Description

The Ford Escort was introduced in the United Kingdom at the end of 1967, making its debut at Brussels Motor Show in January 1968.

The Mark I Escort, as it is now known, was an immediate success, both on the road and on the rally stage, and went on to become one of the most successful rally cars of all time. The Ford works team was practically unbeatable in the late 1960s and early 1970s, with victories in every major rally in the world. Arguably its greatest triumph was in the 1970 London to Mexico World Cup Rally, co-driven by Finnish legend Hannu Mikkola and Swedish co-driver Gunnar Palm, which gave rise to the production ‘Mexico’ model, the forerunner of the car we see here.

In the search for more power, Ford commissioned Cosworth to produce a 16-valve cylinder head to sit atop the new standard Crossflow Ford ‘711’ block. Thus was born the RS 1600, which, as well as sporting higher performance engines and sports suspension, like the Mexico, the RS 1600 featured a strengthened bodyshell.

A Mk1 Escort RS1600 is a rare beast indeed and the car we present sports the correct Cosworth BDA - ‘Belt Driven type A’ twin-cam engine, designed for motorsport and seen in everything from rally cars to Formula 2 racers. Designed to be raced and rallied the RS 1600 was the ultimate development of possibly the world’s most rallied car. Thousands of club and professional rally drivers cut their teeth on the Escort; it offered light weight, terrific handling and almost endless opportunities for modification. This example has been expertly prepared by Ramberg Racing in Norway. It is FIA Class CT19 approved and is fitted with a 1.8 litre engine, giving 214 hp.