and even the needles on the dashboard clocks.
Then DMB Graphics matched the side stripes to
the copper. Putting the graphics over black paint
did dull them down a bit; I’d prefer if they’d
been brighter. I’d planned on painting the Ford
oval badges in black, we usually sand down the
blue paint from the back but we couldn’t get it
to work on these aftermarket ones we bought.”Electric dreams
“It’s the original engine, all matching
numbers and is a genuine RS Turbo one,”
adds Rod, “we put in aftermarket pistons, a
stock cam and a new head. We had issues
perfecting the remap and boost and were also
having a few problems with the ECU. A guy
on Facebook came up with a remapped one.
The stock turbo is now a hybrid turbocharger
converted by Cats & Carbs in Stoke-on-Trent“It’s just the two of us here at the business,”
says Rod. “Mick can do anything mechanical,
he can repair anything. Just leave him in a
workshop with tools for a few hours and
things come out like new. We’ve known each
other forever and been messing about with
old cars for over 30 years. We’ll make some
profit on a build like this Black Edition if we
sell it, but in reality not that much. I had a
double glazing business for over 20 years and
began to hate working for people and it was
always Mick and my dream to build cars for a
living. Essentially, we construct cars for
ourselves rather than any client, then only sell
them when we run out of the money we need
to build the next one. We’ve done four or five
of these RSs now. Our next build is my dream
classic car — a Mk2 Escort.”ROD AND MICK’S
CLASSIC CARSMAKING THEIR OWN PATH
Engine: 1597cc, hybrid turbocharger, full
Mongoose exhaust system
Transmission: standard five-speed with
Stage 2 clutch
Suspension: standard dampers on front,
Spax on rear
Brakes: Wilwood four-pot discs on the front,
Sierra 4x4 discs on the rear with Mondeo
servo, all braided lines
Wheels and tyres: Raceline RL7 17 inch
alloys, Pirelli P Zero 205/40 R17 tyres
Top speed: 124 mph (estimated)
0-60: 8.2 seconds (estimated)
Price when new: £9951TECH SPEC
ESCORT RS TURBOAutospray
01325 481212,
http://www.autospraydarlington.co.uk
Cats and Carbs
01782 392202, http://www.catsandcarbs.co.uk
Chingford Technical Coatings
01628 635556, http://www.chingfordtec.co.uk
DMB Graphics
07887 802726, http://www.dmb.uk.com
Magnum Classic Ford Panels
01706 359666,
http://magnumclassicfordpanels.co.uk
R&M Classic Cars
07908 890089, http://www.rmclassiccars.co.ukRESTORATION
CONTACTSwho sorted everything out. They’re amazing
and now we use them all the time. It’s had all
new parts like the alternator and starter
motor. Whatever we could buy new we did,
everything else was rebuilt.”
It’s such attention to detail that makes this
build stand out. For instance, every nut and bolt
was zinc plated at Chingford Technical
Coatings. There’s OE-spec silicone hoses,
braided lines throughout and twin fans too,
along with new-old stock headlights, indicator
lenses and RS spotlights. “The fuel pump is zinc
plated, like they were from the factory, it was
built to our spec by a guy we found on
Facebook. This car’s so clean underneath you
could lick it. That Grey Edition RS put us on the
map — it got 65,000 views when we put it
online. I love this black one now, I think it looks
mint. We like to dare to be different.”EXPERT HELP
The Raceline wheels and black-and-gold scheme
takes this Series One straight back to the 1990s.“IT’S THE ORIGINAL RS TURBO ENGINE
— WITH ALL MATCHING NUMBERS”
Original 1600 was rebuilt, with Rod and Mick
adding a hybrid turbo and remapped ECU.96 September 2019