Cast your mind back to the Summer 2014 edition of Fast Ford and you’ll undoubtedly recall Mark King’s stunning seven-speed Sapphire Cosworth plastered across the front cover of the magazine. The feature itself outlined an extraordinary series of engine failures, turbo tantrums and gearbox grumbles that would have encouraged most to throw in the towel, but Mark persevered with the Nouveau Red road racer and his efforts have been rewarded with a car that he can be proud of.

The 4WD Sierra isn’t Mark’s only Blue Oval, and he counts a concours Series 2 RS Turbo among a collection that boasts a ’96-plate Escort Cosworth Lux. Knowing how bad the property developer’s luck had been with the former feature star, we were more than a little apprehensive about taxing him for details on the EsCos for fear of poking a wasp’s nest full of regrettable memories. Fortunately, he relished the opportunity to tell us that the Imperial Blue RS offered many more positives than its 2008 sale ad had led him to believe. Well, that’s how the conversation started anyway...

“Details of the Escort were posted on a forum serving my local car community in Bangor, Northern Ireland. It was advertised as a standard Cossie with just 67,000 miles on the clock and I figured that it was worth checking out as it was so close to home,” says the
former mechanic.

A quick once over suggested that the car’s factory spec exterior needed a bit of tidying. Surprisingly, further investigation revealed Koni adjustable dampers, an upgraded fuel system and a Superchips fettled ECU – components that the seller was apparently unaware of. “I got the impression that he bought the Escort for its looks alone and rarely opened the bonnet while it was in his custody,” continues Mark. “It had been driven gently and without complaint, so I guess there was little need for him to dig beneath the surface.”

Attracted by its apparently solid state, Mark agreed a price and was soon on his way home in his new toy. He vowed to bring its cosmetic state up to a betterthan-factory finish and asked Blue Oval Garages in Middlesbrough to undertake the required remedial work. Unfortunately, less than a week after offloading the car on English shores, a phone call from the workshop delivered some devastating news. “It was rotten,” groans Mark. “The sills, inner arches, front wings, boot floor and rear tow eye were heavily corroded. It needed all new panels and a massive amount of bespoke fabrication. It was with a heavy heart that I agreed to the corrective surgery and asked to be contacted only when the work was complete,” he sighs.

How does that old Albert King song go? Oh yeah, that’s it: “if it wasn’t for bad luck, I wouldn’t have no luck at all.” It’s a lyric that seems highly appropriate given Mark’s continued stream of Fordshaped fiascos, but he’s nothing if not determined and was prepared to triumph in the face of adversity. In fact, he was riding about in his refreshed ride just six months later!

Thrilled with the solid structure and glistening new topcoat that decorated his EsCos following the Middlesbrough mission, Mark turned his attention to its engine. He introduced an MSD chip and a hybrid turbo, but a persistent misfire proved difficult to live with. Shipping the car back to Blighty, it was taken to Derbyshire tuning firm, Norris Motorsport, for diagnosis and repair. Karl Norris undertook the lion’s share of the work involved in transforming Mark’s Sapphire into the 500bhp beast that it is today. The seasoned Blue Oval modifier is in his element when working with the YB engine, and he wasted no time in curing the Escort’s misfire. Furthermore, he live mapped the car to produce a respectable 270bhp. Finally, it was delivering power and style in equal measure.

The trip overseas had given Mark plenty of time to consider other areas of his fruity Ford that were ripe for redevelopment; its suspension felt a little twitchy during the return leg of the journey, resulting in the installation of coilovers and a Harvey Gibbs adjustable rear beam. Sadly, despite these changes, the EsCos still didn’t feel as planted to the asphalt as Mark had hoped. “I enjoyed a summer of fun behind the wheel and tried to ignore concerns about slow acceleration, poor traction, and inadequate handling,” he recalls. “I retired the car from the road as soon as the winter snap kicked in, but temptation got the better of me during a blizzard and I decided to test its abilities in the snow. I was gobsmacked to discover that the four-wheel drive system had packed up!” he gasps.

The MT75’s viscous coupling had failed and demanded immediate attention. Mark took the opportunity to accompany its replacement with a Quaife limited-slip differential, a shot-peened gearset (for additional strength), a hydraulic clutch conversion, and he added an AP Racing six-paddle clutch for good measure. The Escort’s brakes were upgraded at the same time, and it now wears the same AP six-pots as its Sapphire stable mate.

Bigger brakes require bigger wheels to ensure caliper clearance. The factory five-spokes have, therefore, made way for a set of white 18in Speedline Corse 2113s wrapped in Toyo rubber. They’re a great looking rim and are one of only a few exterior alterations applied to the car; Morette headlights, RS500 grilles and carbon-fibre detailing (in the form of a front splitter and a rear bumper trim that surrounds the back end of a Mongoose stainless steel exhaust system) complete the look of this cool Cossie.

The carbon theme continues under the bonnet, where a timing cover, turbo heat shield, airbox lid and spark plug cover made of the wicked weave enhance the appearance of what was a freshly rebuilt YB. “I removed the engine and renewed all seals, bearings and hydraulic lifters in an effort to freshen the lump following the gearbox work,”says Mark. He also added a K&N panel filter, a WRC breather kit, a T34.55 turbocharger and Level 8 management packing a Norris Motorsport custom map that delivers a claimed 360bhp.

Increased fuelling demands have been met with twin pumps, Siemens injectors, a Reyland swirl pot, and braided lines. Unfortunately, these upgrades were powerless to stop Mark’s legendary bad luck from rearing its head once again. “The turbo was producing billowing clouds of smoke after just two months. To make matters worse, the engine started rattling on the way back from 2012’s RS Central Day. I had no choice but to strip the lot down in advance of another round of repairs and reassembly,” he cries. The ‘charger was sent to CR Turbo Engineering for a rebuild while Mark dismantled the Escort’s poorly powerplant in search of the source of its latest fault. Not one to do things by half, he stripped the rest of the car at the same time and sent the shell away for a fresh lick of paint!

was identified as the cause of the complaint and the problem was rectified without delay. The car was put back together with its rebuilt turbo and engine, and Mark added yet more suspension upgrades with a set of Bilstein coilovers. He also updated the Escort’s interior with the same Stack digital dashboard and gauge combination found in his Sapphire. It looks right at home housed in the Ford’s factory dash binnacle and works alongside an Automotive Innovations monitor in delivering valuable engine operating information.

Thankfully, the diagnostic data has registered nothing but positive feedback since the Escort has returned to the road, and Mark is understandably reluctant to change anything now that his outstanding RS is functioning without error. “Norris Motorsport are developing a punchy new turbo that I’m tempted to buy, but my intention is to enjoy driving the car for a while before making any further changes!” he laughs, hoping that his toolbox will be allowed to collect dust for a little while yet. And we’re with him on that front!

Thanks Fast Ford for this amazing article.

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