My thought also Ray, but haven't been able to check that yet.
Just got the car back from the shop, they did me a favor picking it since they are absolutely overloaded these days, they could not check the boost but at least it got a full timing belt/waterpump service, oil/filter and air filter change, new spark plugs etc. Compression wise the engine is very healthy, and they confirmed to me it is an all around great car, well looked after by the single owner. One of the guys there, who is also a rally mechanic, shared a Fiesta RS turbo years ago with his brother and knows the car through and through and says it runs as you would expect from a stock FRST, but on january once all Xmas madness is over I will bring it back and we will be doing a more in depth check, installing boost and oil gauges, reinforced fan and fuel pump wiring and rest of customary things to do nowadays.
After all the service it certainly runs better, some vibration at idle due to a knackered engine mount (Couldn't source one in time) and it lights up the tires easily in 2nd if you give it the beans, so I guess it puzzled me mostly because it feels so different from the S2 Escort. The FRST is a bit like a turbodiesel, pushes you hardest at the bottom but then goes up the rpms quick but very linearly, no drama at all. You only realize how fast you are going if you look outside or at the speedo.
Big bonus: Thanks to the dry spanish climate there is absolutely no rust at all in the car!!!
Some additional Qs if you don't mind helping me a bit more:
1) Would you guys recommend adding a second fan? Spain is really hot in the summer and I have seen some S2 ERSTs here with a second fan extending rightwards of the original fan covering the rest of the radiator and the intercooler. I can easily source here a second FRST fan, but need to know before ordering my fan cable if I will be using two.
2) Any ideas where a gear shifter rebuild kit can be had? Lever is very sloppy, although gears engage perfectly. I know it's just some small plastic parts & springs that wear out, but Ford Spain doesn't stock them anymore.