1:18 OttOmobile Ford Escort Mk4/Series 2 RS Turbo Review

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Welcome to my review of the 1:18 OttOmobile Ford Escort Mk4 RS Turbo in Radiant Red!This is part of the “review in a few” series where I show off all the main features of a model,rather than fully going into the history and background of the real car and posting a limitednumber of pictures for you to drool over.

Produced between 1986 and 1990, the Ford Escort Mk4 RS Turbo continued Ford’s RS(Rallye Sport) heritage line from the RS3100 Capri, the RS1600, RS1800 and RS2000Escorts, the Sierra RS Cosworth and of course, the Mk3/Series 1 RS Turbo. Released in late1984, the Series 1 RS Turbo packed 132bhp with 180Nm from its turbocharged 1.6 litrefour-cylinder engine. The Series 1 RS Turbo also featured a viscous-coupling limited-slipdifferential to help eliminate torque steer. According to Ford, it was the first use of thetechnology in a front wheel drive production car.

1984-86 Ford Escort Mk3/Series 1 RS Turbo – front view. Credit: Car and Classic

1984-86 Ford Escort Mk3/Series 1 RS Turbo – rear view. Credit: Car and Classic

Ford was only planning to build 5,000 for Group A homologation purposes, but due todemand, it ended up building 8,604 all in Diamond White – unless you were Lady Diana, whomanaged to get hers in Black! Due to the racing/rallying background of the car, manydrivers and passengers complained about the unforgiving suspension on uneven surfaces.

1984-86 Ford Escort Mk3/Series 1 RS Turbo – interior view. Credit: Car and Classic

This is where the facelifted Mk4 RS Turbo came into play. The Series 2 variant arrived in1986 after just a year of the Series 1 being on sale. It incorporated aesthetic changes madeto the Escort line that year and was clearly aimed at the road user rather than built solely

1:18 OttOmobile Ford Escort Mk4/Series 2 RS Turbo Review

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for homologation purposes as per the Series 1. Performance was very similar to the earliercar, with a top speed of 125mph, the only changes to the engine being a water-cooledGarrett turbo, longer gearing, revised cylinder head and new piston, plus improvements tothe Jetronic unit and Intercooler.

1986 – 1990 Ford Escort Mk4/Series 2 RS Turbo – press shot. Credit: Ford

You could now get the Series 2 RS Turbo in Diamond White, Black, Rosso Red, Radiant Red(1990 spec cars) and Mercury Grey. Testing the car in 1986, Autocar magazine commentedthat Ford had succeeded in building a quick, practical hatch: “…this is a slightly morecivilised hot hatch, better adapted to fast, long-distance motoring in improved comfort thanits predecessor.” However, Autocar’s tester concluded that the RS had slightly lost its edgecompared to its first homolgation creation saying, “anyone who drove the original…is likely

1:18 OttOmobile Ford Escort Mk4/Series 2 RS Turbo Review

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to be disappointed by this second, slightly softer, version.” Unfortunately, Fords of the earlyto mid-1980s could be stolen with a teaspoon and a fast Ford was no exception! As a resultof this, nobody would insure the RS Turbo and the car’s values plummeted.

1989 Ford Escort Mk4/Series 2 RS Turbo in Radiant Red – front view. Credit: SH Cars

1:18 OttOmobile Ford Escort Mk4/Series 2 RS Turbo Review

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1989 Ford Escort Mk4/Series 2 RS Turbo in Radiant Red – rear view. Credit: SH Cars

1:18 OttOmobile Ford Escort Mk4/Series 2 RS Turbo Review

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1989 Ford Escort Mk4/Series 2 RS Turbo in Radiant Red – front lights. Credit: SH Cars

1:18 OttOmobile Ford Escort Mk4/Series 2 RS Turbo Review

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1989 Ford Escort Mk4/Series 2 RS Turbo in Radiant Red – Escort RS Turbo badge. Credit:SH Cars

1:18 OttOmobile Ford Escort Mk4/Series 2 RS Turbo Review

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1989 Ford Escort Mk4/Series 2 RS Turbo in Radiant Red – interior view. Credit: SH Cars

1:18 OttOmobile Ford Escort Mk4/Series 2 RS Turbo Review

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1989 Ford Escort Mk4/Series 2 RS Turbo in Radiant Red – interior view. Credit: SH Cars

Here we have the Ford Escort Mk4/Series 2 RS Turbo for review in Radiant Red and madeby OttOmobile (item number OT826). The pre-1990 cars were Rosso Red, which seems to bea slightly darker shade. I just want to say a big thanks to OttOmobile for sending this presssample over for me to review – their partnership is much appreciated!

1:18 OttOmobile Ford Escort Mk4/Series 2 RS Turbo Review

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1:18 OttOmobile Ford Escort Mk4/Series 2 RS Turbo Review

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1:18 OttOmobile Ford Escort Mk4/Series 2 RS Turbo Review

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1:18 OttOmobile Ford Escort Mk4/Series 2 RS Turbo Review

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1:18 OttOmobile Ford Escort Mk4/Series 2 RS Turbo Review

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1:18 OttOmobile Ford Escort Mk4/Series 2 RS Turbo Review

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1:18 OttOmobile Ford Escort Mk4/Series 2 RS Turbo Review

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1:18 OttOmobile Ford Escort Mk4/Series 2 RS Turbo Review

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1:18 OttOmobile Ford Escort Mk4/Series 2 RS Turbo Review

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So what is my quick opinion of this model? For the €59.90 release price of OttOmobile’s1:18 models, their models represent excellent value for money! I’m pleased to say therewere no quality control (QC) issues on my example, although it was marked as a tradesample so make of that what you will. This is a left hand drive replica and it seems only theUK right hand drive variant had the orange side indicators in real life, so this model iscorrect in not having them included. Otherwise this particular model looks like a stellarrepresentation in 1:18 form!

1:18 OttOmobile Ford Escort Mk4/Series 2 RS Turbo Review

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Thanks for reading this detailed review of the 1:18 OttOmobileFord Escort Mk4/Series 2 RS Turbo in Radiant Red. Please feelfree to give your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!

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