RS Motorsport :: Classic Speed Restored

Hi guys have recently found myself a mk2 rs2000 Aussie made 4 door and was having a heated discussion with a mate today who seems to think there was never any " genuine" Aussie made rs2000 4 doors as they weren't stamped as an rs2000 but just 2 ltr 4 doors with rs2000 parts dash, nosecone, stickers ect ect is he talking absolute rubbish or is this the case?

The body type is unique to suit the nosecone (plus other bits probably). The 4 door RS is unique to Australia.

He's full of it, Beshy!!

Thanks guys thought he was just talking rubbish just wasn't sure now just need to show him to make him belive me haha

You could always print this out to show him.

I hope there were genuine RS2000 4 doors other wise I must be a sucker as I have owned 7 of them. LOL

Out of interest Aus was the only market in which they were sold and our RS2000's were unique in many ways. Aus Rs's were essentially the 2lt rally pack with the RS goodies added, seats, nose cone, dash, shifter and badging etc. The only RS's (Mk2) with the actual words "RS2000"stamped into the compliance plate were the 25 imported German cars of 1976.

The Aussie Rs2000 2 and 4 doors were identical in parts and spec, apart from the number of doors.

Regards

Jas

i lived in the uk for most of my life and lived in aus for the last 16 years
and was brought up on the older type GT and RS models of the 60-70-80s
i had never seen many four door RS 2000 till i came to aus
they dont have the same parts on the on the austrailian models as
UK or european cars when i saw my first RS in aus i thought it was a
made up one, but my first impression was when i found out it was a real RS
was that it looked like ford had used up some parts from other cars
on the inside and never used the alloy sump or alloy bellhousing that were
all standard fitting on the uk models, top plates on the front stuts tops were different on the uk models aswell
no tramp bars on the aussie models different gearbox from the uk models aswell
or different gear ratios in the uk models as well and diff ratios are different to
i have seen some with the diffs on the RS that comes out the back of axel housing
the uk models never had this axel in them all had english axels in them that the diff comes out the front of the axel
also some of the holes in the tunnel are in the wrong place to be an RS
all RS 2000 have the gear lever hole two inches further back than an 1600 or 1300 shell

Jim, someone might correct me but i've never seen a 2 Litre Escort in Australia with the other type of diff (Salisbury?). My books tell me that the standard Diff and Gearbox ratios are exactly the same on both UK and Aust RS2000's. The reason that the different extension housing was used here was possibly because the Cortina (from which the UK gearbox came) was not well received in Australia so that gearbox (with longer extension housing) was probably a little hard to source here.

I suspect that you wouldn't have seen ANY 4 door RS2000 before you came here as they weren't made anywhere else. Our cars were obviously done on the cheap compared to the Eurpoean Market cars but they are still RS2000's just different to what you are used to. Hope this helps

Jim the UK RS was different, it is the same as the 25 Imported RS2000 cars of 1976. Aussie RS's are unique to Aus, including the 4 door droop snoot.

Gary, don't forget it is common for the flat front 2lt cars in the UK to be reffered to as RS's. (Not the 1800's) There would have been a few of them in 4 door trim floating around and I assume that Jim is referring to one of these. The Aus market was the only one with factory RS2000 (Mk2) 4 doors to my knowledge.

Regards

Jas

Both Aussie RS2000's had their own factory production codes - 11918 for the 2 door, 11938 for the 4 door - couldn't get any more 'real' than that if you tried.

Aussie RS European RS both left Ford as RS2000's so both are pukka just slightly different (BTW I owned a european RS2000 custom in the uk in the late eighties and now own an aussie RS, whilst I prefer the blacked out rear panel and fishnet recaro's I would not change my aussie model, it's virtually standard (still running original engine and leaded head) and as its now 32 years young it's not gonna change whilst I own it).

thanks guys helped me in earning a slab haha now the fun begins.. sell my 4 door ghia n start me rs :)