A guide to Ford Models

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No! Late model frisky Fords could be wallet winners as well as hot drives, says Jeremy Walton

Fiesta XR2 & XR2i

Produce of Spain, developed in the UK, the first XR2 of 1981- 83 was nimble using the 1.6 GT Kent crossflow pushrod four at 84bhp, enough to top 100mph and hit 0-60mph in 10 seconds. Handling was truly race-bred. The 1984 CVH model of 1996 using former carb fed XR3 horsepower was a rough item, but did the job well enough with a five-speed box replacing first edition’s quartet cog set. A May 1992 injection XR2i was properly sorted by using a 16-valve Zetec engine rated 105bhp, but failed to add sparkle to an ever competitive market, although it was far more refined than the 111mph CVH. Expect both to crack 0-60mph in nine seconds.
Rating: Go for the original, it’s unburstable, very tuneable and surprisingly agile
Prices: Then, £5500 (1st edition); XR2-2nd edition, £5732 Now £600 - £2300, Mk1 worth the most

Fiesta RS1800 & RS Turbo

These two were kissing cousins, the CVH turbo (130 bhp) arriving first (June 1990) with that emotive Escort RS1800 nameplate attached to a warm hatch wrapped around the much more modern ‘Zeta (nee Zetec) 1.8-litre twin cam, again on some 130bhp. The turbo was the wilder ride, similar to first edition Escort turbos from which the powertrain descended, with distinctly twitchy handling. Launched alongside the XR2i Fiesta of May 1992, Fiesta RS1800 was the plus 10 horsepower big brother to XR2i and drove with more civilised ease in handling and power. Underrated but not one of the greats.
Rating: RST, no lasting image, choose smooth and swift RS1800as an underrated everyday whizzer
Price: Then RS Turbo, £11,950. RS1800 £11,730. No, Turbo £2750 - £5000;RS1800 £2500 - £4000

Escort XR3 & XR3i (three generations)

The original carburetted XR3 (1980-82) with four-speed gearbox was a sharp looker but using a rough 96bhp it was no dynamic match for the burgeoning Golf GTI classes. Still Britain took 11,500 of them in 1981 alone so a few should have survived, whilst the later five-speed fuel injected XR3i was a truly strong seller, shifting over 25,000 units a year and fattening Ford’s balance sheet between 1980-93. Ford reckoned a total of 166,971 XR3 and 3i swifter hatches sold in UK. Theoretically, you’d be spoilt for choice but take in the crash and burn joy ride factor, and finding a clean original one with a proper history is harder than winning the lottery. A second generation XR3i took over until the Escort itself hit generation four in the nineties. From 1991 models and a third XR3i with Zetec 130bhp (rather than the earlier 105bhp CVH) was weakly marketed, overshadowed by the capable front drive RS2000 editions and missing from price lists by 1993. The slowest XR3 would exceed 110mph and hit 60mph in 9.5 seconds or less, but you will not get over 120mph and around 8.5 sec 0-60mph performance until the last XR3i of 130 horses;all should return 27-32mpg if still in good nick.
Rating: Naff image, honest performance. Unlikely to appreciate
Prices: XR3 Then £5750. Now £250 -1000. XR3i Then £6155, Now £700 - £1500: Last K-plate XR3i listed at £14,250!

Escort RS1600i

Sold in both LHD and RHD, RS1600i wasnot properly appreciated at launch. Today it’s worth knowing that 2608 were sold in Britain, and current owners value them for their fine RS inspired interiors and worthy traction/handling uprates. Credited with another 10bhp over XR3i (115 total), the first 1600i would exceed 115mph, hit 60mph in 8.5 seconds and return 28mpg despite using shorter gearing than XR3i (for sport purposes). Complete with tasty seats and steering wheel, the RS1600i on 7-spoke 6 x 15 inch wheels with vivid graphics was not a total dynamic triumph, but most exclusive of the breed with motorsport heritage.
Rating: Most individual of the hot first generation Escorts worth buying into
Prices: Then £6834. Now £3750 – 5000 for pristine, £2800 usable

Escort RS Turbo (two generations)

The first Escort Turbo (1983-85) was the real motorsport deal, limited to 5576 sales in UK. The second Esc RST (1986- 89) saw over 37,000 manufactured and suits everyday use better than its exhilarating but erratic parent. Both were period scorchers capable of boosting up to 200bhp from standard 132 horsepower, the highest figure Ford could warrant for the five-speed transmission. Expect 125mph showroom pace and eight second 0-60mph with 27mpg.
Rating: Collect the rough and ready first edition, get value with refined edition two
Prices: Then £9250+£470 Custom Pack, Now £1500 - £5000. Turbo2; Then £10,028 plus £572 Custom Pack. Now £1200 – 4250

Escort RS2000 (front drive & 4x4)

