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Escort "twincam" engines

To: british-cars@autox.team.net
Subject: Escort "twincam" engines
From: Mike Causer <mike@setanta.demon.co.uk>
Date: Wed, 6 Apr 94 17:44:29 BST
Jim Fuerstenberg said

> The twin-cam rally car was an RS1800 Twin Cam. A close friend of
> mine has one.  It finished 2d in class, 4th overall in the 71 or 72
> East Africa Safari rally.  It is currently in storage waiting for
> time and money to be restored. (not a 4 valve motor)

There have been three different d.o.h.c motors fitted to the rear-wheel-drive
Escorts.  The first was the Lotus "Twin-Cam", using a Ford 1500 block, Lotus
head with 2 valves/cyl, size 1558cc.  The car was known as the Escort Twin-Cam.
The second was the Escort RS1600, with Ford 1600 block, and Cosworth Four valve
head - the whole engine was known as the Cosworth BDA (Belt Drive, Series "A").
The rated capacity was 1601cc, but exactly the same dimensions were used for
the 1600 Mexico (push-rod) which was rated as 1599cc.  Just a racing category
fiddl^H^H^H^H^H adjustment.  The third motor was an aluminium block & head
from Cosworth at 1800cc.  Not too sure of the designation, but it could have 
been BDE.  This was the RS1800, which memory says was only a MkII, not a MkI
model.

So what is the Safari car?  It should have 4 valves if it's a straight line
RS1800 and the only 2 valve twin cam head fitted to those Ford blocks was
the Lotus as far as I can remember.


ObEnglishLanguageObservation

The original spelling of brake (as in waggon), was "break", because it was used
to tow horses behind it during the process of breaking them in.
I _could_ tell you the differences between convertible, roadster and d.h.c., but
don't fancy being flamed as a smartarse, so I won't.  ;=)

Cheers,

Mike
Mike Causer           Setanta Technology        mike@setanta.demon.co.uk
                         Cambridge UK
                          Utrecht NL



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