Series 1 escort rst

[GTE TURBZ]

This might be abit far fetched being a vx site and all, but has any nova owner or anyone for that matter ever owned or own/driven a series 1 escort rs turbo, (colour white b/c-reg version for those not sure). They sound awesome and always liked the look of em coz they, in a weird way they resemble a mk1 nova from the front and they must obviously be fast being a turbo an all. may consider one in the future,and keep my gte too alongside lol .

[craig green]

Not that quick as std, poor build quality (interior isnt that well screwed together) very dated but great seats & nice exhaust note.
Ride & handling isnt all that, steering feel is poor IMO. Usually rusty under the 2 inches of white paint after 11 resprays.

[JSeymour]

^^ who cares they look fooking awsome!!

ive driven a rs1600i and been in rs turbo. feel really nice to drive and the seating position is far better then novas.

s1's are getting pretty exspensive now though.

[craig green]

Everyone knows the Nova is crap. the seating position is awfull etc but somehow it all works...

RS1600i has a better chassis (mainly rear) setup which is adjustable for on track usage etc. Not many people know this.

As for looks, thats arguable. I think they look OK, but only really at home on an Essex sea front. LOL

[SRlew]

yeh i like them and wouldnt mind one but the prices are rising lol

and the seating position is so good!

[JSeymour]

i dont think the nova is crap, bar the seating position as it does my side in bigtime Lol.

[GTE TURBZ]

yeh i like them and wouldnt mind one but the prices are rising lol

and the seating position is so good!

i drove my mates fiesta turbo a few years back and it was so easy to drive, then again fords are known for that, even xr2's the clutch and gears are alot easier and im guessing after hours of driving wouldnt be as tiring as a nova with thick wheels.

as ive already had a fast 1.6 nova turbo, it would be a good comparison, that had rs turbo seats which felt alot more comfortable but u sat higher up than the standard gte seats which are not that bad either.

One thing vx have got over ford is the stability and solidarity. and yes the build quality is not that good, and the electrics.

back in the day how ofter have you been behind a sierra or escort when its braking and its like the circus lights going crazy i.e. reverse light and indicators going off.lol for most of us that would have been passengers in our parents carslol

[Saloony]

There all bollox, they say novas are rot boxes, escorts make nova look like they've been zinc galvanised. Drive is poo too, gears get sloppy and its like stirring cake mix. Handling, although it be irs cars seem to hump to one side then the other. Driven many on road test and theres a corner at the top of the road, any standard car will take at 35mph comfortably, the rs's... the back ends brake away for no reason at 25mph. Then there the cvh lump, tuneable yes... reliable... dont count on it, and sound like a bag of rusty nails when they've done more than 10k.

My views of course.

[SUP4NOV4]

Ive Drove And Built Alot Of Escort Turbos S1 And 2 Engines Too Yes There Real Rusters But Look Great Like Any Old Car Welding Welding Welding The Cvh Is A Very Tuneable Engine In Alot Of Ways And Big Power Outputs Are Easy Gained Im An Engine Rebuilder And Think There A Great Simple Engine To Work With.

[simon_p]

ive had an s2rst and it needed more welding than an airfix iron gate if it was to see another mot!!!

you gotta spend ?xxxx's to get a good one!!!

[loggyboy]

They have one achieles (sp) heel, the cvh engine which is the most awfull engine in the world ever. It was bad enough when it had 105bhp in the 3i format, but blowing it and forcing 140 horses down its neck is just plain stupid. As stated you need a bottomless wallet to own one and keep it running well. I personally wouldnt touch one however there huge amounts of people who sware by them. The bonus with the s1 is that its now so old if you find a surviving one its likely to be well looked after or restored.
The RSs also had adustable track control arms that werent fitted to any other escort.

[GTE TURBZ]

Ok peep think I?m convinced, well the point is I wasn't really looking to tuned it to go any faster but after hearing the comments about the reliability and the build quality which I already kind of figured put me off.

Plus getting to know another car all over again takes awhile i.e. the tipical traits design faults etc. as I?ve had 3 novas 2 gte?s and now I?m on my forth nova (gte) currently in the garage for a full respray does help when something does wrong.

