1980 Ford Escort RS2000 Custom

• 34,000 miles, time-warp, genuine RS2000 dating from 1980
• Finished in Cordoba Beige with a brown interior
• All the MOT's up until 1992 (30,405 miles). Most recent on 11/07/2018 at 31,714
• From long-term storage. Only 1,500 miles in the last 27 years
• Original brochure, MOT's and numerous invoices from the 1980's
• The distinctive looks mean that these droop snoot cars remain sought after

The droop-snoot RS2000 has become something of a legend in Ford circles and, with rallying heritage, was the Seventies equivalent of Subaru's WRX and Mitsubishi's Evo.

It was back in 1970 that Ford introduced their Rally Sport models - the RS range. Originally designed as a way of building limited numbers of homologation specials for serious competition use, it soon grew into a major marketing opportunity, and one that Ford grabbed with both hands. By 1976, when the RS 2000 Mk2 was launched, the term RS had grown to mean something a bit special.

Unlike the Mk1 Escort which was designed by Ford of Great Britain, the Mk2 was a much more sophisticated design that was jointly developed with Ford of Germany. Based on a standard Mk2 two-door saloon shell, the RS2000 used the familiar 2-litre, inline four-cylinder, SOHC, Pinto engine mounted longitudinally in the bay driving the rear wheels. A single twin-venturi 32/36 DGAV Weber carburettor was fitted with the option of a Group 1 dual Weber 40 DCNF or IDF set up. The front suspension used independent MacPherson struts with an anti-roll bar and at the rear, traditional leaf springs with telescopic dampers were utilised. Front-mounted discs and rear drums were used and four-spoke alloy wheels came as standard. Its biggest distinguishing feature was a droop snoot polyurethane nose housing four headlamps which gave it a rather aggressive look. The new car was capable of 110mph with 0-60mph taking 8.9 seconds, not too shabby in 1976, and which combined with the car's distinctive looks and that shiny RS badge, set Ford's showroom doors swinging.

In late 1978, the Custom Pack became an option and included the following; Fishnet Recaro seats, full door cards, clock and pod centre console, 6J x 13″ alloys, boot carpet, remote drivers door mirror and the back panel around the rear lights was painted black.

On offer here we have a Ford Rallye Sport 2000 Custom dating from 1980 finished in Cordoba Beige with a brown interior. We understand that is has been enjoyed by three previous keepers and the indicated mileage at its most recent MOT test was 31,714 on 11/07/2018. The history file contains an original brochure, an owner's handbook, ten older MOTs up until 26/09/1992 at 30,405 miles and a number of invoices from the 1980's.