Cosworth power in roadgoing Fords
Famous for the Ford Sierra RS models, Cosworth has been responsible for many Blue Ovals with a performance twist.
While many of these were for competition, plenty were also road cars and it’s these we’re looking at here.
Cosworth has worked with Ford on executive saloons and homologation specials, plus those Sierra models that defined what a fast, affordable car was in the 1980s.
All turned out to be superb cars to drive on the roads thanks to engines with plenty of power.
Here’s our list of Ford road cars with Cosworth power, presented in chronological order.
1. 1963 Ford Consul Capri GT
The first Ford road car to feel the breath of Cosworth on its state of tune was the Capri GT.
It was given a 78bhp version of the new 1.5-litre Kent engine, which had been uprated by Cosworth from its original 60bhp with help from a new camshaft, carburettor and exhaust manifold.
Unfortunately for this model, even its 95mph top speed and 0-60mph time of 13.5 secs, which was some 4 secs faster than the 60bhp 1.5, was not enough.
Only 2002 examples of the 1.5 GT left the factory, but it established a relationship between Cosworth and Ford that endured.
2. 1963 Ford Cortina GT Mk1
The first Cortina GT from Ford used a very similar engine to that 1.5-litre Kent motor in the Classic Capri GT.
However, for this one, Cosworth used a different Weber carburettor to liberate 83bhp.
As a slightly larger and heavier car than the Capri, the Cortina needed 13.9 secs to cover the 0-60mph dash.
However, the revvy engine gave the Cortina GT a top speed of 94mph to make it a very sporting machine for its time.
Ford also added front disc brakes as standard to the Cortina GT to cope with its increased performance.
3. 1963 Ford Lotus Cortina Mk1
Lotus had developed its Twin Cam head for Ford’s 116E engine and installed it in the Elan.
However, the motor was far from finished just ahead of the Elan’s launch and Cosworth was brought in to improve the air flow.
This engine then appeared in Ford’s new performance model, the Lotus Cortina. It had a 1558cc capacity that in the two-door Cortina shell was enough for 108mph and 0-60mph in a very brisk 9.1 secs.
While Cosworth’s input was kept quiet by Lotus, it further enhanced the British firm’s reputation with Ford, while a healthy 3304 Lotus Cortina Mk1s were sold.
4. 1967 Ford Cortina GT Mk2
The second generation of Ford Cortina GT started with the same Cosworth-tuned, 1498cc, four-cylinder Kent engine as the Mk1.
This delivered an identical 83bhp for Ford’s square-jawed new saloon, which was offered with two and four doors.
A GT was easily spotted by the four extra gauges in the upper centre of its dashboard.
The 1500 GT was then replaced by the updated Mk2 model with a 1599cc engine that retained the same block and camshaft, but a longer stroke required a different crankshaft and taller block.
This was definitely now a Ford engine rather than one Cosworth had helped develop.
5. 1967 Ford Cortina Lotus Mk2
When Ford replaced the original Cortina with the Mk2 in 1967, so the Lotus-badged model was updated, too.
Now called the Cortina Lotus, it kept the same 1558cc engine that Cosworth had finessed four years previously.
Power for the Cortina Lotus was unchanged at 108bhp, while 0-60mph took 11 secs and top speed was 105mph.
It was not considered as exciting as the original, but the Mk2 did sell in larger numbers, with 4093 built altogether.
6. 1968 Ford Escort Twin Cam
Cosworth’s late intervention to make the Lotus Twin Cam engine perform as it should was still reaping benefits five years later.
When Ford wanted a fast Escort to go racing, it fitted the Lotus engine to its small two-door saloon shell.
With 109bhp on hand from its 1558cc motor, the Twin Cam was good for 113mph flat out and 0-60mph in 9.9 secs.
Only a handful of Escort Twin Cams were made, with 883 reckoned to have left the line.
Just as importantly for Cosworth, it led to the RS 1600 and other rapid Escort models that it developed with Ford.
7. 1970 Ford Escort RS 1600
The very first RS-badged fast Ford arrived in 1970 with a bespoke Cosworth BDA 1601cc engine.