In the mean time I?m using a 97? isuzu engines 1.7tds astra, just serviced it the other days and believe it or not is quite pippy and fun, t flys from 70mph to 90 in no time and still pulling on the turbo. Obviously does not compare to the acceleration of an xe?d or turbo?d nova.

But yeah going back to the RS, the cvh engine is awful especially when the tappets are gone, sounds like a right old 1.1 popular fiesta/escort.

But not dissing rs?s all the same always been a big 80?/90? sports car icon, however, long live the Vauxhall Nova. :) thanks for all your comments

[Mint FRST]

Not that quick as std, poor build quality (interior isnt that well screwed together) very dated but great seats & nice exhaust note.
Ride & handling isnt all that, steering feel is poor IMO. Usually rusty under the 2 inches of white paint after 11 resprays.

Another blinkered VX fan by the sounds of it. Remember these cars are now 21 years old at their youngest and still a force to be reckoned with, back in the day they must have been unbelieveable. Still the best looking 80s hot hatch without a doubt IMO(Bar a Nova Sport of course!lol ). Cars were more raw back then and that certainly appeals to a lot of people still today.Usual Ford sceanario - it not what they are standard it what you can do to

Show me an equivalent VX from that era that can command up to 10k these days?

From a blinkered Ford RS fan!

[Saloony]

Another blinkered VX fan by the sounds of it. Remember these cars are now 21 years old at their youngest and still a force to be reckoned with, back in the day they must have been unbelieveable. Still the best looking 80s hot hatch without a doubt IMO(Bar a Nova Sport of course!lol ). Cars were more raw back then and that certainly appeals to a lot of people still today.Usual Ford sceanario - it not what they are standard it what you can do to

Show me an equivalent VX from that era that can command up to 10k these days?

From a blinkered Ford RS fan!
Mk1 Astra Gte was always the better looking, better engine'd, better, better... oh and did i mention betterlol But saying that, although its french (and i spit on french cars) poor all round... slammed on ronal turbos the better looking car is the R5 Gordini... fooking sexual.

[SUP4NOV4]

Yes They Are Mega Rusters Sills,battery Tray,boot Floor,inner Wings,everywhere Really Expect To Pay ?2500+ For A Fairly Good 90 Spec G H Reg Great Style But Still Not As Good As A Nova Ive Had Many Disagreement About Vauxhalls And Fords

[John]

I used to have a 200bhp series one. It was unreliable, uneconomical, noisy, rusty, leaky (engine and interior!), but i absolutely loved it! There's just something about 'em.
I Completely AGREE with you chris, The series one turbo is the only other car i'd have over my collection of novas.
Oh, and craig, it was miles better than the mk1 astra gte! Are you on drugs Lol!!!!!!!

[Saloony]

Oh, and craig, it was miles better than the mk1 astra gte! Are you on drugs Lol!!!!!!!Not at all. What makes it better, fook all. If you can prove to me that it was a better car than the astra ill give you my saloon. Too which you cant prove a thing so there:D

[John]

1. turbocharged 1.6 140 bhp
2. Lsd as STANDARD
3. Irs
4. Adjustable front suspension as STANDARD
5. It looks awsome
6. Do you want me to carry on?
7. hand over your saloon!

lol!

[SUP4NOV4]

At Least With The S1 Its Got Big Arch Mouldings To Cover The Rust !!!

[SUP4NOV4]

I Went To Ford Fair In London In My Mates D Reg S1 They Get Some Looks

[london_chris]

get a s2 turbo and id recomend doing a zvh conversion with the 2litre zetec bottom end (but prepared for a turbo) as the bottom ends are crap but the top ends are brilliant

[Saloony]

1. turbocharged 1.6 140 bhp
2. Lsd as STANDARD
3. Irs
4. Adjustable front suspension as STANDARD
5. It looks awsome
6. Do you want me to carry on?
7. hand over your saloon!

lol!
Problem.. unfair test. TURBO!!! Fact thats its crap turbo'd engine presents more problems. And the standard Astra Gte wasnt short on power N/A. And if were going down that route, lets consider the Mk2 Gte for a minute, with the pace optional extra, face it you could carry on but you wont win, your trying to reason having a ford. Not going to work.

