Ford Escort RS Turbo

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Ford announced its all-new MkIII Escort in 1980, the new car being the first Escort model to feature front wheel drive and a transverse mounted engine.

A 'hot-hatch' version, the XR3, was available from the start and was followed by a much hotter limited edition version in 1983, the RS1600i. This only lasted in production for one season, and in 1984 was replaced by the new Escort RS Turbo.

The RS Turbo used a combination of a tuned 1.6-litre CVH fuel-injected engine with a Garrett turbo bolted on. This package worked very well and produced a healthy 132bhp, making it one of fastest Escorts, sprinting to 60 in 8 seconds on its way to a maximum of 125mph.

In 1986 the whole Escort range received a MkIV facelift with the RS Turbo gaining ABS brakes and a heated windscreen – features then unheard-of on a car of this size and price. The RS Turbo was very successful for Ford, becoming a favourite with tuners and remained in production until 1990.

This particular RS Turbo was first registered in May 1989 and looks suitably Eighties in Diamond White with an unusually smart grey velour interior. It has covered 96,600 miles from new (backed up by a large history file and many old MOTs) but had a £2,700 engine rebuild in 2007 which included a Kent CVH 35 camshaft, refaced head, new piston rings and valve seats etc, uprated actuator and a new turbo.

Said to “look sharp and drive well” it sailed through its MOT in June 2014 with the only advisory being the wiper blades. Supplied with all its original handbooks plus many invoices and bits of period Ford literature, it is very sensibly estimated here, given the way that Fast Fords from this era have become increasingly collectable of late.