Ford Escort RS1600, 1972
Ford Escort I
Ford Escort I•
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Chassis No.: BFATMY00228
Engine No.: MY00228
Registration: GHE 545L
Sold for an undisclosed fee
- Just three previous owners
- Comprehensively ‘nut and bolt’ restored
- Thought to be the best in the country
- Just three previous owners
- Comprehensively ‘nut and bolt’ restored
- Thought to be the best in the country
The RS1600 was a combination of the Escort Twin Cam chassis and running gear, and the newly developed Cosworth sixteen-valve twin cam BDA (Belt Drive Type A) engine, often described as a detuned Cosworth Formula 2 engine. The two engines, however, shared only their design philosophy, and no actual components. The BDA produced 120bhp+, giving the car a 0-60mph of about 8.5 seconds and a top speed of almost 115mph. Quite the performance for a family saloon in the early 1970s! Production began in January 1970, and in November 1970 transferred to Ford’s AVO (Advanced Vehicle Operations) department in Aveley, South Ockendon, alongside the Escort Mexico.
This simply stunning Sebring Red example of the RS1600 was comprehensively restored in 2007 having covered a mere 1,000 miles since and it is thought of as the best example in the country.
A numbers matching and original example with all original engine gearbox, shell and body panels, our vendor purchased the car in 2021 for over £88,000 after an exhaustive search for the pinnacle of an early RS1600 of which he had always wanted in his collection.
An unmolested, highly original car which has never been upgraded or changed to rally spec, this example has always been standard and original. First registered on 1st November 1972 to a Mr Taylor, he owned the car until 1989 when he sadly passed away and left it to his son who kept the car mostly in storage until 2005/06. Mr Manning purchased the car in 2006 and fully restored the car between 2007 and 2011 to this fantastic standard, professionally storing it in a purpose-built facility. The engine has one of the last cast blocks fitted to the RS1600 and the restoration process was a full nut and bolt restoration to a standard where you really could eat your dinner off the finished article.
Found in the history file is the original sales invoice, the car was originally ordered with different front seats, Custom Pack (white stripe) and RS alloy road wheels, a recliner for the passenger and a bucket seat for the driver. Also present are photos pre, during and post restoration and MoT’s throughout the life of chassis number BFATMY00228. Housed in a private collection in a heated and dehumidified garage, the car has been maintained by Classic Motor Cars (CMC) Shropshire in our vendors tenure and boasts a 12-month MoT test certificate.
Only 1,137 RS1600’s were manufactured between 1970 and 1974, records show that circa 77 original units remain licensed in the UK as of 2025 and because these cars were built primarily for competition, a high percentage were destroyed or heavily modified for rallying. This is a stunning example of a rare car in demand and increasingly difficult to find. Consigned by Mathew Priddy
