Ford Escort RS 1600i - with front-wheel drive against the Golf GTI

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Ford Escort RS 1600i - with front-wheel drive against the Golf GTI

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Created on June 28, 2017

Text:

Bruno von Rotz

Photos:

Daniel Reinhard

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Ford Motor Company

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Auto Motor und Sport

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Jürg Kaufmann

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Archiv

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Ford Escort RS 1600i (1982) - straightforward and timeless design

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Ford Escort RS 1600i (1982) - 115 hp and 190 km/h fast in 1982

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Ford Escort RS 1600i (1982) - 1.64 meters wide, most small cars today measure more

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Ford Escort RS 1600i (1982) - the add-on parts - front and rear spoiler - were RSI-specific

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Ford Escort RS 1600i (1982) - can still be driven sportily today

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Ford Escort RS 1600i (1982) - over 190 km/h fast at the time

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Ford Escort RS 1600i (1982) - the metallic green was a special order color

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Ford Escort RS 1600i (1982) - most RS 1600i were white, red or silver colored

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Ford Escort RS 1600i (1982) - compact sedan with a length of 4.052 meters

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Ford Escort RS 1600i (1982) - despite notchback with tailgate up to the rear lights

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Ford Escort RS 1600i (1982) - the additional high beam headlamps were retrofitted

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Ford Escort RS 1600i (1982) - still a pleasure to drive today

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Ford Escort RS 1600i (1982) - with just over eight liters per 100 km, you're on the move quickly

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Ford Escort RS 1600i (1982) - you dare to drive longer distances without any problems

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Ford Escort RS 1600i (1982) - a leather steering wheel was just as expensive as the Fischer C-Box for the cassettes

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Ford Escort RS 1600i (1982) - a touch of luxury inside

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Ford Escort RS 1600i (1982) - relatively small main instruments, many indicator lights

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Ford Escort RS 1600i (1982) - with radio tape from the factory selection

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Ford Escort RS 1600i (1982) - "Ford RS" patch on the seat upholstery

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Ford Escort RS 1600i (1982) - "Ford, they do something"

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Ford Escort RS 1600i (1982) - sporty four-cylinder with 115 hp

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Ford Escort RS 1600i (1982) - the dual ignition coil

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Ford Escort RS 1600i (1982) - Injection housing

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Ford Escort RS 1600i (1982) - "Ford Motorsport"

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Ford Escort RS 1600i (1982) - Chassis number

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Ford Escort RS 1600i (1982) - Engine number

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Ford Escort RS 1600i (1982) - Ford sign on the radiator grille

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Ford Escort RS 1600i (1982) - "RS 1600i" lettering on the flank

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Ford Escort RS 1600i (1982) - six-inch wide aluminum wheels were standard

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Ford Escort RS 1600i (1982) - "Escort" lettering and the typical ribbed lights

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Ford Escort RS 1600i (1982) - "RS 1600i" lettering on the rear

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Ford Escort RS 1600i (1982) - moving briskly

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Ford Escort RS 1600i (1982) - the fastest Escort of the time

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Ford Escort (1982) - Cereghetti at the 1983 Uri Rally

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Ford Escort (1983) - heavily modified Ford with tuning parts from Kamei - at the 1983 Geneva Motor Show

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Cover page of Auto Motor und Sport issue 18/1982 - Comparative test Fiat Ritmo Abarth 125 TC, Ford Escort RS 1600i, Mitsubishi Colt Turbo, Renault 5 Alpine Turbo and VW Golf GTI (1800)

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Summary

When the third generation of the Ford Escort was presented in the fall of 1980, everything about the popular passenger car was new. Instead of the rear wheels, the Escort now drove the front wheels and the design was also completely renewed. But Ford did not forget the fans of particularly sporty models and presented the RS 1600i as the basis for the A/N groups as early as 1982. The initially fastest Escort was well received and is a rarity today. This driving report describes the history of the fuel-injected Ford Escort and shows it in many pictures. And there is also a sound sample.

This article contains the following chapters

Completely new
Advanced technology in the RS 1600i
Finesse for racing
Open at the top
Failed against the top dog
Successful
At the wheel
Further information

Estimated reading time: 7min

Preview (beginning of the article)

Around 50 years ago, on November 17, 1967, the first Ford Escort was produced. Thirteen years later, even the most traditional Escort fans had to rethink, because from September 1980, the third generation of the compact family car now had front-wheel drive instead of rear-wheel drive. The advance of the VW Golf simply could not be ignored so easily. Development work began in the winter of 1975, resulting in a modern and straightforward three- or five-door model with the characteristic notchback. Everything was new, and many Ford people would actually have liked to give it a new name. But the code name "Erika" didn't really fit, so it stayed with Escort, which was the lowest common denominator, so to speak.

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