June 22, 2021
#427
Gentle reader,
I have been a car guy and racing fan (no open-wheel, or NASCAR) my whole life. I prefer racing which features cars that LOOK like the ones we drive, or would LOVE to drive. The closest thing I watch which is similar to NASCAR is (once called Australian) V8 Supercars. They race mainly in Australia and New Zealand. And prior to Ford and GM closing their factories there after over 100 years, they raced Ford Falcons and Holden Commodores. Both are four-door sedans with V8 engines and rear-wheel-dive. As God intended. UN-like NASCAR, ALL the doors open and close, the lights and (single) windshield wipers work. The cars look almost exactly like the ones the fans drove to the races. They race in the rain, in endurance or sprint races, and not one oval track.
But enough about that, THE most difficult and potentially deadly form of land-motorsports is RALLYING. It has changed MUCH over all the decades since it began. The cars had gotten WAY TOO FAST and the crowds WAY TOO STUPID some years ago, with many of the latter being killed or injured because many stood IN THE ROAD waiting to jump out of the SPEEDING rally cars at the last SECOND. So, they outlawed Group B cars and imposed stricter rules about where fans could watch the racing from.
A screenshot from a WRC rally back in the Escort's heyday. See how close to the road (and the cars race ON real roads, paved or dirt, day and night, in ALL kinds of weather, including in snow) the idiotic fans are!
This shot of the rear of another car, shows the outrageous "bi-wing" rear spoiler which provides excellent downforce at speed.
Those cars were the ones which Ford chose to build to compete in the World Rally Championship, were based upon the humble 1991 Escort two-door hatchback, shown above. This is a photo of a North American model.
THIS is one of the homologation specials, street versions, of the WRC rally cars.
Here is another one, a 1996, from the front 3/4 view. It is in the UK, since it is right-hand-drive. Sadly, North America NEVER received these for sale.
Now, UN-like the REST of the Escorts that Ford built and sold around the world, which were humble, front-wheel-drive cars, with transverse (sideways) mounted single-overhead-cam engines, the Escort RS, had a Cosworth-built, double-overhead-cam, multi-valve engine, which was equipped with an intercooled turbocharger AND all-wheel-drive.
Here is the humble 1.9 liter SOHC engine which my 1993 Escort station wagon and Nancy's 1994 Escort two-door-hatchback were propelled by. BOTH of our cars had the five-speed MANUAL transmission, as God intended.
And here is the Escort RS Cosworth's longitudinally (front to rear) mounted DOHC engine which propels the NOT-at-all-humble turbocharged engine. Even a non-car person, comparing the two photos can see the difference.
If you are not aware of the word "homologation", it means "to comply with". The "O" in the name of the famous 1960's Ferrari 250 GTO, shown below, stands for "omologato", Italian for homologate.
One of THE most beautiful cars ever created. I think a total of 33 were built.
America's Pontiac motor division of General Motors, in 1963 also chose to use GTO as the name of their snuck-under-management's-noses, 1964 Pontiac Le Mans GTO "package".
Enzo Ferrari was not too happy about that, but what could he do?
This composite photo, and all the other ones above, I found on the Internet.
It shows a 1964 Pontiac GTO convertible and 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO. As far as beauty, there is no comparison. BUT, the Pontiac was no slacker performance-wise.
Side-bar: In 1974, when I was a senior in high school and driving home one afternoon from said school, I spotted a '64 GTO convertible with a FOR SALE sign in the window. I pulled over, took a look at it, and knocked on the house's front door. A man answered and I asked if the car was his. It was and he got the keys and we looked it over. I test drove it and WOW! what power! When we got back to his house, I asked, "How much?" "$250, do you think that's too much?" Trying to make a poker face, I replied, "Well it is ten years old, and I paid $300 for my '64 Impala last year, so, it sound's right." Sadly, I was not able to buy it, my dad pointed out: "But you already have a car." "But Dad, this is a GTO!" "You could get in trouble with a car like that." He was right. But, I DID get to drive one and not many car people can say that.
I have been simulation racing for YEARS and one of my favorite cars to race, in any class I can modify it to compete in, is, you guessed it, the Ford Escort RS Cosworth.
Above, you can see two 1:64th scale models of it. The one with #7 on the roof is a Greenlight actual-1:64th-scale replica and above it in the photo is a Hot Wheels version immortalized as "The King" in the 3Dbotmaker's DRC* racing series "driven" by Steven King. Not, THAT Steven King. Diecast Rally Championship (Event 2 Round 1) Hot Wheels Car Racing - YouTube Above that is Hot Wheels Ford RS200 Evolution WRC rally car. Now, THAT car is a handful to drive in racing simulations. *Diecast Rally Championship Here are photographs of my 2015-era Escort RS Cosworth racer in Forza Motorsports 4, above, and RS200 Evolution below.
One can either learn to decorate cars in the game, or buy (with credits you earned racing) liveries from very talented people who learned how to do it. Some paint schemes have THOUSANDS of layers!
But enough about that, let me show you more photos of my 1:24th scale WRC-looking diecast car.
Made in Italy by Bburago (or is it Burago?), I found that this model was the ONLY one available from a US seller. AND, he only wanted $9.99 for it!
Unlike most diecast cars which have their "livery" or decorations printed on the cars, Bburago chose to print them on clear plastic tape and stick them to the car bodies. The one on the rear of the car (above) makes that obvious.
But the rest of the stickers are not so obvious.
These two shots show that it is a STOCK (street) model and not a rally car model. But, I am OK with that.
Since it (and 99%) of all our not-for-racing diecast car collections merely sit on display in their cabinets, it not being a WRC car does not bother me.
The OCD parts of my brain wants me to fix the poor job they did with this engine compartment, but I fight those urges.
I have not seen the underside of a real Escort RS, so do not know if this one is accurate or not. But I like the way they have the exhaust and transmission and independent rear suspension differential housing chrome plated to contrast with the black.
I MAY do other articles about homologation street cars in the future. It is fun to research them. SUCH brave and talented drivers (and BRAVE and TRUSTING) co-drivers who sit and read shorthand notes to the driver about what lies ahead.
Thanks for reading my humble blog!
Scott
June 22, 2021
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