OT: New Rally Toys

[Joe_Black]

Spent the weekend collecting two new toys for rally. Decided to get back to my sportscar roots and quit beating up the VX in rally events, plus I want be more competitive. They don't look like much yet, but run fine and will be producing 350HP at the rear wheels in no time at all...

[Triathlete]

Sweet...should be fun!
Hmmmm! I've always wanted to find a Ford Escort RS! 280hp Cosworth 4 cyl. that with a few tweaks puts out 350+ and it has all wheel drive! Imagine the losers face when you say "ever been beaten by an Escort"!

[Joe_Black]

There was one in Canada on eBay recently that went for under $20K, but you can get from England on the cheap fairly often. The key is to import them under the NHSTA "Temporary Race Car" category which let's you keep them for up to 5 years before either exporting back out or destroying it. I almost bid on an '86 Sierra 4X4 but couldn't line up the brokers (Import & Customs) in time for the deal, but it sold for $230 USD. I almost cried, as the drivetrain fits right in the 3-door shell. Oh well, I'll just keep looking...

[Heraclid]

Joe, you really have got the bug now don't you? LOL! Congrats on the new toys! Kinda makes me wish I still had the Avenger to thrash about. Hmmmm... my parents have a Saturn they're not using much these days, and it's a peppy little mutha too. :-) And a 3000GT SL for that matter, but not sure Mom would give it up (even though she's sadly neglected it and it is essentially a beater now). That thing is pretty heavy.

[transio]

I'll bite.... what are they!?

[johnnyapollo]

Look like Merkur XR4TIs to me...

-- John

[Tone]

That they are - underpriced German Fords that rocked - turboed 4 cyl I think. A bit on the ugly side but then some say that about the VX.

I owned 2 Merkur Scorpions (4 door version of above with a strong 6 cyl) and they easily beat the Sabb 9000 I had owned before that. Burned one up in a t-bone collision with a Mustang and sold the one after that for a Dodge 4x4 p/u.

[Hotsauce]

I had an XR$Ti once myself, heavily modified. Pics on my webpage.

http://members.aol.com/jchristou/carpics.html

I believe they were about $15k new when the mustang was $10k or so, thats why they didn't catch on here.

Ford for all their wisdon still refuses to bring in 4wd cosworth version f anything, sierra, escort, or focus.

Mitsu and Scooby are eating Fords lunch now with the WRX and EVO variants.


John C.

[SGT.BATGUANO]

Is it just me, the camera or do both of those have lighter paint on the front ends, compared to the rear quarters?

[dutchie]

FORD SIERRA COSWORTH


Me likey...





Used to be my dreamcar....

[Joe_Black]

That is still my dream car! ;Dp; I'd love to have one just like your picture Dutchie and another more along the line of this:



There is an awesome story behind these cars and how they came to be the most dominating competition vehicle of their era. While they were campaigned they ruled both the rally and road circuit, until the rules were changed to effectively ban them as they so overwhelmed the other makes. Pretty cool when you can drive a Ford off the showroom floor and get 200MPH out of it... stock.

[transio]

Ah, yeah, I remember having seen a couple XR4Tis back in the day.

[PeteVX]

I remember when the escort cosworth came out the cops in my home town bought a couple for chasing joyriders who were stealing fast cars. The joyriding scumbags then used to taunt the cops in the cosworths to see if they could out run them, which they couldn't, so they started flying over kerbs and speed humps to get away which the cops wouldn't do in their nice new cars!! crazy huh?

I also remebber when i worked in London about 18 years ago seeing a RS200 cop car on the M25 a few times, anyone remember them? i think i have the name right, RS200 awesome looking rally car.

Pete

[thedutchguy]

pop that siera engine in a lotus 7 chassis and you have under 800kg car with awesome performance.(donkervoort S8 cosworth)

[Joe_Black]

Cool Lotus. Have y'all seen the Locost? Looks like a 7 but uses Miata drive components, and I think NASA is running a spec class. Neat stuff. There were some similar cars, like the Caterham, running in the '95 Carrera event. Didn't hold up too well unfortunately.

As for the RS200, that is an absolutely awesome car. Ford's Group B monster that got in just before the end. 650HP stock 2.1L with 4WD, 0-60 in 2.1 seconds. Stig Blomqvist just won the unlimited class at this year's Pikes Peak event with one pushing 840HP and 700ft. lbs. of torque. His RS200 gets 0-60 in less than 2 seconds, 0-100 under 4 seconds and get this; the 60-80 acceleration happens in .8 seconds! Linear acceleration produces over 1G! Now that's a ride!

RS200 photos: