Having owned a Ford RS1600i for three years now I feel it deserves a mention if only for the pure excitment it bestows upon me each time I slip behind the wheel and turn the key!
The RS1600i represents the first of the new generation of front wheel drive escorts designed with motorsport ... Read review
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Advantages: Raw excitement Disadvantages: not for the faint hearted!
Having owned a Ford RS1600i for three years now I feel it deserves a mention if only for the pure excitment it bestows upon me each time I slip behind the wheel and turn the key!
The RS1600i represents the first of the new generation of front wheel drive escorts designed with motorsport in mind. Only 5000 were ever produced to satisfy motorsport regulations. It is getting increasingly harder to find one for sale, but if you do come ... ...buy especially as the price of this vehicle is now increasing and not decreasing as with many 'old' cars.
When thinking of this car many words spring to mind: raw, uncompromising, harsh, exciting, fast, aggressive, just to name a few! So why do I love it so much? It is one of those things in life which has to be experienced to be understood!
Having owned a Ford RS1600i for three years now I feel it deserves a mention if only for the pure excitment it bestows upon me each time I slip behind the wheel and turn the key!
The RS1600i represents the first of the new generation of front wheel drive escorts designed with motorsport in mind. Only 5000 were ever produced to satisfy motorsport regulations. It is getting increasingly harder to find one for sale, but if you do come across one in a decent condition it is worth a buy especially as the price of this vehicle is now increasing and not decreasing as with many 'old' cars.
When thinking of this car many words spring to mind: raw, uncompromising, harsh, exciting, fast, aggressive, just to name a few! So why do I love it so much? It is one of those things in life which has to be experienced to be understood!
SPEC: 0 - 60 8.7 seconds 0 - 100 27.9 seconds
The RS produced 36.7 mpg over a sustained period of motorway cruising in 5th gear and dropped to 23.1 mpg, averaging 30 mpg.
The CVH engine is similar in spec to the XR3i but differs in that it has a special cam, solid lifters and a compression ratio of 9.9:1. It provides 115 bhp at 6000 rpm and 109 lb.ft of torque at 5250 rpm.
It has a Bosch K-Jetronic fuel injected engine which starts easily every time and a listed top speed of 115 mph.
It is a car with great tuning potential and is often bought as a hobby for this purpose. A free flow exhause pipe alone can make a difference of 15 hp and a K & N air filter will make for a crisper and better throttle response.
It is fitted with 15" RS 7 spoke alloy wheels and has front and rear spoilers fitted with a much deeper front spoiler than the XR3i and a biplane type rear wing.
It has a strong sporting image with a 4-strong array of driving and fog lights. There is a set of graduated stripes on the leading edge of the bonnet to distinguish the RS1600i from less powerful escorts.
I currently have mine insured under a Group 7 insurance.
So, how about the ride quality? What ride quality?? This is the most exciting part of the RS experience. Turn the key and first you hear the roar of a beast raring to go. The ride itself is hard and uncompromising but you feel very snug and safe strapped inside the Ricaro seats. It has a fast gear change and a road grip like no other car I have been in. It has a unique way of making you feel invincible behind the wheel.
It is very noisy inside the car but this, combined with the hard ride goes to create a raw sporting experience. However, on long journeys it may be wise to wear earplugs!
This is a real drivers car providing a real driving experience. If you are one for a luxurious smooth and comfortable car, steer clear, this is not for you!
There is also a club for RS owners to join providing magazines on a regular basis with details of news and events etc. Well worth joining.
Advantages: it's an RS Disadvantages: old, few parts
...pop down to your local Ford dealer and ask for one of these. No doubt they would laugh in your face. A Ford Focus ST yes, Escort RSI no!
The escort! Books have been written about this car, column inch in newspapers alone add to the importance of the 'scort. From the everyday run about that your granddad had to the World Rally, Touring Car, competition thrashing winners of the 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's and even still today. The Escort is 'probably' ... ...Cosworth. Built in Germany by Ford this unique motor set a new standard when it was released. What you get is a 3 door coupe, mk3 escort (1980 +). It came in a range of colours including white, red, black and dark blue/grey. Made up from the Ford parts bin with special parts unique to this car. Of the 8000+ (not 5000) built, most of them have be thrashed, trashed and become baked bean cans. The few which still use the public roads are becoming a ...
tazorii 29.01.2006
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Ciao members have rated this car review on average: very helpful Review of Ford Escort RS1600i
Advantages: Raw front wheel drive fun! Disadvantages: Tend to be hard to find nowdays
The ford RS1600i is an emense car, Raw, Powerful, Fun, and all round loverble car. My old one was stupidly fast and fun to drive its easy to get silly power out of this simple CVH engine, a couple of modifications and away you go! My Old one was in the least you could describe as being slightly modified. It was completly Stripped out apart from the dashboard, it then had a set of bucket seats and harneeses a roll cage and thats it inside even the ... ...certainly unused. For the exterior i Had it lowered 60mm with full spax adjustable suspension and ran it on 13" twister rims with yokohama A520 rubber. For the engine i did go a little to town with with a set of fast road cams, got rid of injection system (Couldn't get revs high eniugh or enough fuel in) And fitted a huge carb with K&N bolt on filter, 9mm HT leads, Tri spark plugs, four branch exhaust manifold with a full 2" janspeed exhaust system ...
jaffahallett 03.02.2007 (04.02.2007)
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Ciao members have rated this car review on average: somewhat helpful Review of Ford Escort RS1600i
Advantages: Durable Disadvantages: not very secure
What a car! There are not many words that are extreme or defined enough to describe this particular vehicle. Some words i might use are reliable, raw, powerful, awe-inspiring, fun, snazzy; or just in short the perfect vehicle. Having owned one for many years, this review talks about experience in driving this vehicle: The engine is reliable and does not easily let you down, the chassis perfectly defined for cornering and grips to the road at high ...
Pharaoh19 14.12.2007
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Ciao members have rated this car review on average: somewhat helpful Review of Ford Escort RS1600i
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Advantages: Fast (ish), Fun, well built, plenty of boot space Disadvantages: Tyres
I have owned my 1986 diamond white XR2, 1600 CVH for 8 years now. I have also owned in that same period a 1.8 Diesel Fiesta, EscortRS1600I & RS Turbo, Ford focus, Ford Cortina Mk1, XR2I (cvh) and driven plenty of other cars such as a Subaru, Audi A8, BMW, Merc ML, Golf IV, 205GTi, 205 rally, Mini Cooper and others.
I love cars. But I don't spend hours polishing them with a tooth brush. I have had the chance to drive quite a few buzz boxes and all are very good. Thing is when it comes to making a choice, I will always pick up the keys for the XR2.
Ok, so I spent a few quid on new parts. But if I compare the price of a new car to the amount I spent on this pocket rocket then the XR2 then it's worth every penny.
What do you get? Well a second had dog normally. Most have been thrashed to an inch of their life. Oil leaks, worn ...
tazorii 25.01.2006
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