Ford Escort MkI 1300E

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Launched in 1968 to replace the Anglia, the Escort soon became Britain’s best selling car, with over 2 million sold by 1974.

With a distinctive ‘dogbone’ front grille and swept ‘Coke bottle’ flanks, the Escort perfectly captured the clean 60s look and was widely admired. Mechanically it was conventional but effective, with rear-wheel drive, precise rack-and-pinion steering, MacPherson strut front suspension and a simple live rear axle mounted on leaf springs.

It was initially available only as a two-door saloon with either a 1.1 or 1.3-litre Kent Crossflow engine. Most were very basic inside but a top of the range model was introduced in 1973, the 1300E, which had ‘Executive’ trimmings such as additional dash instruments, wooden dash and door cappings, a three-spoke steering wheel, additional sound proofing, side stripes, full-width bumpers and slightly flared arches.

Under the bonnet the Sports version of the Kent 1300 used a Weber carb to develop 72bhp. The car wasn’t heavy and was able to achieve a highly respectable 93mph and managed the 0 – 60mph dash in just over 13 seconds. And all this for £1,182! Blessed with excellent handling characteristics, the MkI Escort went on to become one of the most successful rally cars of all time.

This nice and original 82,000 mile example has been owned by the same family since nearly new. As owners of their local Ford dealership in Minehead, they registered it as their demonstrator in 1974 before selling it to a local gentleman who traded it back to the dealership not long after.

It was then adopted by the owner’s wife as her everyday car until parked up in 2005. Since moving to the Herefordshire area many years ago, its annual servicing was entrusted to Watsons Motor Works, Leominster’s own Ford Service Dealer. A full record of every visit is on file, showing the accumulation of mileage and a detailed breakdown of the work undertaken.

By 1986 it had covered 61,000 miles, a figure which had increased to 76,000 in 1992. A bill for £368 for new brake callipers is on file from 1998 following which just a few thousand miles have been added to the total.

Recently fired-up, it has just flown through a fresh MOT which expires in January 2016. This highly original and unmolested 1300E retains its attractive purple colour scheme and '70s vinyl roof. It has been properly serviced for nearly 40 years, carefully used for its entire life and is exactly how you would wish to find them.