Few rally cars are more evocative than the Mk1 Ford Escort, which was launched in late 1967 and dominated British rallying throughout the early 1970s. It was driven by some of the greatest names in the sport’s history, including Hannu Mikkola, Roger Clark, Timo Mäkinen and Björn Waldegaard, and fired the imagination of countless enthusiasts who lined special stages around the world.

Early rally Escorts were equipped with the 1558cc Lotus-Ford Twin Cam engine that had powered the Lotus Cortina, but in 1970 Ford introduced the first of its legendary ‘Rallye Sport’ models – the RS1600. Built at the new Advanced Vehicle Operations site in Essex, it was powered by Cosworth’s 16-valve BDA engine, which gave 120bhp in roadgoing form. The RS1600 was followed in 1973 by the RS2000, which was powered by Ford’s 2-litre Pinto engine.

Not only was the Mk1 Escort successful in shorter stage rallies, it proved to be equally suitable for endurance events. The most famous of those was the 1970 London to Mexico World Cup Rally, in which Hannu Mikkola took victory in a car that had been fitted not with a BDA engine, but with an 1850cc development of the Kent crossflow unit. That success led to the introduction of the famous Escort Mexico production car.

From 1972 onwards, Mk1 Escorts won the RAC Rally three years in a row, but by 1975 the new Mk2 had been introduced. This picked up where its predecessor had left off, and won the RAC Rally on five consecutive occasions.

The Mk1 Escort being offered for sale here is RWC 456K – an ex-works car with a fabulous history that includes being part of a five-car factory entry on the 1972 East African Safari Rally. It would be driven by Timo Mäkinen and Henry Liddon on the gruelling long-distance event, which started and finished in the Tanzanian city of Dar es Salaam and covered more than 3000 miles.

Of the 83 starters, only 18 completed the rally, which was won by Hannu Mikkola and Gunnar Palm in one of the other works Escorts. Their only real opposition had come from Mäkinen/Liddon, but sadly RWC 456K was delayed by mechanical problems and eventually finished eighth.

Later that year, the Escort was entered by the works team for the RAC Rally, where it failed to finish in the hands of Scottish ace – and future Mitsubishi rally boss – Andrew Cowan. It did, however, have a more successful outing on the 1972 Ypres Rally, taking overall victory with Gilbert Staepelaere and Andre Aerts. 

In more recent years, RWC 456K was given a full nut-and-bolt rebuilt by Motoscope and prepared for historic stage rallying. This included – amongst a great many other things – fitting an FIA-spec, 2-litre, 250bhp BDA engine, ZF gearbox, AP twin-plate clutch, and AP four-pot brake calipers all round.

Having been sold to the current owner in 2018, the Escort was given a thorough re-work and prepared for long-distance events, a process that involved removing the BDA engine and fitting a Sherwood 2-litre Pinto engine along with many subtle changes required for endurance events. RWC 456K was then used on the HERO-ERA’s New Zealand Classic in 2020 and completed the more recent 2024 Road to Hanoi.

Now being offered for sale with an extensive spares package that includes the BDA engine and ZF gearbox, plus a huge file with a wealth of period photographs, it represents a rare opportunity to acquire an ex-works Ford Escort Mk1. Not only is it a joy to drive, but it is also perfectly set up for historic endurance events and longer distance events such as the Peking to Paris rally, where its new owner can follow in the wheel tracks of Timo Mäkinen and Henry Liddon when they tackled the East African Safari.

Our client is enthusiastic to find a new home for this exceptionally prepared car so don’t hesitate to get in touch with us to arrange to view.

The car is currently with Rally Preparation Services sister Company, the RPS storage facility and available for inspection. All viewings and test drives welcomed through direct contact with Rally Preparation Services.

All viewings and test drives welcomed by appointment at Rally Preparation Services.

All enquiries please contact us on mail@rpsrally.com or telephone +44(0)1993 358009

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