There were four models with 150 horsepower and an RS2000 badge, sales dates from 1991-96. One stands out -the April 1995 onward 4x4 – truly rare with just 499 credited as UK registered, so this would be the overlooked and undervalued collectible. Ford sources point to almost 22,500 manufactured, broken into the front drive edition of 1991-1995 and the final ‘Mk5/6’ facelift editions with the same transverse 2-litre motor and peppy 130mph pace. Expect 0-60mph in less than nine seconds and perhaps an average of 25-28mpg for all models, 4x4 fractionally slower, but much grippier.
Rating: 4x4 for investment, but spares truly difficult. Front drive; an excellent and undervalued drive
Prices: Then £15,995 (4x4 debut at £16,310). Now £1500-£2500 (4x4, £3500)

Ford Racing Puma (155bhp)

Hand-assembled by coachbuilder Tickford in the Midlands - as was Sierra RS500 – this unique Puma was first referred to as ST160. It was one of few Fords, performance or otherwise, to lose money on each example and approximately were only 500 sold. New they were an eye-watering £23,000 for a 155bhp/7000rpm front drive coupe. The last of Boreham Motorsport division’s performers for a (limited) public, these 126mph fliers (reckon on 0-60mph under eight seconds) remain valuable without RS status. The 1.7 litre 16-valve was tuned for another 30 horsepower. Each engine individually numbered on the rocker cover, carrying a Janspeed exhaust system. Other key ID: Ford Racing blue metallic paint, sports seats in blue, oversize Alcon brakes and 17 inch alloys by MiM, part of an extensive track stretch and expensively flared arches. Owner Carolyn Nicholas told us, “I bought mine from - of all places -a car supermarket in west London, March 2002,when it was two years old. In the four years I have owned her she has given me very little grief, just the usual oil and tyres, plus a recall for a Lambda sensor. There is a wonderful rapport amongst owners, including a Yahoo forum and the Ford Racing Puma website. If you have problems you can ask for help on the forums or the site - and Puma Speed handle most mechanical problems.”The suspension is unbelievably hard but Carolyn says happily: “I wouldn’t change that for the world as the handling is just superb.”
Rating: Collectable, although the sports history is not outright Monte Carlo glory status. USEFUL WEBSITE: http://www.fordracingpuma.com
Prices: Then £23,000. Now £11-14,000.

Scorpio 24v

Lift the bonnet on a Scorpio 24-valve and it starts to make sense that it should have been badged Cosworth, for this famous company converted the stone age Cologne 2.9-litre V6 for quad valve chambers. Yet Northampton’s Grand Prix pride was confined to the rocker covers of the iron V6. There was not motorsport intention here, and Ford did not want confusion with the ultra rapid Sierra ‘Cossies.’ Scorpio remained an excellent Q-car, its 195 horsepower engine snatched by ravenous Granada/Capri converters in search of smoother, sharper power. These special Scorpios were saddled with erratic Ford 4ALD automatic boxes, yet were still rated at 140mph with 60mph in under nine seconds. Don’t expect much over 20mpg unleaded only from this ‘cat’ equipped hybrid, on UK sale from 1991. Engines in great demand for use in smaller Fords now!
Rating: Not the loveliest of Fords, but Cologne built ‘em well and this was the last large rear drive from Ford in Europe to date
Prices: Then £27,383. Now £ 950 – 2500

Sierra XR4i (rear drive & 4x4)

Made in Belgium from February 1983, the first rear drive XR4i was a three-door extrovert with high tailgate wing, low drag aerodynamics and an official 150bhp from the ex-Capri 2.8i V6. A 4x4 successor went into production exactly two years later and was the more respected of the pair thanks to its better handling, although its cosmetics were more restrained. The 4x4 Ferguson-based system gave rear-biased Ford handling with stability, the transmission basis for the fabled Cosworth Escorts and Sierras.
Rating: XR4i the better show/collector car, XR4x4 for fabled daily durability and Q-car enjoyment
Prices: Then £9170 (£11,500 as 4x4). Now £500 - £3000

ST - the new RS?

For RS read ST, according to Ford. Sport Technology is the new label for fast Fords - which are not frauds. The latest road burner, the Focus ST, may pack the power of a Volvo T5 under the bonnet and be of an entirely different character to previous performance Fords but it’s as fast as the fabulous Sierra Cosworth RS500 and - thanks to a grippy and tactile frontwheel drive chassis - a lot more usable… plus it’s as civilised and easy to drive (an old Ford trick) as a repmoble Focus. Priced at just over £19,000, classic status is assured although for real thrills the previous RS Focus is still our favourite. The Fiesta ST - spiritual successor to the spry XR2, which incidentally weighed just 800kg - is more difficult to eulogise over, because there’s so many great hot hatches on the market. But it handles and, grips well enough and - importantly - is low geared enough to make the lardy 1137kg ST feel pretty eager. Shame the 148bhp 2-litre Mondeo engine doesn’t…