This kicked out a feisty 120bhp and meant this new Escort performance model could reach 120mph and cover the 0-60mph dash in 8.9 secs.
The BDA name for the engine referred to its design, which denoted ‘Belt Drive, Series A’.
This twin-cam unit loved to rev and had its own distinctive sound, which was soon heard reverberating round race tracks and rally stages to great effect.
Such performances were perhaps less surprising given the BDA engine was related to Cosworth’s FVA four-valve 1599cc motor developed for Formula Two racing, that could make up to 220bhp.
8. 1970 Ford GT70
Ford only made the GT70 in penny numbers with the intention of using this car as a purpose-built machine to contest the new World Rally Championship.
It started with a 2.6-litre V6 engine as used in the Capri RS 2600, but one of the six GT70s made had its V6 swapped by Ford of France for the Cosworth BDA motor.
With the engine tuned to rally spec, it rose from the standard 120bhp of the Escort RS 1600 to around 180bhp.
In this form, it was driven by Guy Chasseuil in the French Tarmac championship in 1972 and 1973.
However, the car proved unreliable and Chasseuil only finished one rally from five starts in the GT70.
9. 1975 Ford Escort RS 1800
The convoluted process of building the Escort RS 1800 involved Ford shipping a 1600 Sport shell to its Aveley base.
These cars were then stripped, reinforced and fitted with a Cosworth BDA engine. Later cars were based on the RS Mexico shell.
As the name suggests, this engine was a 1.8-litre version of the BDA motor that had been seen in the RS 1600.
The 1834cc engine was rated at a very modest 115bhp, which was still enough for a standard road car to reach 112mph and dispatch 0-60mph in 8.3 secs.
However, the RS 1800 was a homologation car meant for rallying, and for this its Cosworth engine could be tuned to as much as 255bhp in uprated 2-litre capacity.
In this form, the Escort was the car to beat in the hands of drivers like Ari Vatanen, Hannu Mikkola, and Jimmy McRae.
10. 1981 Ford Escort RS 1700T
The Escort RS 1700T was a blind alley Ford developed for the top-flight Group B category of rallying.
The only problem was the RS 1700T was a rear-drive car in a world now dominated by four-wheel drive.
Regardless of its issues, the RS 1700 used a potent Cosworth engine. The early test cars came with a BDA engine that was familiar from the Escort RS 1800, but a new 1780cc turbocharged BDT motor was created for this rally car.
The BDT engine could make as much as 350bhp and tests showed it could power the RS 1700T through stages at a second per kilometre quicker than the best Mk2 Escort RS 1800.
However, it’s thought only 18 RS 1700Ts were made before Ford decided it needed an all-new, four-wheel-drive car for rallying.
11. 1984 Ford RS 200
With a clean sheet of paper to design its new rally car, Ford came up with the mid-engined RS 200.
The number denoted the production run needed to comply with the Group B regulations for the World Rally Championship, rather than engine capacity.
Tucked under the large lift-up rear canopy was a development of the RS 1700T’s BDT Cosworth engine.
The 1803cc unit started out with a gentle 250bhp, but that could easily be upped to 450bhp in a full works rally car.
Later in its life, after Group B had been banned at the end of the 1986 season, the RS 200 found a new role as a star of rallycross. With a 2.1-litre version of the BDT engine, it could deliver up to 650bhp.
12. 1985 Ford Sierra RS Cosworth
Easily the best-known collaboration between Ford and Cosworth, the three-door Sierra RS Cosworth was an instant hit when it was launched in 1985.
It was also the first time Cosworth’s name had appeared as part of a Ford car’s title.
Where the earlier Sierra XR4i had been a bit dowdy with its 2.8-litre V6 engine, the RS came with a new 2-litre turbocharged motor named YBB by Cosworth.
It had been developed independently of Ford, but fitted the bill perfectly when the Blue Oval’s Stuart Turner was looking for an engine to use in his new project.
Based on Ford’s Pinto engine, the 1993cc YBB delivered 201bhp to give 0-60mph in 6.2 secs and a 149mph top speed.
