Ford Escort MkI RS1600 No. 36 Jörg Obermoser Nürburgring DRM 1973 Trofeu 1:43

The Ford Escort MkI is one of the most extensively modelled cars in the collector market, yet the vast majority of existing 1:43 pieces portray it in rally configuration. Trofeu's depiction of Jörg Obermoser's RS1600 in Deutsche Rennsportmeisterschaft trim fills a genuine gap: a competition saloon on the Nürburgring Nordschleife, wearing white-and-red livery and running the Cosworth BDA engine in race-prepared form.

A Homologation Special Built Around the BDA

Introduced in 1970 as a homologation special within the first-generation Escort range (produced 1968–1975), the RS1600 was engineered from the outset for competition. Its defining feature is the Ford Cosworth BDA — Belt Drive A-type — a 1599 cc inline-four with twin overhead camshafts and four valves per cylinder, topped by an aluminium alloy crossflow cylinder head with hemispherical combustion chambers. The BDA was homologated at 1601 cc to place the car in the over-1600 cc class for motorsport eligibility. In road specification it produced approximately 113 bhp at 6500 rpm; race-prepared units were bored out toward 1.8–2.0 litres for series such as the DRM. The bodyshell measured 3975 mm in length, 1568 mm wide, on a 2400 mm wheelbase, with a kerb weight of just 785 kg.

Obermoser on the Nordschleife

The Deutsche Rennsportmeisterschaft began in 1972 as Germany's top national touring and sports car series — the direct predecessor of what eventually became the DTM. Jörg Obermoser, born 19 June 1943 in Bruchsal, was one of the series' most active privateers: in 1972 he finished fourth overall in the inaugural DRM, competing in Division II with a Ford Escort RS1600. At the Nürburgring DRM round in 1973 he entered a Ford Escort BDA for his own Jörg Obermoser Eurorace team. Obermoser's motorsport significance extends well beyond driving: he founded the TOJ (Team Obermoser Jörg) racing team and served as the German distributor for GRD racing cars. He died on 16 September 2020 in Pforzheim.

The Trofeu 1:43 Scale Model

This 1:43 scale model is produced by Trofeu, the Portuguese specialist with a long catalogue focus on touring-car and circuit-racing subjects that larger manufacturers routinely overlook. The model depicts Obermoser's Ford Escort MkI RS1600, car number 36, in the white-and-red livery associated with his DRM Nürburgring entry. Trofeu issues companion pieces within the same DRM Ford Escort sequence: a separate model covers Obermoser's Escort as winner at Hockenheim 1972, in gold and black livery, allowing the two pieces to form a cohesive Obermoser sub-collection.

In the Display Cabinet

At 1:43, the model measures approximately 9.5 cm in length — compact enough to fit comfortably on a single shelf tier alongside DRM rivals such as the Dieter Glemser Escort and the Zakspeed RS1600. The white-and-red colour scheme creates useful visual contrast against the gold-and-black Hockenheim companion piece. For collectors building a DRM touring-car narrative or a Cosworth BDA engine heritage group, this Nürburgring Nordschleife entry — one of the most storied circuits in motorsport history at its full 22.835 km length — anchors the German circuit-racing story that rally-spec Escort models simply cannot tell.