1972 Ford Escort RS1600

First registered on the 6th of December 1972, this Daytona Yellow Ford Escort RS1600 BDA is fitted with a black PVC interior. Number 413 off the production line, it had a few owners in its first dozen years before being bought by a chap in October 1984, who then set about restoring it.

The work was comprehensive and he kept the Escort until 2017, when it moved into the next stage of its life. Its next owner maintained the obsessive regimen it was used to, spending another £5,000 on it. She barely used it though, covering just 600 miles in five years.

The current owner bought it in April 2022. He, too, has spent far too much time and money on it but then he’s a man who enjoys the doing as much as the driving, and his nature is to get everything ‘just so’, regardless of the cost.

Since being purchased and after finishing the work, the current owner then set about ensuring the car is at its best in terms of functionality whilst refining all the work he had completed on the car. This shakedown took the form of 3000 miles of driving culminating in a satisfaction that it’s now running – and looking – its best and as such he's now ready to move onto his next project, which means you could benefit from all the hard work he’s ploughed into it in the past six months.

Daytona Yellow is such a fabulous colour, isn’t it? Vibrant and fun, it reeks of 1970s style and given the Escort is the quintessential 70s sporting saloon, we love the vibe the hue brings.

And yet, it’s got so much more going for it than its colour. The build quality, for example, is streets ahead of anything that Ford produced in period, and this one’s overall fit ‘n’ finish is enviably precise.

Neatly aligned swage lines and consistent shutlines set the background for ripple and dent-free panels and precise door latching from what we can see, we suggest you come and view the car yourself here at our headquarters in Abingdon.

Chromework might be minimal but what there is, it's nigh-on faultless. Ditto the badging and lamp lenses. The glazing is also good but then the two front window glasses are new - and the fact the vendor could buy both for £120 tells you all you need to know about the availability of spares for the Escort, even half a century later.

The 13-inch alloy wheels are also excellent, and they are shod with matching new 175/70R13 Yokohama Advan HF tyres, all of which have good tread.

We will never get tired of telling you that experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly. Their presence does not, of course, preclude the need for a thorough inspection - something the vendor would welcome, by the way – but it does perhaps give you a shortcut into their attitude towards maintenance.

If we are nit-picking, then the nearside rear mudflap is cracked (#5) and the windscreen is starting to delaminate (#93).

The interior is wonderful, thanks to a combination of careful curation – the steering wheel was recovered by the original Ford manufacturer, for example – and the well-judged installation of new parts, such as the seats.

In keeping with its rallying heritage there’s a map-reading light, a stopwatch, and a battery cut-off switch in the cockpit; these along with those figure-hugging front seats, classic six-dial dashboard and RS steering wheel, make for a purposeful workplace, whether on the road or forest track.

The rear seats are in great shape too, as are the carpets, door cards, and headlining.

The boot is good and solid and home to a matching spare alloy wheel and new Yokohama Advan HF tyre. There is a box of spares in there as well; please see #202 for a photo of what’s included, most notably the Cibie spotlights with 'works style' aluminium brackets should you wish to indulge in some spirited driving once the sun has gone to bed.

Faults are few. The rear pillar vinyl is marked (#120) and driver’s seat frame could do with tidying up (#121) but other than this, we can’t see anything in there that worries us – and neither of those is especially problematic, are they?

The vendor went through the car with a fine-tooth comb, remedying all the things that either weren’t right or irritated him.

These included removing the four huge Cibie spotlights (“they were a bit over the top”), which revealed some overspray on the front end. This was painstakingly removed and the paintwork rectified, leaving the front end clean and unadulterated.

The brakes weren’t up to scratch (“they pulled to the right”), so he’s had them sorted. New seatbelts followed, as did a new windscreen washer pump, strut brace and battery.

The carburettors were reconditioned, the steering sorted, and five new tyres were fitted as the ones that were on it were too wide and out of date. “It now handles properly.”

A couple of oil leaks were also cured and a new clutch pressure plate was fitted while the engine and gearbox were apart.

As we mentioned, the two front windows were replaced and while the rear screen is scratched, there’s a lovely period RAC Rally sticker in it, so he decided to leave it as it is, choosing to replace just the rubber seal to smarten it up.

His 3,000-mile, six-month shakedown has left the Escort running beautifully and performing as it should.

Old auction listings state the following work had been carried out previously:

Between 2017 and 2022, its last owner spent in excess of £5,000 on new seats, plus a new carburettor, fuel pump, and brake and clutch cylinders. A re-cored radiator as well, plus fresh fluids and a propshaft joint. Some mounts and gaskets and seals too. Please see the invoices for details.

Between 1984 and 2017, the following is recorded as having been carried out:

New front wings were fitted on both sides, together with the front panel and slam panel. The floor was repaired as was the rear wheelarch and it was then given a bare-metal respray. New badges were fitted along with new transfers to centre caps on the wheels.

New parts included Bilstein dampers on the rear, front brake discs and stainless-steel hoses, a battery, HT leads and an Aldon Automotive electronic ignition. New filters and fluids too, plus new handbrake, throttle, choke, and bonnet cables.

This sounds straightforward, but the work that went into restoring the petrol tank gives an insight into how meticulous the work was: the petrol tank was chemically cleaned and then pressure washed before being primed and rotated to allow the excess paint to drain away. It was left to cure for a week before receiving a final coat of paint, after which it was again rotated, drained and left to dry for another week before being refitted.

Prior to its restoration, it seems that the engine had been rebuilt by John Wilcox of Leicester, who re-bored it to 1700cc before fitting high-lift BD3 cams, a lightened and balanced flywheel, and “several other new parts” including ‘World Cup’ engine mounts.

The BDA (Belt Drive series-A) engine, whose cast-iron block is, we believe, the factory original, now requires a lead replacement additive to be used. Super Unleaded petrol should be used too, in order to get the best performance.

And the extra expense on fuel is absolutely worth it; while the standard engine produced 115bhp, this one seems to offer a bit more.

As you can see, it bursts into life and makes a wonderful racket; you can’t get better than twin carbs and a Janspeed exhaust for turning petrol into noise, can you? It’s got good oil pressure too, but then that’s no more than you’d expect, is it?

The engine bay is beautifully presented, being clean and tidy but not so fearsomely detailed that you’d be afraid to use the car as Ford intended.

The underside looks solid and is well protected by a good coat of underseal.

UPDATE:

Whilst the Escort is exempt from needing a MoT due to its age, the owner has had all the work done by a MoT registered garage and as of yesterday the car passed its test with a clean bill of health. The test is now valid until 14th December 2023.

Icons don’t come any better than this; with the legendary 1600 BDA under the bonnet and that classic rear-wheel-drive handling, we can remember watching these being driven in anger, swung from lock to lock at improbable speed in the hands of Gods.

Well, you know what? You could be one of those drivers, whanging it against the red line as it slithers its way through the forest, small boys agog at how you defy the very laws of physics in your Daytona Yellow MKI RS1600.

The only obstacle is the price, which we think will be somewhere between £50,000 and £60,000.

Still, we don’t think that’s bad for two reasons.

First, you can’t put a price on being a God, can you?

Second, the price of admission might be high but then so should the rewards when you leave the game.

You can never accurately price a car until you’ve sold it, and few cars are as consistently in demand as these, so you might be pleasantly surprised as how little it’s cost you overall.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; we are open weekdays 9am-5pm, to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.