1970 Ford Escort Mk1 Twin-Cam

By the time the Escort first appeared 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 or 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 Manufacturers Trophy in its first year of production, a feat 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 bodyshell featured wider wheel arches, quarter bumpers, uprated suspension and front disc brakes as standard. It was powered by essentially the same engine as the Lotus Cortina, with a Lotus-designed eight-valve twin-camshaft head mated to Ford’s 1.5-litre pre-crossflow block bored out to 1,558cc. Producing around 110bhp and driving through a 2000E gearbox, it was capable of 115mph. Only 883 Twin-Cam models were produced before the BDA-powered RS1600 took over in 1970.

The car offered here appears to be a particularly good example of the Mk1 Escort Twin-Cam and has recently benefited from a fresh coat of Ermine White paint and looks suitably purposeful with its period ‘bubble arches’. The car was first registered on 9th November 1970 and the V5C shows three former keepers.

Accompanying the car is an interesting history file that includes a Twin-Cam Escort owner’s handbook, a selection of invoices and correspondence with the AVO Owners’ Club. This Escort would be equally at home in a 'Blue Oval' collection or out on spirited weekend drives where it can relive its glory days on the open road.

Offered at what we feel is a very competitive estimate when compared with previous sales, this represents an intriguing opportunity to acquire one of Ford’s most celebrated performance models.