Ford has a long history of great hot hatches and small cars – from the Lotus-Cortina to today’s latest Focus ST. But few are more fondly remembered than the Escort Sierra RS Cosworth, the big-winged small car that was the poster-child for the World Rally Championship in the 1990s.
Unfortunately, the Focus has replaced the Escort as the blue oval’s small car, and the ST is a fine replacement. But talented Estonia graphic designer Siim Pärn has given us a glimpse at what we’re missing out on.
Pärn – who has the Instagram handle @spdesignsest – has created this render of a would-be Escort RS Cosworth for 2020; and it’s amazing.
The most unmistakable element of the Escort Cosworth was the huge double-deck rear wing and Pärn has managed to recreate the look but with a modern twist.
He’s also revived the classic rectangular headlights and grille, as well as the squared-off taillights that also gave the Escort its iconic ‘90s appearance.
The Escort Sierra RS Cosworth was never sold in Australia, instead Ford Australia offered the Laser and later Focus instead, but it became famous here because of its success in the WRC. Famous Escort Cosworth drivers included Carlos Sainz, Francois Delecour and Miki Biasion.
The Escort has retained popularity to this day with Ken Block famously competing in a modernised version for the last two years and featuring it in his popular Gymkhana 10 video.
Unfortunately the chances of Ford bringing back the Escort Cosworth (outside the Chinese market version currently on sale) are slim. The Focus is the small car for the brand, so a second isn’t needed in global markets. And the company has begun to scale back its performance car range with the ‘RS’ badge effectively retired following confirmation the current generation Focus won’t get the full-blown hot hatch treatment due to Europe’s strict emissions standards.
But thanks to people like Pärn we can still dream…
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