This, along with its road-racer looks, ensured the Ford Sierra RS Cosworth was a huge hit.
13. 1987 Ford Sierra RS 500 Cosworth
The Ford Sierra RS Cosworth was hugely successful in racing and Ford wanted to homologate new parts to keep the car competitive.
Enter the RS 500, with a limited run of 500 cars with a host of improvements.
Prime among the upgrades was an evolution of the 2-litre turbocharged engine. This was the YBD motor with a stronger cylinder block to cope with increased power outputs
More power came from a Garrett T04 turbo in place of the standard RS Cosworth’s T03 unit.
The RS 500 made 224bhp in road trim and was identified by its larger front air intakes, front splitter and revised rear spoiler.
14. 1988 Ford Sierra Sapphire RS Cosworth
Even performance models have to make concessions to practicality and Ford introduced the Sierra Sapphire RS Cosworth as a four-door replacement for the three-door original.
The Sapphire saloon version of the RS Cosworth stuck with the same 1993cc YBB engine as its standard three-door predecessor.
This meant 201bhp for the rear-drive Sapphire, but when Cosworth tested the engines from these cars they routinely made 210bhp.
With a slightly lower drag coefficient, the Sapphire’s 2-litre turbo motor propelled it to 151mph and Autocar saw 0-60mph in 5.8 secs.
15. 1990 Ford Sierra Sapphire RS Cosworth 4x4
It might not have set the World Rally Championship alight, but many considered the four-wheel-drive version of the Ford Sierra Sapphire RS Cosworth the best of its breed.
The all-wheel drive delivered superb handling and there was a new, tougher MT75 five-speed manual gearbox.
This RS Cosworth also came with a 220bhp version of the 2-litre engine, with the extra power there to offset the added weight of the four-wheel-drive system.
The revised engine was known as either YBG or YBJ, depending on where the car was sold.
YBG cars had a green-painted cylinder head and were built to meet the strictest emissions laws, while the red-painted YBJ was sold in some other territories. Both came with a larger intercooler.
16. 1992 Ford Escort RS Cosworth
Using the four-wheel-drive Sierra Sapphire RS Cosworth’s floorpan as a base, Ford dropped a slightly modified Escort Mk5 body on top and came up with the Escort RS Cosworth.
With bulging wheelarches and a huge rear wing, it looked the part, and there was a Cosworth YBT engine under the bonnet with 227bhp.
A Garrett T03/04 turbo worked in conjunction with a new engine-management system to give a little more power, which resulted in 137mph and 0-60mph in 5.8 secs.
However, the new engine also came with considerable turbo lag that could make it tiresome to drive.
In 1994, Ford replaced the original turbo with a Garrett T25 item that dropped power to 222bhp, but made the car much easier to drive and no slower.
17. 1994 Ford Explorer
Cosworth was known for its performance and motorsport engines, but it also worked with Ford to improve the 4-litre V6 motor used in its Explorer SUV.
The V6 was a development of the 2.9-litre unit used in the Scorpio, and Cosworth was charged with making the engine more suitable for European customers.
This FBG V6 would have offered similar power to the 5-litre V8 sold in the US, but the 4-litre V6 was more fuel efficient.
After some prototypes were run, the idea was shelved due to cost.
18. 1994 Ford Scorpio 24v
By 1990, the Ford Granada and Scorpio range was beginning to feel a bit dated, but then along came the Cosworth-developed 24-valve 2.9-litre V6, codenamed FBA, to liven things up.
With 195bhp, the twin-cam-per-cylinder-bank design gave the Ford executive car the sort of performance to easily keep pace with rivals from German brands.
It was capable of 0-60mph in 8.5 secs and 135mph. The only anomaly was Ford didn’t offer this engine in the four-wheel-drive version.
When the car was facelifted in 1994, the styling was not universally liked, but the improved Cosworth V6 was.
Ford quoted the engine’s power at an improved 204bhp, but Cosworth stated it as 210bhp. Either way, top speed increased to 138mph, while the 0-60mph time remained at 8.5 secs.
This was the last Ford road car to come with a Cosworth-developed engine and production ended quietly in early 1998.
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