People are prepared to spend inordinate sums of money for some classic cars. That seems to be the case with this Ford Escort RS1800. The Mk2 Escort was recently auctioned by Historics Auctioneers, in the UK, for £278 848 or a shade over R6,6m using today’s forex rate. Incidentally, that price is over 100 times more than the same car cost when new and about the same as the cost of a new Ferrari 296 GTB or second-hand Porsche 991 GT2 RS in the UK.
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A Racing Special
The Ford Escort RS1800 is a motorsport special that was built in the UK. As a result just 109 units left the factory. Many of those cars no longer exist, thanks to being involved in rallying all over Europe.
The RS1800 Mk2 was introduced in 1975 as a successor to the already successful Mk1 Escort. The Mk2 RS1800 was even more potent thanks to the 1,8 litre Cosworth BDA (Belt Drive A-Type) engine. In competition form these naturally aspirated engines produced about 180 kW… That’s about the same power as a Honda S2000, but with 200 cm³ less displacement.
The car was raced by some of the most iconic names in the sport, including Björn Waldegård, Ari Vatanen and Hannu Mikkola. As as result it claimed multiple World Rally Championship victories. Ari Vatanen piloted an RS1800 to victory in the 1981 WRC Drivers’ Championship. The Mk2’s rallying achievements cemented its place in motorsport annals.
Click here to read more about the world-famous Vatanen Salute.
A Unicorn
No one really knows how many of these cars still exist. The car pictured must, surely, be one of the neatest examples anywhere in the world. It started out life as a press demo unit. Once sold by Ford it has been owned by one family all of its life. In addition the Mk2 RS1800 has been meticulously restored twice. The engine was also completely rebuilt. Just under 25 000 miles have been registered on its odo since new.
Click here to read about the most expensive car ever sold.
If you are wondering, this isn’t the most expensive Escort ever. That honour goes to a Series 1 RS Turbo, a car that was once owned by Princess Diana. It fetched a whopping £650 000 in 2022, making it one of the most expensive Ford road cars ever sold.
Images by https://www.historics.co.uk/
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