Buying a slightly sorry-for-itself Cosworth isn’t anything to be afraid of. When an Escort came up for Sapphire money, Scott rolled up his sleeves and transformed it into this tuned Escort RS Cosworth…

Feature taken from Fast Ford magazine. Words: Dan Bevis. Photos: Ade Brannan

There’s a dark and troubling notion that sometimes creeps into the ownership of classic and modern-classic RS models: quite simply, it’s The Fear. As hardened Ford enthusiasts, we all know that these special top-of-the-tree performance models are Blue Oval royalty, built to be used and used hard… but every now and then, that little nagging voice can start whispering gently but insistently somewhere around the base of your brain. ‘Should you be doing that? These cars are getting rare, you know. And the values are going up and up. Is it worth the risk?’

Thankfully most of us are pretty good at ignoring The Fear, or at least blocking it out and shutting it up with our noisy exhausts. But there’s one true, sure-fire way not to have to worry about it all, and that’s to start out on your RS journey with an example that’s a bit unloved. The ugly duckling, the beleaguered workhorse, the battered and bloodied but unbowed battlers. And that’s precisely what Scott Rogers did. Sure, the car we see before the lens today looks thoroughly presentable, but there’s been a hell of a lot of elbow grease along the way. This isn’t the tale of a man who just buys a pristine Cossie and drives it about the place a bit; very far from it in fact. When Scott got his hands on this Escort, it was looking distinctly sorry for itself.

“It did need a bit of work,” he says, with the sort of laugh owned by people who’ve seen a thing or two and lived to tell the tale, “but I decided to take a chance on it.” This made a lot of sense, at least romantically if not strictly rationally, as the idea of owning an Escort RS Cosworth represented the endgame of a lifetime’s enthusiasm for hot Fords. Scott’s driving adventures began in a Mk3 Fiesta 1.1, as was the case for so many of us, and he was itching for a higher level of transcendent thrill from the off. “I fitted an RS Turbo kit and interior to it, but after that I unfortunately smashed it up,” he recalls. “So I had a cheap diesel 306 while I saved for a Series 2 RS Turbo, which I bought a year later – it was a nice original car, but soon enough the engine gave in. I rebuilt it with a Piper cam, hybrid turbo and so on, and I owned that car for six years until I decided to buy myself a Cossie.”

It’s a fairly natural progression, to ascend to RS Cosworth ownership after a number of years with an RS Turbo, and it’s a tale we’ve heard told many times. However, it wasn’t quite as simple as finding the right car and slapping down the cash; Cossies cost a bit more than RSTs, and Scott had to do a bit of lateral thinking. “I’d always loved Cossies ever since I first saw one back in the late ’90s,” he explains. “There used to be a guy who had a black one that was running 540bhp and he drove it like a hero everywhere; being a 16 year old I always hoped I’d one day own one, and when I came to replace the RS Turbo I’d been toying with the idea since I had the money for a Sapphire. A friend of mine bought a 2WD Saph that needed a bit of work, so we spent an afternoon getting it running – it was 380bhp on paper, so with no bonnet we decided to go up the lanes and see what it went like… and as soon as it come on boost in 2nd gear I was sold on the idea!”

There were two revelations vying for attention at this point: firstly, Scott knew he needed a Cosworth in his life. And secondly, he’d realised that picking up an example that needed a little work wasn’t necessarily anything to be afraid of. And so the hunt was on.

“I was looking for a Sapphire for a while, but I kept an eye on Escort prices too since that’s what I really wanted,” he says. “One day this EsCos popped up in a salvage yard in Brighton for Saph money – it needed some work doing to it, but after a few phone calls I borrowed a trailer and took a chance on it! After getting it home and properly inspecting it, the car just needed a wing pulling straight, a bumper and some lights. It was running a Stage 3 setup, although it was cutting out after a few minutes; after weeks of pulling my hair out trying to figure it out, a friend with a spare 4×4 Saph ECU threw that at me and told me to try it – and it worked!”

