The Final Ford Escort RS Cosworth Ever Built Is Up For Auction

The Ford Escort RS Cosworth is one of the most iconic rally-derived homologation specials ever conceived and the final example built is currently up for sale in the UK.

Production of the Escort RS Cosworth officially ended in January 1996 at the Karmann factory in Rheine, Germany. However, the car manufacturer still had parts left for two more vehicles so it decided to build two extra. This particular car is the second of those two extra models and was built for Wilheim Karmann Jr., who was chairman of the company at the time.

Read: Whale-Tail 1996 Ford Escort RS Cosworth With 217 Miles Sold For $186,000

The car was driven for the first two years by a Karmann project manager as a company vehicle and in 1998, was acquired by the head of Ford’s Special Vehicle Engineering department. This was none other than Dieter Hahne, the man who spearheaded the development of the car. Hahne has owned the Escort RS Cosworth for the last 24 years and is now parting ways with it in a Collecting Cars auction.

Underpinning the Escort RS Cosworth is a shortened chassis and mechanicals from the Sierra Cosworth. Drive is provided by a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder Cosworth engine pumping out 224 hp to all four wheels and coupled to a five-speed manual transmission and a limited-slip differential.

Adorning the exterior of the Ford is a shade of Auralis Blue and the original set of 16-inch five-spoke alloy wheels with Continental SportContact2 tires. Found in the cabin is black leather, air conditioning, a replacement stereo and CD player, electrically operated windows, sunroof, and door mirrors.

The car is in great condition with no known bodywork damage. There are some minor signs of wear on the Recaro seats, a minor oil leak on the engine sump gasket, and the CD player is faulty but apart from that, the Escort RS Cosworth is virtually perfect.