The RS letters, when Ford applied them to a Fiesta in spring 1990, still carried the scent of forest stages and BDA valve gear, which made their attachment to a three-door supermini either an act of nerve or of marketing opportunism, depending on your charity. The Fiesta RS Turbo arrived in April 1990, a performance version of the Mk3, and production ran only until 1992. Two years, and then the emissions men closed the door. The 1991 Ford Fiesta RS Turbo now for sale at Hussigny-Godbrange, in the old iron country of French Lorraine near the Luxembourg frontier, is a survivor of a genuinely brief run.
Boost by way of the Garrett
The RS Turbo's CVH engine kept the 1597cc capacity of the XR2i but dropped compression to 8:1, and its Garrett T2 turbocharger supplied 8 psi of boost. The T2 was chosen because the gap between engine and radiator ruled out the larger T3 from the Escort RS Turbo. Constraint proved a virtue: the smaller compressor spun up sooner. Output was 133 PS at 5500 rpm with 183 Nm at 2400 rpm, good for 214 km/h and 0-60 in 7.9 seconds. Respectable arithmetic for a car of roughly a tonne and a third, and the reason a small blue hatchback could embarrass costlier machinery at the lights.
Whether it did so gracefully is another matter. The car was not generally well received, reviews citing poor handling and uncommunicative steering, and anyone who has felt the front axle tug at the wheel under full boost will understand the complaint. That is character rather than flaw: torque steer, the peaky delivery, the sense that the chassis is negotiating rather than commanding. Charm and vice sharing the same cylinder head.
The listing describes a slightly modified example with no rust, a good interior wanting a rear bench, a small dent at the rear and a hesitation on acceleration, sold with a set of engine parts and further spares. Take the rust claim to the four-post lift regardless. The worst area is around the fuel filler cap, where dirt and moisture trap between inner and outer panels and first show as bubbling paint. Most Turbos also carry a dent in the centre of the bonnet, from the 'TURBO' charge carrier striking it after the gearbox mounts fail. The turbo CVH is tough but suffers if neglected, so look for regular oil changes; without them, sludging gums the hydraulic tappets and bore wear follows. Many original parts are now very hard to find, the green bumper strips and side mouldings especially, a consideration when a car has been "slightly modified".
Rare, and getting rarer
At 13,900 EUR the asking sits within the upper reach of the band for a driver-grade car needing sorting, not unreasonable given how few remain. Around 4,500 were sold, and galloping rust, accidents and bad modifications have made the model very rare. That scarcity, arriving as these cars approach historic-vehicle status and its attendant relief across most of Europe, tends to concentrate the collector's mind. Before it is concentrated, though, the car wants a proper mechanical inspection, a genuine look at whatever history survives, and a cold-engine start with someone who knows a cracked CVH block from a healthy one.
