1969 Ford Escort Mk1 Twin-Cam

By the time the Escort first came out in 1968, Ford were already firmly wedded to the marketing strategy of ‘Win on Sunday, sell on Monday’ and were keenly aware that they would need a race/rally version to take over from where the mighty Lotus Cortina had left off.

To this end, Ford’s Boreham-based competition department had been quietly beavering away on a Lotus-powered Escort that was ready to roll as soon as the standard models hit the showrooms. Called the Twin Cam, the hot new Escort immediately excelled on the international race and rally circuits, winning countless events and securing Ford the coveted World Rally Championship manufacturer’s trophy in its first year of production, a feat which it also repeated the following year.

Externally, there was very little difference between the Twin Cam and its tamer two-door sibling, the Escort GT, but the reinforced Type 49 body shell had wider wheel arches, quarter bumpers, uprated suspension and front disc brakes as standard. It was powered by basically the same engine as the Lotus Cortina with a Lotus-designed 8-valve twin camshaft head mated to Ford’s 1.5 L pre-crossflow block bored out to 1,558cc. Producing 110bhp and driving through a 2000E gearbox, it had a top speed of 115mph. Only 883 Twin Cam models were made before production ended in 1970 to make way for the BDA-powered RS1600.

On offer at the NEC Classic Motor Show 2022 is this superb 1969 Ford Escort TC that has recently been subject to an extensive mechanical overhaul by renowned marque specialists. First registered in February 1969, today the TC indicates 31,685 miles and is finished in the classic Ford Motorsport colours of Ermine White with a black vinyl interior.

In 2021, the gearbox and differential were professionally overhauled and this year, to make sure the Escort was absolutely ‘on its toes’, the engine was sent to Ford guru, Peter Vaughan, at NVJ Developments and fitted back into the car then tuned by Graham Quick and his team at Q S Motorsport with a receipt on file for £14,000. To help the engine breathe, an Ashley performance exhaust is fitted which works well with the twin side draught Webbers and the handling has been improved by a set of Gaz adjustable shocks and matching Goodyear tyres on all four corners.

Accompanied by a history file which includes the invoices for the aforementioned work, original hand-book, current V5C ready for transfer or export, various other related paperwork and although exempt, a current MOT valid until April 2023.

A rare car to begin with and very few survivors, this is believed to be one of just 23 examples currently active on UK roads and, with recent attention by some of the best names in the business and presented in superb order, it could be many years before another example this good appears on the open market.