With the oily bits knocked into shape, the next job was to address those wonky aesthetics. Scott took the Escort to a body shop to have a bumper painted and fitted, and the bent wing pulled straight, and finally the dream was complete: his very own usable Cosworth. Driving it home in four inches of snow was pretty entertaining, and arriving back home Scott parked the RS under his car port to keep the worst of the weather off. However, fate still had a hand to play here, and a while later the car port collapsed under the weight of snow and landed right on top of the Escort!

“It’s safe to say I was pretty emotional at that sight,” he deadpans. “As I was digging it out, I was praying the roof hadn’t been damaged, although luckily it wasn’t even scratched. However, the passenger wing had a good dent in it, and the bonnet and both sides were scratched badly, so I just used it as it was for that year while I saved to have it painted again.”

While Scott was pooling his funds, it was pretty inevitable that the idea of a few mods would creep into his sphere of consciousness too, and sure enough he was thinking about more power before long. With the paint sorted out, the Escort then went off to PJ Motorsport for a decent setup and some power tweaks. “It was great driving home with the car as I’d always wanted it,” Scott grins. “But after a time the standard engine couldn’t handle the extra power and was starting to die; I was at a Ford show at Santa Pod and I wasn’t going to run it, but a mate asked me ‘Would you go to Alton Towers and sit in the car park?’ – so I paid my twenty quid, and three runs later I finished it off! So it was time for a build over the winter, then down to PJs for a health check and fresh map and so on.” It’s also worth mentioning the three gearboxes Scott blew while all this was going on, until he bought an Oppliger Motorsport big-tooth ’box which has proved to be sufficiently hardcore to suit the car’s needs.

“After three years of trouble-free motoring, the crank pulley came loose a little while back and chewed the end of the crank,” he says, with a certain air of resignation. “At the time of the photoshoot I was still running it in after changing the crank! It’s safe to say this car’s been challenging at times, sure, but it’s all worth it when I drive it and see people’s reactions, especially the older generation who remember them from new.”

You see, if there’s one guaranteed way to batter The Fear into submission, it’s to approach ownership the way Scott has. The car may be so clean that some owners would be afraid to get it dirty or risk damaging it, but he’s had his sleeves rolled up on this project from day one; the superb finish and spec is down to his own efforts, and all the work he’s put in is justly rewarded by a Cossie he can and will use every day. “It’ll never be a show winner,” he smiles, “but it ain’t bad for a car that gets used all year round – rain, shine, and even snow!” And that’s very much the point. Forget your cotton wool and your heated carcoons, this is an RS Cosworth that’s getting used just as intended.

Tech Spec: Tuned Escort RS Cosworth

Engine:

2.0-litre Cosworth YB turbo, Wossner pocketed pistons, WRC head gasket, ARP long studs, Turbosport BD14 cams with Piper vernier pulleys, Lucas 83lb injectors, Stage 1 T34.48 turbo with -34 actuator, HKS boost controller, RS500 intercooler

Power:

410bhp

Transmission:

Oppliger Motorsport big-tooth gearbox, thick-wall front diff

Suspension:

Koni adjustable shocks, Ahmed Bayoo springs, OMP strut braces

Brakes:

AP 4-pot front calipers with 330mm discs, grooved rear discs, Ferodo pads all round

Wheels & Tyres:

18in Rota D154 wheels, 225/40 Yokohama tyres

Exterior:

Morettes with tinted inners, RS500 grills, tinted indicators, sidelights and tail lights

Interior:

Momo steering wheel, ECU data monitor, Birba Racing dials with 2-bar boost gauge conversion, custom gear lever

The more track action Matty Stevenson experienced with his track built EP3 Civic Type R, the more overwhelmingly addicted he became. And the end result is quite possibly the closest thing you’ll ever find to a touring car with number plates…

Feature taken from Banzai magazine. Words: Sam Preston. Photos: Adrian Venner @ Rimlust

Addiction: a word that’s almost always linked to negative connotations in our modern world. But what about if our human nature of becoming obsessed with certain things actually sometimes ended up with a positive outcome?

High-voltage electrical manager Matty here puts forward a remarkably good argument for this counter-case. But it isn’t drugs, booze or violence that gets this particular fella’s blood pumping…

“It quickly became a solid addiction for me with the only side-effects being no money for food and water; a small price to pay, I think you’ll agree!” he grins as he reveals to us exactly what it is that’s been on his mind almost constantly over the last few years. That is of course this formidable Honda Civic Type R, one that’s been comprehensively fettled over time to perform one task: excel on the track.

