MODEL HISTORY
The 1997 season saw the introduction of a new top-tier rally category – the WRC class. Ford responded to this new class by modifying its existing Group A car, the Ford Escort RS Cosworth. This was an interim solution until the Focus WRC was ready. It is the final top-tier Ford race car to be built at the legendary Boreham workshops. Among the main changes was the replacement of the original Garrett turbocharger with a smaller IHI unit, which worked better with the 34mm restrictor required by WRC regulations. Another major upgrade was made to the aerodynamics; the massive rear wing disappeared, and the front end was redesigned, leading to a significant improvement in engine cooling. The rear axle was completely overhauled after the regulations allowed the use of MacPherson strut suspension. Over time, the cars were transferred to the M-Sport team led by Malcolm Wilson, where further upgrades were introduced, such as replacing the conventional gearbox with an Xtrac sequential transmission. The dampers were replaced with units from the Dutch manufacturer HT. In truth, the Escort WRC was never officially meant to be accepted as a WRC car, as it was derived from Group A homologation models and failed to meet the FIA requirement of producing 25,000 road-going units. However, right at its debut event in Monte Carlo, the Sainz/Moya crew finished in 2nd place. They managed to repeat this result in Sweden, Corsica, and New Zealand, and even took outright victories at the Acropolis Rally and the Rally of Indonesia. Further excellent results were added by Armin Schwarz and, most notably, Juha Kankkunen. For the 1999 season, the Escort was replaced by the Focus WRC. Since the Escort could be converted from a Group A Cosworth relatively easily, it became a highly popular tool among privateer teams.
OUR CAR
This car, with chassis number 31, made its debut at the 1997 Rally Finland with Carlos Sainz at the wheel. Unfortunately, it did not see the finish line due to a gearbox failure. At the next event in Italy, Rallye Sanremo, it finished in 4th place, and at the Network Q RAC Rally in England, it secured a podium finish in 3rd. In the following 1998 season, another legendary Finnish driver, Juha Kankkunen, co-driven by Juha Repo, competed in three events with this car. Together, they clinched 3rd place in Sweden, finished 7th in Portugal, and took 3rd place again in Argentina. Later in 1998, as part of a promotional campaign for the new video game V-Rally, the car was driven in Finland by another rally legend, Ari Vatanen, alongside Fred Gallagher. Following this event, the car moved to England, where it competed in numerous rallies with Brian Bell. In 2015, the car appeared in Germany under the ownership of Dirk Richter. It was then returned to England, where it underwent a complete restoration. Since 2024, it has been a proud part of our collection. An interesting highlight of its history is that we possess a complete file of original documentation for the car, including the event program, roadbook, and official press releases.
