1980 Ford Escort Harrier

The vendor is in the trade and bought the car because, well, it’s just superb.

It has been restored to what seems to us to be an exceptionally high standard.

No detail has been overlooked (note the Bristol Street Motors dealer plates, for example) and the car looks as minty fresh and squeaky clean viewed from underneath as it does from above.

It owes its virtually flawless appearance in no small part to the fact that it has led a very quiet life in recent years.

In 2014, the odometer was showing a mileage of 88,626.

Today it is 89,370.

We’ve got pairs of socks that have covered more miles in the last decade.
 

It’s our job to tell you the truth about a car, warts and all: the good, the bad and the ugly.

Consequently, our longest write-ups tend to be reserved for cars that have a lot of faults, flaws, blemishes and other deviations from desirable.

This should be a very short write-up.

The car presents faultlessly from every angle and is a fine-looking example of both the model and the marque.

Even with the various ‘Harrier’ embellishments, it has a purity of line and a clean, uncluttered look that is very refreshing to see in an age where every ‘hot’ iteration of a familiar model is routinely festooned with spoilers that wouldn’t look out of place on a B-52 bomber and all sorts of steroidal bulges, flares, vents and ducts.

The bodywork is reassuringly devoid of any dinks, dents or creases that we can see anywhere.

The panel gaps and shut-lines are consistent and the doors close with plenty of precision and accuracy.

The paintwork is bright, shiny and smooth. Even entirely standard light scratches, stone chips and scuffs are far more noticeable for their absence than their presence and, frankly, we’d need a microscope to find anything even close to a flaw.

All five wheels and Firestone Multihawk tyres are following the same script, as are the decals, badging, trim, light, lenses and other exterior fixtures and fittings.

If we’re really nit-picking (and we are), there are a couple of chips to the black paint on the door handles and wing mirrors, and the plastic trim running up the driver’s side of the ‘A’ pillar is a trifle loose.

That’s it.
 

You won’t be remotely shocked by the revelation that the car’s interior is every bit as impressive as its exterior counterpart.

It must have a portrait of a decrepit version of itself locked away in an attic somewhere.

Everything looks as good as new. Nothing is tired, worn, damaged or otherwise worthy of our disdain. All is good.

The black ‘Beta’ Recaro front seats (with their delightful mesh-insert headrests) are in fine condition and the seats are as supportive and comfortable as they are functional.

The rear seats, as ever, don’t look as if they’ve played host to anything much heavier than a handbag or a hat.

The black carpets and mats are indistinguishable from showroom-fresh items, as are the door cards and the headlining.

The dashboard plastics have resisted the usually irresistible temptation to crack or fade and, as far as we and the vendor are aware, every button, knob, switch, gauge and dial does what it’s supposed to do in a timely and accurate fashion.

A section of the carpet trim around the neck of the steering column is a little loose and there’s a spot of surface rust staining visible on the driver’s door hinges.

The boot, naturally, is beyond reproach.
 

The engine bay is dry, tidy and utterly spotless.

We’d give it 5 stars on a food hygiene rating, never mind a mechanic’s report.

The car’s undersides, appear to be possessed of lashings of structural integrity and look as if they’ve rarely seen a road surface of any description.

Absolutely nothing we’ve seen has given us any reason to tut or frown.

Everything looks sound, solid and sorted to us.
 

This car has less history than Clint Eastwood in any of the countless films where he turns up, wearing a poncho and chewing a cheroot, at some desperate, fly-blown town inhabited by terrified peasants.

Does that matter?

No.

Just look at it.

It shouts quality from every metallic pore of its immaculate body and is, evidently, in truly first-class condition – inside, outside and underneath.

It comes with a V5C, a recent HPI report and a wallet containing its original manuals and guides. 
 

A MK2 Escort 1600 Sport is a highly regarded car by any measure and not least because it was one of the last RWD iterations of the model before the MK3 era ushered in FWD.

The Harrier variant ticks all the right boxes for specification, aesthetics and rarity.

And we will be genuinely surprised and amazed if we ever see a better one than this.

It really is quite exceptional.

We are happy to offer this car for auction with an estimate in the range of £45,000 - £55,000.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at Bonhams|Cars Online HQ. Viewings are STRICTLY BY APPOINTMENT and we are open weekdays between 10am - 12pm or 2pm - 4pm. To make a booking, please use the ‘Enquire About This Vehicle’ button on the listing. Feel free to ask any questions, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.