[Saloony]

get a s2 turbo and id recomend doing a zvh conversion with the 2litre zetec bottom end (but prepared for a turbo) as the bottom ends are crap but the top ends are brilliantAlways wondered how that worked. Just the bolting together of the two.

[SUP4NOV4]

Ye The Zvh Conversion Is Very Good The 1.6 Cvh Relies Alot On The Turbo As With The Zetec Has More Of A Pull

[GTE TURBZ]

I used to have a 200bhp series one. It was unreliable, uneconomical, noisy, rusty, leaky (engine and interior!), but i absolutely loved it! There's just something about 'em.
I Completely AGREE with you chris, The series one turbo is the only other car i'd have over my collection of novas.
Oh, and craig, it was miles better than the mk1 astra gte! Are you on drugs Lol!!!!!!!

If vauxhall did not make the almighty nova the way they did:) then, the Series 1 RS turbo would definatley be the car id be restoring right now!!

[DIB]

Problem.. unfair test. TURBO!!! Fact thats its crap turbo'd engine presents more problems. And the standard Astra Gte wasnt short on power N/A. And if were going down that route, lets consider the Mk2 Gte for a minute, with the pace optional extra, face it you could carry on but you wont win, your trying to reason having a ford. Not going to work.

So now your comparing a standard car against a tuned car??.

Not all escort turbos out there are ****ers guys!.I`ve owned one,found a good low mileage well looked after one and its was extremely reliable!.problem is someone asked about FORDS on a VAUXHALL forum,so naturally most of these replys about the RST are negative! LOL.

Find a good one(not hard if you know where to look ;) )and they can be a great car to drive.

[Saloony]

In theroy the rs is a tuned xr3i.

[DIB]

In theroy the rs is a tuned xr3i.

The RST is like you say a beefed up XR3i,but the RST was a factory production car.The point is you can`t compare a Astra GTE with an added Turbo kit to a standard RST can you!.

[loggyboy]

In theroy the rs is a tuned xr3i.
in which case a LET is a tuned XE, doesnt make it a problem.

In my experience the vauhalls ive owned have lasted longer and survived more of a battering than the the fords ive owned. But without a doubt there are people in the opposite situation and will swear by the blue oval.

Its the same with any car, if its well looked after its likely to perform well.

[loggyboy]

The RST is like you say a beefed up XR3i,but the RST was a factory production car.The point is you can`t compare a Astra GTE with an added Turbo kit to a standard RST can you!.
But you can compare the 16v astra with the similarly powered RST, in which case the astra wipes the floor with the ford, on both road and motorsports versions.

[GTE TURBZ]

But you can compare the 16v astra with the similarly powered RST, in which case the astra wipes the floor with the ford, on both road and motorsports versions.

being a vauxhall nut, even thats abit unfair, comparing a 1.6t with a 2L 16v, if only vauxhall made a 1600 turbo in thouse days, then wouldnt have to mess around with these double gasket jobs turbo conversions. and plus there was no real rst vauxhall eqivalent to make a good comparison.

[london_chris]

Always wondered how that worked. Just the bolting together of the two. simple but not that simple, you need a zvh head gasket , move the water pump and few other things for a fiesta i cant remember off my head but i duno about the scorts

[london_chris]

ford engines aint too bad if you get the right one, the old pinto/x-flow lumps are bomb proof, the cvh engines are weak on the bottom end but top end is brilliant, the 1.6zetec is sh*t, the other zetecs are ok altho the zetec Es are not as good as zetec s due to the production by yamaha!

