1969 Ford Escort MK1 Twin Cam - Ex-Works Hannu Mikkola

The Mk. I Ford Escort was introduced in Ireland and the UK at the end of 1967, making its show debut at the Brussels Motor Show in January 1968 replacing the successful, long-running Ford Anglia. The front suspension and steering gear were differently configured, and the brakes were fitted with dual hydraulic circuits; also the wheels fitted on the Genk-built Escorts had wider rims. At the beginning of 1970, continental European production transferred to a new plant on the edge of Saarlouis, West Germany. They were hailed as an immediate success both domestically on the roads and for motor sport, particularly rallying. A higher performance version for rallies and racing was available, the Escort Twin Cam, which was built for Group 2 international rallying. It had an engine with a Lotus-made eight-valve twin camshaft head fitted to the 1.5 litre non-crossflow block, which had a bigger bore than usual to give a capacity of 1,558cc. This engine had originally been developed for the Lotus Elan. The Mk. I Escorts were incredibly successful and they eventually went on to become one of the most successful rally cars of all time.

This rare and historically interesting ex-Ford Works rally car was driven in period by Hannu Mikkola at the Rally of Cyprus in October 1970 and also in period by the British rally star, Roger Clark, although he didn’t compete in the car (as pictured in the book ‘The Works Escorts’ Second Edition by Graham Robson). The car was first registered in February 1970 and was sold (shown in a used vehicle brochure) as an ex-Works car on 30th June 1972. It still carries the same registration from new which is recorded in its original 'buff' logbook and again confirmed in the present logbook. This car is depicted in various magazines and Works Escort publications being rallied by the sporting luminaries mentioned and has been in storage for most of its latter-day life, forming part of a small private collection presently. This car is known by the AVO Club who inspected and valued it in 2011 confirming its provenance. A wonderful piece of motorsport history not to be missed.