good to see an Old School Ford.
I prefer the simplicity of that era.
Yeah, but in order to sell new models, they had to add new features, more and more.
Things were actually built to last past 100,000 miles. Unlike a modern Ford Hot Hatchback. I don’t even know if they’re selling any in 2023, but if they are, I guarantee you that once you get past 100K miles and ten years of ownership, it’s gonna have tens of thousands of dollars worth of electronic failures
What do mean, I’ve just serviced my BMW on my iPhone. Seriously though, I’m of a vintage when we serviced our cars and dreaded the M.O.T.
The restorations are fantastic the detail work and the explanation of how different engines or parts work and why are great! The history is the best part, how someone who manufactured tractors could be Involved in some of the most expensive sports cars, or who invented what and why is priceless!!!
Thank you- your kind comments are appreciated
Great video & what a beautiful car , a friend of mine had a R/S turbo to , your video drought back many memories of driving around to McDonald’s and showing of all our car back in the day
My brother had a car business back in the 80s and had one of these! I was working for him at the time and decided to get in early one morning and take it for a quick spin before he arrived,I pulled it out the showroom and took a left into a side street and booted it! It pulled straight over to the right or left,can’t remember now but,I hit 2 parked cars! It wasn’t a good day!
Never knew I’d be that lucky for this video! Watching you work your magic on one of my all time favourite classics is an honour and privilege. Keep up the amazing videos!
I remember the first thing we did when we got an RS was fit an intercooler, they were one of the cheapest ways 200HP+ hot fords back in the day.
Had a series two in white . Loved it . Couldnt affird it todsy
In the states, we had the Escort GT, which was non-turbo, but otherwise nearly the same. It was better than most Japanese and German (basically the Jetta/Golf) competition but in the 80's and early 90's in the states people had nearly given up on domestic cars. Until the Ford Taurus.
S1 RS Trouble had the pleasure of owning 1. Belt snapped on the rolling road rebuilt it with a 2.0 zetec bottom end love a classic ford💙
Anyone in their late forties love these Cars because they are the Cars we grew up with. Owning one takes us back to Cars we couldn’t afford in the day. But we remember not to leave it parked as they were so easy to nick. Lovely example in good hands to fix. Easy fix with nothing major wrong and a go in a RS you’ve had worse days 👍
My Dad had a 1984 GL. It’s great to see this video as although they didn’t have much in common, it’s nice to see this car as this type of Escort is the first car I remember.
Fascinating. Beautifully mechanical.
Like you, I worked on and drove loads of these "Back in the day" and I'm amazed at what they fetch now. There was one at HH Auctions at Duxford last week with estimate of 40-50K!
Lol its ridiculous!
When Iain says he may be wrong - he isn’t
When he says that’s lovely - no mechanic in the world could improve that engines running 😂🙏
Power to weight ratio is everything. As Colin Chapman used to say - “just add more lightness”. Thanks Iain for another great video.
Yep, that’s why the 7 was so quick in its day even with a small engine. Caterham still carry on with the lightweight design ethos. 550kg or lighter or a little heavier depending on model.
This car is perfection
If anyone else wondered this, the Bugatti Chiron is 1995 kg and the RS Turbo is 861 kg so Iain was on the money👍
@@johnsmith1474 861kg = 1898 lb, about 300 lb less.
Well under half the weight. Absolute pocket rocket.
My 205 GTI is 895kg, I always thought these were heavier.
@@simes205 that's still very light. I had a '74 Alfa GT Junior 1600 which was 1000kg, and I thought that was a pretty light car. Your 205 must handle like a kart.
@@simes205 I think it might be lighter than that - I've seen the 1984 205 GTI listed as 850kg. So yes, the Ford is heavier than yours.
CVH: Continuous Vibration and Harshness.
But I do love the variety of instrument clusters the Mk III & IV got.
My rs turbo used to foul up cyl 1 on cold start. After changing the plugs many times I changed the injector o rings which had failed on cyl 1 and was leaking fuel into cyl and fouling plug
Great to see the master at work, thank you for sharing this wonderful classic! I did enjoy seeing the mechanic in the background climbing into the engine bay of the Countach at 1:50 :D
Theres still a why? or two outstanding. Was it just a defect in the particular plug, (insulation breakdown?), and was it just the passage of time that caused that? Sometimes, a simple failure can be the machine trying to tell you about an upstream problem. If it only happens once, maybe just chance, a second time might be coincidence, but the third one s enemy action.
Apart frm the concours question of originality, there can sometimes be a good reason to stick with OEM plugs. I dimly remember a 1960s Vauxhall motor that would only tolerate GM's AC plugs and misbehaved with any other (nominally-equivalent) brand.
I don't suppose I'm telling Iain anything he doesn't know, but there's only so much that can be put in a video.
I remember my good friend hade one back in 1994 and we loved driving around in it.. but it had a bad habit! When it was warm and been driving for 30 min to and hour, and we went in to buy something to eat ore other stuff.. then when we cam back to start it?? It wouldn't 😡😡 but we could easy push it a few meters and it started ASAP 🤔.. also started fine when it was cold.
I once got a blast from the ignition coil from a Honda Accord, let's say I was very awake, heart pounding and my finger hurt for a week!! 🤐
Ahh this is my era. I cut my teeth on these Ford's and tuned many k jetronics on many different brands as the garage I served my time in the late 70,s was independent so we got everything in and we did everything and boy did I appreciate Mr William Hilton's teaching at Keswick rd garage Blackpool no longer there so many memories.
Now on HGV,s for Scottish council a baptism of fire.
Love your show 👍
I love older cars, they are honest cars, they dont use all the new electrified steering, gear shifting, brakes etc, you really feel whats happening and they are easy to work on unlike todays computers on wheels. My mother had an Escort in the mid 80s same shape as this one however it was the non-turbo model. I drive a Golf 4 GTI 132kw and its semi computerised but still basically an older car as well and love it.
Life began for me when I got my series 2 in 1999 best days of my life Southend every sat night