We talk a lot about those cars that are survivors, those that have triumphed in the face of adversity and live to drive another day. What with scrappage schemes, the shoddy way many old cars were built, and throwaway values until not long ago, it's little surprise that so many have gone extinct. There simply wasn't the incentive to save them.
The odds have been stacked against the Escort RS1600i for a while. You might even argue that it's only Britain's fondness for a fast Ford that have kept them going. Here was a hot hatch homologation special, a modified XR3 built so that Ford could go Group A racing, from the 1980s. Already that must account for a good few smashes, given how hot hatches, fast Fords and motorsport-derived road cars are driven. Add to that the fact that the Mk3 Escort was launched more than 40 years ago, that it was never as loved as the RWD models, and just 2,600 were sold in the UK and it's no wonder they're so rare in 2022.
There's cause for some hope, however. Not only does HowManyLeft suggest that more than four times as many RS1600s are out there SORN'd than taxed and roadworthy - barnfinds just wating to be found, surely - those that are left tend are now being cherished. The RS1600i is now worth more than ever, so it makes sense to invest in getting them nice. That just wasn't happening a decade or so ago.
Though easily mistaken for an XR3, the RS1600i was a much more serious hot hatch - as dictated by competition requirements. Though still powered by the iron-blocked CVH, the RS gained Bosch fuel injection, as well as a bespoke five-speed gearbox and substantially overhauled front suspension that mitigated torque steer (in 1982!). Plus, just as importantly for the success of any hot hatch, the RS1600i looked great, with its own graphics and those seven-spoke alloys that would also see service on the RS Turbo.
Now, almost 40 years since the last of the 8,659 RS1600is were made, seeing one this good is a real treat. Though for sale at a dealer in Edinburgh, this Escort has been owned for the past decade by Tim Norton Ford in Oakham. Presumably an after-hours project that snowballed into a full restoration, this RS1600i has been brought back to as-new condition using all original Ford parts sourced through the dealership - clever.
The recommission seemingly covered everything: engine, transmission, wheels, tyres, brakes, interior and paint. The end result, as might be expected from Ford fans working on a Ford icon at a Ford garage, is superb, a proper example of how good sympathetic restoring can be. You know it's old because it's small and there isn't an airbag and there's a tape deck where your phone should go - but it also looks so lightly used to be nearly new.
To some extent, that's exactly what it is, with fewer than 350 miles covered since the engine work was completed. But it was in use before then, as proven by all the old MOTs and service books that come with it. An original car with 350 miles wouldn't really be fit for driving - and, in the current market, would be roughly a million pounds - but, renewed and reinvigorated, there's no reason why this one couldn't be enjoyed every now and then. Be a shame not to, really, given the work that's evidently gone in.
A new owner will pay for the privilege, of course, because this car has both a Blue Oval and an 'RS' badge on it, which on their own are apparently worth £15,000. So it's, er, £39,000, which still feels a bit mad to write down even after all these years of wild fast Ford values. But the very fact they've stayed so strong for so long might imply they're here to stay - certainly one as a good as this is always going to be lusted after by PHers of a certain generation. And if the prosect of paying £40,000 for a 40-year-old Escort gives you the willies, console yourself with knowing that's far from the top end of RS1600i prices...
1 / 6
![](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 4 3"%3E%3C/svg%3E)
![](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 1 1"%3E%3C/svg%3E)