With the luxury of a company car at his disposal when he purchased this face-lift Cosmic Grey slice of VTEC goodness, Matty knew from day one that he’d never have to attempted treading the fine line between adding performance upgrades and retaining daily-driver comfort. It’s a street car for sure, but street cars normally come with compromises, and there aren’t too many to be found here.

“The plan was to spec it with a string of basic track mods to start with to bring that chassis alive,” he recalls. Sensibly keeping the bonnet firmly closed whilst he built up a taste for the circuit with the help of upgrades such as coilovers, plenty of chassis bracing and a big brake kit, Matty was soon reaping the benefits of this celebrated little hot hatch and its ability to be piloted around race tracks at a rate that many more expensive vehicles could often only dream of.

Lapping his local circuit, as well as countless other race tracks around the country, a distinct cycle began to emerge that involved Matty tearing it up on track each weekend, then being spurred on to take his Civic to the next level in time for his next outing immediately afterwards.

“The project got out of control and my initial visions to keep it fairly standard were soon consigned to the history books,” he admits. “The deeper I was drawn into the Honda and track driving, the more mods continued to make their way to my house in the mail.”

Obsessions reached an all-time high in 2015, when Matty was finally able to live out his fantasies by taking his trusty steed for a jaunt down to the mecca of motorsport: the Nürburgring Nordschleife – a moment that would change both car and driver for good. “I did four days there, and the car performed better than I could ever have imagined! This trip turned out to be serious ‘fuel for the fire’ for the next set of upgrades to begin.”

With the car finally reaching the seriously impressive ‘final state’ you see before you , and boasting one of the longest spec lists ever witnessed, we think it’s about time we put all of those inspired, intricate details that Matty’s performed over the years under the microscope to see just what makes this beast so much fun to pilot.

Let’s start with that chassis – already a winning part of the car from stock, but one that Matty was keen to completely transform to eek every last drop of capability out of when the going got tough. Some top-spec BC Racing coilovers with bespoke spring rates started things off nicely, complemented with the likes of JDM-spec anti-roll bars, a whole host of bracing components, a full polybush overhaul and a pro geo setup from FCM Motorsport to top it all off. Matty also has no less than three sets of wheels at his disposal, all shod with different rubber to suit all weather conditions. Tucked underneath are some huge Yellowspeed stoppers that were added in anticipation of extra power eventually making an appearance.

Talking of power, once Matty had successfully created perhaps the finest EP3 chassis known to man, he thought he could definitely justify looking into adding a little more grunt to that screaming K20 lump. Breathing goodies are unsurprisingly abundant to set things off, with a larger throttle body and Skunk2 inlet manifold some of the more notable touches. Then there’s a completely re-worked fuelling system featuring that anodised red Tegiwa rail and 450cc injectors that help to squeeze out the car’s headline power figure of 250.1bhp, achieved on TDI North’s rollers after some tinkering to the car’s Hondata K100 ECU.

But if the engine sounds like something you’re more likely to find in a race car, just wait until you see that cabin! Dominated by a comprehensive Safety Devices 6-point ‘cage and some hugging Cobra buckets, the flocked red/black interior is one hell of a functional place to spend time, cleverly retaining all of its class thanks to the perfect execution of each modification installed.

But what about those race-style decals that now adorn the car’s Cosmic Grey exterior flanks? “I was approached by Mike Chalk of MCR Specialist Cars and invited to various shows and track days with his company,” Matty recalls. “This is when I decided to give the exterior a little more zest and had a complement of go-faster decals made up” With a raft of splitters, canards and carbon fibre panels also making an appearance, the result is something you really wouldn’t want to see suddenly appearing in your rear-view mirror, that’s for sure!

Despite switching-up almost every component of his Type R at one point or another, Matty is pleased to report that race car ownership has been a remarkably plain-sailing affair. “Over the course of five years, the only thing that has failed was the radiator,” he tells us. “It gave up in spectacular fashion on Donington Park’s Starkey’s Straight.”

