Here in the US Ford is huge, we love the Mustang and the F150, but we never got to experience one of the coolest Fords ever. How is it that Ford is an American car manufacturer, but we don't get all the cars they produce. The Escort Cosworth has always been one of my favorite cars, something about a normal every day car that's turned, given AWD, and a massive rear wing, that makes it cool.
It was unlike most American cars of the time, there was no massive V8, it wasn't rear wheel drive, and it wasn't a mile long. However, it was faster than the Mustang, and I think it looks better than the fox body also. That was likely a huge reason it wasn't offered here, the Mustang is an American icon, and allowing it to be bested by an Escort would have killed off the stallion.
I still think we would've loved having the Escort Cosworth here in the states, and the Mustang would've survived. We love our V8 muscle cars, and even tho we have the Focus RS, the Mustang is still thriving. We never got the Escort Cosworth due to EPA, but Ford could've made modifications to bring it here, that's just an excuse. I've never got to experience the Escort Cosworth, and I may never have the chance, and its likely because Ford did not want a small hatchback outshining the Mustang.