That's the point. Throttle cables usually last longer than the rest of the car so why should Ford build up a huge (and expensive!) stock for parts they don't expect to sell ever? Plus Ford built less cars of the XR2i/RST than of lower spec ones.
Like I said, maybe a MK5 Escort fits. Or a MK3 Fiesta one from a different engine.
totally understand what you are saying and I am not going to get into a keyboard debate over stick parts and how long they should last etc etc, just want some advice on where I could possibly find one, I’ll try a mk5 one like you said mate 👍🏽