[SUP4NOV4]

IM AN ENGINE RECONDITIONER AND BUILDER AND I THINK THE ZETEZS ARE JUST TRASH AS FOR THE CVH ALSO POOR TAPPY SMOKEY NEVER ANY GOOD UNLESS BEEN REBUILT BUT IVE HAD MY FAIR SHARE OF RS TURBOS AND XR s

[Saloony]

IM AN ENGINE RECONDITIONER AND BUILDER AND I THINK THE ZETEZS ARE JUST TRASH AS FOR THE CVH ALSO POOR TAPPY SMOKEY NEVER ANY GOOD UNLESS BEEN REBUILT BUT IVE HAD MY FAIR SHARE OF RS TURBOS AND XR sWell good for you.. ill put the flags out. The Zetec lumps are far from trash, especailly those of yamaha, 1.25 and 1.4, the most revvy engines ive ever experienced. In terms of simplicity yes the cvh is easy, still crap tho, i say the head arrangement is cack.

[SUP4NOV4]

what is with people on this web site their all b****y ive a 1.25 fiesta also and plenty of cvh s the 1.25 and 1.4 the big ends go all the time and acording to for etc cant be re-sized so its a new block and vrank i know what im talking about maybe you have just drove them but ive worked on them for many years

[c20xesleeper]

there lovely cars mate really quite nice to drive aprt from the sloppy gear stick but ney thats a mk3 / mk4 escort thing we can live with that .

[Saloony]

what is with people on this web site their all b****y ive a 1.25 fiesta also and plenty of cvh s the 1.25 and 1.4 the big ends go all the time and acording to for etc cant be re-sized so its a new block and vrank i know what im talking about maybe you have just drove them but ive worked on them for many years Yeah i driven them.... oh **** it, ive dabbled lets say, okay driven them, fixed them, repaired them and Mot'd them. Yes i am a mechanic. So yeah i know the situation, but like anything if it were looked after properly there would be no reason for them to be giving up, serviced a couple right from new up to 150k with no fault. But you cant complain these engines are cheap. But its still nowhere near as bad as the cvh.

[SUP4NOV4]

I really love escort turbos its just a shame the engines like the zetec cant take the thrash but dont get me wrong i love to work on the cvh its a love hate thing.

[Ben]

Just seen this thread so thought i would stick my nose in.

Now i am a massive Vauxhall fan and would always rather own one than a Ford but...

Having drove/owned one for a few months i have to say the S1 is awesome, the one we had went like stink and handling was awesome. And headturner wasnt the word!

Oh yeah and the resale value is much higher than a similar model spec vauxhall.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y228/lurk75/S1%20RST/S1RST046.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y228/lurk75/S1%20RST/S1RST089.jpg

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y228/lurk75/S1%20RST/S1RST115.jpg

[BAD BWOY NOVA CREW]

i had an xr3i and they drive awesome proper blokes car iv also ha the xr2i they are dog mess but the xr2 are really fun so i guess the series 1 is gonna be good judging by the 3i but there all rot boxes made from old fridges

[Paul]

s1s are probably the best car ford made up to the focus rs.

[Paul]

s1s are probably the best car ford made up to the focus rs.

[Ben]

I think there would be a few thousand cosworth owners that would strongly disagree with that one!

[Novadex]

I think there would be a few thousand cosworth owners that would strongly disagree with that one!
Yeah i was thinking the same thing, but the s1rst if one of my fav Fords!

[125scouse]

before you slag off a mark3 escort drive a looked after one and you'll soon change your mind.

they feel so slow standard as there limited to run so much boost, think its 0.7 bar standard. get a good stage 1 thats been polybushed up on some good suspension and you cant go far wrong pal.

downsides to them is rust, poor brakes, sloppy gearlinkages, sunroofs rusting and seizing, back bulb holders going iffy, not really much else though. good cars, you'll learn to put up with the noisey tappet that develops every month, lol hold good money the S1's too, as do the 16i's. :thumb:

[Paul]

just seen this post and regards to Ben, Ford didnt make the 'Cosworth' cosworth did. Thats the way i see it, and im sure this will kick up a fuss as evertime it does when my mates start saying ford are btter than vaux, look at the cossie...

The engine is the only good thing about the cosworth, everything else is ****. so i think the best production car ford have ever made is the focus rs, then the s1rst.