George’s Mk1 Escort: A turbocharged tribute to iconic RS Fords
The letters RS hold a special place in the hearts and minds of classic Ford performance enthusiasts, for it was under the revered Rallye Sport banner in the 1970s that the blue oval’s most successful competition Escorts and Capris were conceived.
NSW-based Shannons Club member George Conditsis, who owns this stunning Mk1 Escort, is a fan of high-performance British RS Fords from that amazing era of race and rally success that were designed and developed by the blue oval's Advanced Vehicle Operations (AVO) at Boreham, Essex.
“My first car was an Escort Twin Cam so my interest in these Fords really started there,” George tells the Shannons Club. “I had to sell that car to buy a new fridge when I got married but after my divorce I got back into them again.” He now owns numerous classic Escorts and Cortinas.
Not surprisingly, George regrets selling his first car (particularly to fund a new fridge!) as the legendary Twin Cam was the catalyst for the RS Escorts which followed and provided the inspiration for his retro-mod tribute.
The Twin Cam, AVO’s first hot Escort, was developed in remarkably short time and immediately proved a prolific winner in local and international racing and rallying.
More high-performance models followed, developed under the Rallye Sport banner and sold through a network of specialist Ford dealerships in Britain and Europe. Those road-legal RS Escorts were ‘homologation specials’ built in the UK on a dedicated AVO assembly line, in sufficient numbers to meet road car production volumes required to be approved (homologated) for competition use.
Image: George Conditsis
They included the RS 1600 released in 1970 with a Cosworth-designed 1.6-litre DOHC 16-valve engine. In 1973 the RS 2000 joined the Rallye Sport stable, powered by Ford’s larger 2.0-litre SOHC ‘Pinto’ four.
Both models were often fitted with Ford’s signature ‘forest’ wheel-arch extensions (just like those on George’s car) which gave them such a purposeful and aggressive appearance and critical tyre clearances needed for race and rally applications.
In 1975 the AVO assembly line in the UK was shut down, largely due to the global oil crisis which crippled Rallye Sport sales. All future Escort RS production, by then focused on the latest Mk2 model, shifted to Ford’s Cologne plant in Germany where RS Capris had been built.
Image: George Conditsis
George favours the original Mk1 Escort. When released in the UK in 1968, the stylish newcomer offered a choice of robust ‘Kent’ crossflow four-cylinder engines in a light but rigid unitary body-shell. MacPherson strut front suspension, a leaf-spring live rear axle and rack-and-pinion steering resulted in a simple but robust car that was a born athlete.
George’s striking 1974 Mk1 was originally a white Kent-engined stocker, but is now resplendent in metallic silver with RS 2000 body black-outs, round-headlight grille and factory flares. It also has serious go to match the show as it’s equipped with a fully worked Nissan SR20DET engine.
This 2.0-litre turbocharged DOHC 16-valve four (think Japanese version of a Sierra-Cosworth engine) is a popular swap for modified Escorts thanks to its compact dimensions, ample parts supply and robust design that allows aftermarket tuners to extract big power with solid reliability margins. This one has been rebuilt with all the good stuff including forged pistons and rods, custom intake manifold, bigger turbo and lots more.
Image: George Conditsis
George claims his Escort’s highly polished and chromed SR20DET, which resides in a whistle-clean engine bay devoid of visible wiring, runs enough boost to produce 311kW at the rear wheels. On the old scale that’s more than 400bhp and given that a standard Mk1 Escort’s kerb weight is a mere 800kg, we're talking a power-to-weight ratio of around 2.6kg/kW.
That’s deep into exotic supercar territory and given its stumpy wheelbase, we imagine this pocket rocket could be more than a bit twitchy when the turbo spools up! Given that George ran 12.4 secs on the strip before the Nissan engine’s cost-no-object rebuild, with sticky drag slicks it could easily crack 11s – maybe even quicker.
All of that turbocharged power is fed through a heavy-duty clutch and Nissan S13 five-speed gearbox to a bespoke VN Commodore V8 rear axle assembly running 4:11 gears and LSD. It’s been shortened at each end to accommodate the large wheel widths and offsets George wanted to run, which is why the standard rear wheel housings were replaced by mini-tubs to ensure no chance of tyres rubbing.
Image: George Conditsis
His choice of Superlite alloy wheels pays homage to the UK's famous Minilites which were synonymous with competition Escorts in the 1970s. However, to allow enough clearance for this car’s enormous ventilated brake rotors and four-spot Brembo calipers, the Superlites are much larger. The fronts are 17 x 8 with 215/40 tyres and the rears are 17 x 9 with 245/40s.
The ride height has also been dropped a substantial 100mm, the body stiffened by a strut-tower brace across the engine bay and there’s a trick GRP4 modular WRC front suspension assembly from the UK offering full adjustability.
Image: George Conditsis
George wanted his Escort’s comfort to match its performance standards, which is why it has cleverly hidden air-conditioning and a full leather interior with Sparco competition front bucket seats and custom billet door hardware.
There’s also a deep-dished sports steering wheel (looks just like the one in Moffat’s Trans-Am Mustang) plus a Tilton competition three-pedal box with adjustable brake bias and a six-gauge instrument panel from an Escort Twin Cam with electronic VDO speedo and tacho.
Image: George Conditsis
As this eye-catching super Ford carries full engineering approval for road use, George enjoys regular outings during which it attracts many admirers.
“I really use my cars, I don’t like to leave them sitting in the garage,” he states. “I drive this one probably once or twice a month and I’m not fussed about it getting wet. If it’s raining I won’t take it out, but if it happens to rain when I’m out, then bad luck. It’s built to be driven.”
And so it should be, just like the hard-driven competition RS Escorts to which this remarkable car pays homage. It’s a credit to its owner and another shining example of the many exceptional cars and motorcycles to be found within the Shannons Club’s vast membership.
View George's Shannons Club Garage and Connect with GeorgeConditsis1966
