1980 Ford Escort XR3 - Believed to be the Only Surviving 'Press Launch' Car in Original Condition

Unveiled to the world’s press on 24th November 1980, the Escort XR3 signalled a pivotal moment for Ford. It was the first front-wheel drive performance Escort, the birth of the now legendary XR range and Ford’s direct reply to the Volkswagen Golf GTi. On that crisp day in South Wales, journalists were taken to an unfinished section of the M4 near Bridgend to drive rows of bright Sunburst Red XR3s, we believe around 400 cars were involved, fresh from the Bridgend plant – a defining moment in Ford history. Only a handful of those very earliest press and pre-production cars survive, and remarkably, the example offered here is believed to be the sole unrestored car from that original batch still in existence.

Registered on 21st November 1980, just three days before the press launch, this car wears its original registration TTW 83W, part of the famous TTW sequence reserved by Ford exclusively for the initial batch of XR3 pre-production, demonstration and launch cars. These TTW cars were the first XR3s ever road-registered and represent the very beginning of the XR story. According to the XR Owners Club and marque historians, only a tiny handful of TTW-series cars remain, and only this example survives in original, unrestored condition.

Finished in its launch colour of Sunburst Red with the correct XR3 interior, this particular car was specified with a number of features reserved for press-launch models and not generally available to the public at the time, including padded headrests, electric windows and central locking, a tilt and slide sunroof, lower front spot lamps in addition to the grille-mounted lamps, factory radio/cassette and electric aerial. In every respect, it represents the specification Ford wanted the world’s media to see.

Showing just 67,175 miles at the time of cataloguing, this XR3 has lived an exceptionally sheltered life. It is offered from four years of current ownership and has had only five former registered keepers since new. Bought at 18 months old by a long term custodian who cherished it for almost 26 years, it then passed to a family friend who kept it garaged for a further 13 years. Our vendor acquired the car in 2021 and has covered fewer than 1,000 careful miles since. Throughout its life, it has been preserved with a focus on originality, with any maintenance undertaken sympathetically to retain factory finishes, components and patina.

The car was inspected by the Ford XR Owners Club in June 2025, who classified the body, interior, wheels and suspension as 'Concours', with the engine, transmission and floorpan all rated 'excellent'. Their final summary described it as an 'historically important, 1980-registered TTW-series ex-Ford publicity car in superb original condition'. They further noted that of the handful of surviving cars, the others have either been restored or were not part of the initial launch, leading them to conclude that this is the sole surviving unrestored and unmolested example – 'an absolute gem'. In our vendor's words 'There will be, I am sure, one somewhere, perhaps in bits, in a shed, not on the road, but to the best of both my knowledge and the XR Owners Club guys, Brian Rowe and Lawrence Sharma, mine is the oldest original example that they are aware of'.  

The car benefited from an engine rebuild and is still operating with running in oil as it hasn't covered the 400 miles before the return to conventional oil. It's offered with a fresh MOT prior to sale and a substantial history file including original Ford workshop manuals, dealer supplements, period Ford Motorsport parts catalogue, historic MOTs and invoices, and a Bill of Sale from 18 months old.

For a serious performance Ford collector seeking to complete the lineage from RS1600 through Cosworth, this exceptional XR3 – the only unrestored survivor of Ford's legendary South Wales Press Launch – is a once in a lifetime opportunity.