Ultra rare mk 1 Escort at upcoming auction
Discussion
aeropilot said:
Touring442 said:
As for RWD stuff, the bog standard 1256cc Chevette was far better than the bog Escort. Folk don't realise just how well they handled - every bit as good as an AVO car. But Opel's suspension development was far better than Fords which is why a Manta would run rings around a Capri. But Roger Clark didn't win the RAC in a Chevette so automatically they're not Escort money. 
Problem with the Shoveit, was that Vauxhall just wasn't interested in putting money into developing the car as a competition car, with no works effort (under GM instruction). All they had was what Bill B did with the Dealer Team stuff money at Shepreth. As a result there was the huge parts and aftermarket parts available as with Ford. As a road car, while they did have a great chassis, there was only the HS and HSR version with any performance potential. The fact they could have brought out a decent mid/cheap performance version to sit below the HS, and compete with the RS2000, says volume about Vauxhall's indifference to that segment. They had the 2300 single cam engine (even an 1800 or 2000 version as well) which in a Chevette would have been a great and affordable sporting car for the day.
Chrysler/Talbot had the Ti version of the Sunbeam sitting below the Lotus, and in Group A form the Ti was a great and popular rally car.
Having said that, when I looked at getting a HS back in the 80's, while it had a great chassis, it was crap in just about every other department. Poor seats, non-overdrive 5th in the Getrag box, puny 8 gal fuel tank which meant 120 mile tank range on a good day, and even back then in the 80's, engine parts availability was already becoming an issue. Shame really, as they look great and had a great chassis.
I don’t think any of us were averse to Vauxhall/Opel, Alfas, Talbots, VWs etc - had a Manta myself and friends had Ascona, both Sunbeam Ti and Lotus, Alfa 105, Golf Gtis, E21 BMWs .
None of us were new car buyers though so we were dependent on what was easy and cheap to buy/tune with our budgets. Stuff like the HS/HSR chevette wasn’t particularly common and a rhd Kadett GT/E was like hen’s teeth. One friend owned a Mk2 RS1800 for a bit but they were fairly rare back in the mid 80s and there were ten times as many of those done as there were rhd Kadett GT/Es. Even with his RS1800 the rarity of the engine/car value and a 20-year old’s earnings meant he was wary of doing anything to it tuning wise whereas with a Pinto/X-flow they were cheap and relatively available
If they’d made a few more sporty Chevettes/Kadetts I’m sure they’d have sold well. Manta was a big seller especially when they rehashed it in the early 80s
They sold more in the last full year of production in the late 80s than the GT86 managed in the first 3 years combined in the UK
Legacywr said:
Typo error with the power number in that ad for the Type 904 engine, should be 240hp not 290!!generationx said:
Now, that I wouldn't mind having in the garage....especially as I have the 1:18 scale model version of it sitting on a shelf in my display cabinet 
Legacywr said:
Do you think it’s the original shell?
Its possible I suppose, if there's enough documented history to indicate it is...?Sadly Mick J is no longer around for a true expert (who supervised building in the first place) to inspect it with enough knowledge to say otherwise. I don't know who is still around to say with enough conviction whether a shell is an original Boreham prepared shell or not by visual clues.
It would be remarkable if it is still its original Boreham shell....they are few and far between!!
Mark A S said:
Wonderful .
Think that was advertised elsewhere a while ago. Think that would be a Gomm built shell, if memories serves me right the additional strengthening welds were brazed back then.
The details do look VERY period.
Yes, would have been a GMD shell.....I think every Boreham rally shell was done by Gomm up until end of Boreham in '79, apart from maybe the very early non-arched Twin Cams in 68-69? Many of the Escort rallycross shells were built by Gomm as well, I know John Taylor's Mk1 he won the first European Rallycross Championship with was a Mo Gomm shell.. Think that was advertised elsewhere a while ago. Think that would be a Gomm built shell, if memories serves me right the additional strengthening welds were brazed back then.
The details do look VERY period.
I used to know a guy back in the early 80's when I had my RS2's who had done a lot of the early paint jobs for David Sutton, and he said the Mo Gomm prepared shells were works of art.
Gomm Metal Developments were based in Old Woking, and Mo Gomm had learnt his trade working for Vickers-Armstrong at Weybridge building the alloy geodetic frames for Wellington bombers before the war.
I can't remember why Suttons stopped using Gomm after the end of Boreham in '79 and started using Gartrac (IIRC)....cost no doubt.
generationx said:
Dave Watkins would know what to look for, he’s had several “proper” cars and knows them inside out. I believe he’s putting the Cossack “POO” right at the moment. Don’t think he’s on here though?
Eian Pritchard has the Cossack car POO505R and I can’t see him letting that one go 
AL5026 said:
The best colour Shame it's been retrimmed in the wrong seat material though.
This one is a sad sight.......but can't believe what has already been bid to given the work needed!
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/164954746226?hash=item2...
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/164954746226?hash=item2...
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