Blimey it seems some people really have managed to get handbags in a knot over this. Lets clarify my position completely and explain my opinion, then perhaps some of you can stop thinking I'm sort of moron. I'll ignore the silly snipes and ridiculous posts I've seen and just post this.
Firstly, my personal view on the Escort Cosworth IRRESPECTIVE of its value.
I love the Escort Cosworth. I think they look genuinelly special and every time I see one its as if I've just seen a Ferrari or something - Wow look! A Cosworth! They look great and even today a properly polished up mint condition example has a completely difference presence to a bog standard Mk5 Escort, which is simply a banger.
So my point is not that it is a bad car. It's not that it is simply an ordinary Escort, either, because the only amazement I get when I see an ordinary Escort is that anyone bought it in the first place.
It purely relates to the cars VALUE. Firstly, I know exactly how supply and demand works. I know that there is no question that in terms of market value, an Escort Cosworth is worth circa £15k. If you advertise a mint one for sale at this money, somebody will buy it. This is fact and cannot be disputed.
What some of us are saying though is the concept of actual value. IE is it REALLY worth that? Do you really get £15,000 worth of car?
I beleive you do not. Lets look at some of the arguments for the cars value.
1) It has Rally Heritage!
It has nowhere near the rally heritage of similar cars available at the time. As previously explained, the EsCos won not a single WRC title. I would go so far as to say it was therefore a failure on the world rally stage. It was built to dominate rally and it did not so. The Subaru Impreza and Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution were both more succesful rally cars.
2) It's a limited production run!
It's not. Ok it's not a Focus 1.6 Zetec either and 7100 is not a lot of cars but it's also not a limited production run. There was no decision taken to make only a few Escort Cosworths. They made as many as they could sell, and it really is that simple. 7100 is simply what they beleived the market would bear at the time (Though production was curtailed by stupid emissions regulations).
3) It's a Cossie!
So what? Being objective here and removing all emotion this means you get.. a 4WD 2.0 Turbocharged car. Which is great, but then so is a Subaru Impreza and so is a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution.
There is nothing about the Escort that really, truely justifies the ridicululous money they now command. it is pure 'Cosseh factor' and I think a lot of this IS based on myth. You only have to look at this thread to find out how much misinformation there is around Cosworths. There are people here who think they had loads of rally success, people who think they only made a few, people who think there was a Cosworth and an RS Cosworth when in reality they were all RS Cosworths and the difference was the second production run had smaller turbos.
There are numerous cars which are far more capable in every possible way and far far cheaper.
And this is not anti Ford. It's not if it was a BMW I'd understand. I have the same opinion of ALL over inflated scene taxed cars.
The E30 M3, seriously, 20 grand? What?
The BMW Z3M Coupe. What the hell? £13k? The E46 M3 is better and cheaper.
Mercedes 190E Cosworth Evo II. Again, stupid money.
Lotus Carlton, just lol at the money these command when its hot rival, the E34 M5, is worth a fraction (Yet annoyingly climbing with every passing day).
etc etc.
So there we go. I like Cossies but think they are a waste of money. You can't even own it like you can an Impreza. You can buy an Impreza and have it as.. your car. Go to the shops in it. Go to see friends in it. Do 12k a year in it. All whilst getting more performance, more grip, more everything than a Cosworth. Do that in a Cosworth and you'd have to be mental as you'd nuke it's over inflated value if you took it to something daft like 140k miles.
Better?
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