Ford is celebrating its centenary this year and having relaunched the GT40 as
its headline retrospective 'Living Legends' model, it has now announced that it
will build a special edition of the Mark I Escort RS2000 to celebrate the
success of the brand in the UK.
The commemorative edition will be based on the model that stormed to victory
on the 16,000 mile London to Mexico 'World Cup Rally' in 1970. Just one hundred
of the steel bodied cars will be made at Ford's Special Vehicle Operations
unit now based in Munich. All will be painted in Bianca white.
SVO Director, Helge Schneider - who reportedly keeps a scale model of the
Escort by his bed - commented, "We wanted to celebrate centenary with a
car that every man wanted. For me it had to be Escort. Escort gave Ford
credibility at the high road and in the motorsport. I have dreamed of the day
for all my life and now it is true. Tears are now on my eyes. Today is the
special day."
The car won't be entirely true to its roots however with the 98bhp two litre
single cam engine replaced with an 1800cc Zetec unit being dropped in to meet
current emissions requirements. Power has been reduced from 118bhp to 104bhp to
enhance the realism of the project.
Chief engineer Pierre Palmade commented, "We considered using the
higher powered engine but that would have required larger brakes and a revised
suspension set up. Customers won't be disappointed however. They will be very
impressed with the level of authenticity that has been achieved. We even
loosened up the steering rack and used pre-stressed bushes to give a loose feel
like the original cars."
Interior equipment is similar to the original, with a simple MW radio, wind
up windows and cloth seats. Cibie driving lights will be one of the few options
available, the others being limited to a choice of alloys.
It's expected that the cars will sell out within the hour when they go on
sale a few minutes after 1pm this afternoon from Ford dealers. On the road price
is expected to be around £25,000. Each car will be individually numbered with a
wooden plaque on the dashboard, a brass plate under the bonnet and individually
numbered kick plates, gear knob, rear view mirror and petrol cap. The first
car off the production line will be displayed in Dagenham town centre for the
rest of this year.
Links: www.ford.co.uk,
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