1974 Ford Escort RS2000 MK I

The Escort RS2000 was the last car to be introduced to Ford's 'Advanced Vehicle' range in June of 1973, and dovetailed nicely with its performance almost comparable to the more complex RS1600, but with the reliability and ease of maintenance of the Mexico. The car used the same Type 49 bodyshell as the Mexico and RS1600, however there was a new engine in use at Ford, the 2-litre overhead cam, 100bhp, 'Pinto' design, which seemed, on paper, ideal for the RS. Fords then had the major problem of persuading the new bulky Pinto engine to fit into the engine bay, which was something it had never been designed to do. The only way of achieving this was by discarding the engine driven cooling fan and replacing it with a thermostatically controlled Kenlowe unit. The most appropriate gearbox was the German 'E-box', which was totally different to the one fitted to the RS1600, and the final drive was 3.54:1. The car was launched in England on 11th October 1973 priced at £1,586.

When our vendor, an accomplished rally driver, purchased this RS2000 in December 2009 he intended to turn it into a rally car but found the car was just too good. Registered to the previous keeper, Churchbridge Motor Garage of Telford, since 1978 the car was sold with a selection of old MOTs. This change of heart was mainly influenced by expert restorer Martin Paynter of the well-regarded (Ford) Escort Agency in Pembrokeshire. Having convinced our vendor to put the car back to its original road specification, the Escort Agency undertook an extensive restoration program.

The original Type 49 shell was stripped of all mechanical parts, which were either powder coated, zinc plated or chromed where necessary. The engine, gearbox, and differential were all professionally rebuilt using new parts where needed. The shell was etch-primed after sand-blasting, and new (Ford) wings fitted after the completion of all body repairs, at which point painted in two-pack Olympic blue, as original. The car was then treated to some subtle upgrades such as uprated bushes and brake lines. The engine was balanced and fitted with new pistons, crankshaft, and bearings. The head is a polished and ported stage two with a Piper fast road cam and vernier adjustment. New carbs, electronic ignition, and exhaust system completed the package. All the bumpers and brightwork have been replaced and a set of Minilite wheels were fitted. As is common with nut and bolt restorations of this kind, the odometer was zeroed at 25,951 miles.

The work was completed in June 2012, flying through its MoT, and such was the quality of the restoration the car was featured in the January edition of 'Retro Ford' magazine, a copy of which is included in the sale. The cloth seats are in excellent order, complimented by superb door cards and carpet set. The wiring is neat and tidy all round, and the engine bay is superb, suggesting that the engine rebuild has been carried out to the same high standard as the bodywork. As you can see from the photographs, the underside is absolutely excellent, almost inspirational, and this cracking car could be driven to any car show or owner's club gathering and would not return home empty handed.

Having been used sparingly, with less than 900 miles completed since the restoration, the car resides happily in a "Carcoon", however, with international rallying commitments, and having to run a working farm, our vendor has reluctantly offered the car for sale.

This is a superb, period correct, 1974 RS2000 and is offered for sale with a fresh MoT. We are lucky enough to have two superb RS2000s in our sale today, and there are a couple of us here who would quite like them both!