1972 Ford Escort Mk1 RS1600 BDA Rally Car FIA HTP

It is difficult to imagine a Stage Rally in the early seventies without the Mk 1 Ford Escort. Those of us who put up with the really early morning starts and the trudge through dank woods over ankle-twisting tree stumps in order to get as close to the action as possible were often rewarded with the sight and sound of Escorts doing what they do best. You could hear them way before you saw them, the cacophonous howl of a BDA at 10,000 revs screaming for more cold air, would echo up through the pines and then, suddenly, a pair of bright headlights on the outside of four 7" Cibie Oscars would burn a hole in the mist and then past, only inches away, the exhaust resonating in your chest as your internal organs vibrate in sympathy, and if you were really lucky you would get showered in gravel as well. Addictive.

Ford had, for a number of years, used active participation in motorsport as a means of getting their showroom doors swinging on a Monday morning, and the new Escort was to prove no exception. Popular at club level in every discipline of the sport, it was at an International level that the name Escort became synonymous with winning. The Ford Works team was practically unbeatable in the late 1960s/early 1970s, and arguably, the Escort's greatest victory was in the 1970 London to Mexico World Cup Rally being driven by Finnish legend Hannu Mikkola. This result and the ensuing acclaim prompted Ford to produce the famous Escort Mexico (1.6-litre Kent-engine) road version in honour of the rally car.

One step up from the Mexico, the Escort RS1600 was developed using an engine that was essentially a detuned Formula 3 unit designated BDA (Belt Drive Alloy). Both the Mexico and RS1600 were built simultaneously at the Ford Advanced Vehicle Operations (AVO) facility located at the Aveley Plant in South Essex. As well as higher performance engines and sports suspension, these models featured strengthened and lightened body shells, making them ideal for rallying.

Here we have an immaculate 1972 Ford Escort RS1600 that has been properly prepared for Historic Rallying. It wears an RS1600 AVO body plate and is supplied with its original V5C showing that it is an RS1600, first registered in January 1972 to the Ford Motor Company. The registration prefix is PVX which indicates that it was initially used by Ford. The majority of the PVX cars were Press or Fleet cars, however, we understand that the lower numbers were prepared for motorsport, rallying, the Mexico Challenge etc. PVX 104K is also accompanied by its FIA HTP file, its HRVI papers, and the FoMoCo original build-sheets/allocation. 

The Escort was purchased by our vendor in 2018 at which point it had recently (in 2016) undergone major investment to establish it as a seriously competitive historic rally car, including a fresh (at the time) Wayne Mitchell 1800 BDA engine producing over 210bhp (Dyno charts available), driving through a 5-speed dog-leg box which had also been rebuilt by a ZF Specialist at a cost of £6,500. At the same time, it had been fully sorted and detailed by Escort guru, Pete Slights Rally Sport in York, with freshly dated (in 2016) safety equipment including new seats, belts and a Lifeline extinguisher system. However, that was nine years ago, and whilst the engine and gearbox remain unused since their rebuild, we imagine that some, if not all, of the safety equipment may no longer be current. Our vendor has confirmed that the car has not even been used by him, just professionally stored as a part of his significant Private Collection.

Importantly, the FIA HTP is still in date and valid until December 2026 and the car has a Competition Log Book showing  it to be Stage Rally Category 1 compliant and valid until March 2027. With a full set of spare Minilites and GP stands, the RS appears to be on the button and, after some light recommissioning and possibly freshly-dated safety equipment, is ready to go Historic Rallying.

As an ex-Ford/AVO RS1600, this super Escort must represent an investment opportunity just sitting there, however, the temptation to head to Kielder Forest or out on the next Roger Albert Clark rally may prove too much!  Worthy of close inspection today and priced to sell, we invite you to view this superbly prepared, fully papered, ex-Ford RS1600, you won't be disappointed.