The secret to success then? It could be something to do with Matty’s obsessive nature of keeping his vehicles in only the finest of conditions at all times, meaning that this is an EP3 that doesn’t just dominate on the track, but has also won awards at shows, too. “I like to keep my car immaculately clean, I’ve actually overheard people at shows wondering whether it’s ever been on track at all!”

Sadly, though, all good things come to an end in the car world, including the relationship between this EP3 and its owner. “I had the urge to move forwards in the Honda scene and imported a Mugen-kitted FD2 Type R recently. I’ had to parted out the entirety of my Civic to fund it, but I think it’s it nice that these parts are being re-used to help the next generation of EP3 owners achieve their dreams.”

You’ve probably got quite a good grasp of what makes Matty tick after reading this feature, which means it will probably come as little surprise to hear that an all-new addiction has already begun. It’s only a matter of time until that one’s equally as epic too…

Tech Spec: Track Built EP3 Civic Type R

Engine:

2.0-litre K20 16v DOHC i-VTEC engine, Clockwise Motion baffled sump, Tegiwa M carbon fibre intake system, Gruppe M scuttle insert kit, Tegiwa M red modified inlet hose, Skunk2 Pro Series Black Edition inlet manifold (custom machined to accept 74mm throttle body, with port polishing, smoothed and bench-tested), Skunk2 Pro Series Black Edition 74mm throttle body, Tegiwa thermal inlet manifold and throttle body gaskets, wrinkle red inlet manifold and water pump housing, Tegiwa 4-2-1 exhaust manifold, DC Sports exhaust system, Solid Fabrications 3-inch titanium burnt exhaust tip, Tegiwa Competition aluminium radiator, Tegiwa anodised red fuel rail, Honda RC450cc re-jetted fuel injectors, Heavyset white silicone hoses, custom white Skunk2 rocker cover, carbon fibre spark plug cover, carbon fibre inlet manifold cover, carbon fibre battery cover, Tegiwa clutch and brake reservoir covers, Skunk2 Type B radiator cap, Skunk2 reservoir socks, Buddyclub oil cap, Skunk2 magnetic engine and gearbox oil plugs, anodised red engine bolts, Hondata K100 ECU (tuned by TDI North), six-speed manual gearbox, Exedy Stage 1 clutch, Fidanza lightened flywheel, Tegiwa short shifter, Neuspeed aluminium shifter bushes

Chassis:

17-inch Team Dynamic Pro Race 1.2 alloy wheels, Federal 595 RSR semi-slick tyres, Muteki Super Tuner wheel nuts, BC Racing BR coilovers with 8kg/10kg spring rates, Cusco front strut brace, ASR chassis brace, JDM-spec front and rear anti-roll bars, Superpro anti-roll bar bushes, Neuspeed aluminium shifter bushes, Energy polybush engine mounts, Superpro gearbox mount, DME anodised rear camber arms, DME anodised control arms, Superpro front lower control arm bushes, Hardrace adjustable drop links, full fast road/track geo setup by FCM Motorsport, Yellowspeed Ultra Grand front big brake kit with 4-pot calipers, 330mm floating discs and competition pads, Ferodo DS2500 pads, HEL Performance braided brake lines, RBF 600 Blue brake fluid, Tegiwa master cylinder stopper

Exterior:

Cosmic Grey body with custom livery, Seibon Mugen-style carbon fibre bonnet, rear diffuser fins, Stuke Designs aluminium aero splitter and skirts, Tegiwa front canards, de-wipered boot, Team HEKO wind deflectors, custom red-and-black Honda badges, matte black number plate infill, matte black lower bumper infill, Mugen adjustable rear spoiler, 6000k HID headlight kit, Fibreworx carbon fibre foglight inserts

Interior:

Cobra Suzuka Pro Fit Signature Series bucket seats, Buddyclub seat rails with Cobra side mounts, Luke GM 4-point harnesses, Safety Devices 6-point roll cage, chequerplate flooring, navigator foot plate, flocked red dash board and door cards, JDMGram custom white X-brace, Alcantara gear gaiter, anodised red fire extinguisher, Teishi Imports 5-panel wink mirror, Pioneer SPH-120 head unit, Nardi Personal 350mm steering wheel, HSK steering wheel boss, Fibreworx carbon fibre fuel tank cover