An advert whose headline reads '
Ford Escort Twin Cam ex-works rally car
' is going to pique the interest of most fuel-blooded PHers, more so when the vendor asserts that it was campaigned by both Roger Clark and Hannu Mikkola.
Unfortunately, the advert is - how to put this politely? - somewhat short on detail, so we'll have to a) assume that it is indeed a pukka works car and b) remain ignorant of exactly when and where the legendary Mikkola and Clark got their respective bums on the business-like bucket seats.
What we do know, however, is that the Twin Cam - any Twin Cam - is a pretty special car, the forerunner of decades of legendary fast Escorts.
Beneath that distinctive shape lies the running gear of a Lotus Cortina, albeit with the 1,558cc 112hp motor mounted at an angle to allow room for the carburettors to squeeze around the wheel arch, and with the battery relocated in the boot.
It's a pretty rare beast, too. In order to homologate the car for competition, Ford needed to build 1,000 Twin Cams to satisfy the FIA, but Ford motorsport boss Henry Taylor managed to convince the authorities that the requisite number had been built by May 1968, when in fact fewer than 100 examples existed. There's some argument as to how many were eventually made, but it's probably safe to say that the final tally was somewhere south of 1,000.
There have been faster and perhaps more exciting Escorts since, but this is the one that started it all. And with that history it's easy to see the £65K price tag as not completely ridiculous.
If you're not convinced and yet still fancy an early sporty Escort, how about a
Mk1 Mexico like this
? Finished in a fetching bright green, it's not as lairy as a Twin Cam (only 86hp, you see) and it doesn't have the same provenance, but it still reeks of 60s rallying cool and, come on, it's only £14,000.
If you want a more full-on rallying experience, however, how about this pretty faithful rep of a Group 4 Mk2 Escort rally car. Completed in 2005 and with just four hours of tarmac stage miles under its wheels, its spec reads like a Ford rally fan's wet dream: 245hp 2.0-litre BDG engine, Quaife 4-speed dog-box, truly juicy suspension (follow the link to the ad for the full details), proper brakes, and everything you'd want from a rally car in the cabin.
At 'just' £46,500 it's a lot cheaper than that Twin Cam, too. Dribble. Then again, if you simply must have the original, we wouldn't think you crazy if you preferred that Mk1.
FORD ESCORT MK1 TWIN CAM
Engine:1,558cc four-cylinder
Power (hp):112@6,000rpm
Torque (lb ft):107@4,500rpm
MPG: N/A
CO2: N/A
First registered: March 2010
Recorded mileage: 30,300
Price new: £1,123
Yours for: £65,000