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Ford Escort MkI RS2000

Ford Escort MkI  RS2000Ford Escort MkI  RS2000Ford Escort MkI  RS2000Ford Escort MkI  RS2000Ford Escort MkI  RS2000
Ford Escort MkI  RS2000Ford Escort MkI  RS2000Ford Escort MkI  RS2000Ford Escort MkI  RS2000Ford Escort MkI  RS2000
Ford Escort MkI  RS2000Ford Escort MkI  RS2000
Lot number 157
Hammer value £15,500
Description Ford Escort MkI RS2000
Registration CMB 155N
Year 1974
Colour Red
Engine size 1,993 cc
Chassis No. BFATPU00056
Engine No. BFATPU00056

Launched at the end of 1967 as a replacement for the Anglia, the Ford Escort proved an instant success and was to become one of Britain's best-loved cars with its Detroit-inspired 'Coke bottle' waistline and distinctive 'dogbone' shaped front grille. Powered by a Kent Crossflow engine in 1.1 or 1.3 litre capacities, it had conventional rear wheel drive and a four-speed manual gearbox. The suspension consisted of a simple live axle mounted on leaf springs, but with rack-and-pinion steering.

However, what really earned the Mk1 Escort its place in the motoring hall of fame was its phenomenal success as a rally car. In highly tuned RS1600 and Twin Cam guise, the Escorts produced by Ford's Advanced Vehicle Operations (AVO) division eventually became the most successful rally cars of all time and the Ford works team was practically unbeatable in the late '60s and early '70s. Even today Escorts are still popular in the amateur and historic rally scene and can still humble far more modern machinery as Colin McRae repeatedly showed in his highly modified Mk2.

In 1973 Ford's AVO factory also produced the RS2000 model as a more 'civilised' alternative to the hardcore RS1600 featuring the same strengthened Type 49 body shell but with a 2-litre Pinto OHC engine with aluminium sump, close-ratio gearbox with aluminium bellhousing, higher final drive ratio and a plusher cabin. With 100bhp on tap it could sprint to 60mph in 9 seconds on its way to a top speed of 110mph with 33mpg economy.

This also clocked up many rally and racing victories and pre-empted the hot hatch market as a desirable but affordable performance road car. Only around 5,300 were made in total, just 3,700 for the UK market before it was replaced by the Mk2 in 1975. Survivors are now increasingly sought after and have risen strongly in value in recent years.

First registered in August 1974, this car had just one owner from 1978 to 2006 and is described by the vendor as: “a very genuine and honest MkI RS2000 that has been part of my private collection for six years. The only reason I am selling is because I have recently bought a white one (my favourite colour). This car was restored about 10 years ago and I have kept it in a heated garage and done less than 1,000 miles in my six years’ ownership. It needs absolutely nothing as it has been maintained meticulously with no modifications.” Supplied with an MOT until August, the car is on the button and ready to go.
 

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