1968 Ford Escort Twin Cam

Sympathetically restored by a previous owner, and only lightly used since, this is a superb example of Ford’s game changing Mk1 Twin Cam. It’s finished in Ermine White with a Black interior and, unusually, was purchased new for road use and thus has never been raced.

The car’s restoration took place in the 1980s, with it retaining both its original AVO Type-49 bodyshell and as many of its original parts as possible.

So how good was that resto? Well, XGW 3G placed second in the 2001 RS Owners’ Club Concours event at Lightwater Valley in Yorkshire – no mean feat. And today, having only seen negligible mileage in between, still presents in identical condition.

The car has been cossetted by two caring owners since. It’s worth noting that this Mk1 is very well known to the Owners’ Club and in fast Ford circles.

It has a valid MOT test certificate, which runs until August 2022; you’ll also find a DVLA printout of all previous owners in the history file. Current mileage is shown as 7226.

There’s a certain something about the early Escort shape; it’s the simplicity of line, minimal adornments, slender rear light lenses and bone-shaped front grille that lend it a real purity. Add Ermine White paint and for us, that’s only enhanced. Be in no doubt, this is a real showstopper.

The older restoration is holding up very nicely; it helps that the shell was clearly sound in the first place (and more importantly from a value perspective, original). Paintwork remains sharp with minimal blemishes and not even a hint of deterioration, door fit is excellent, and chrome too remains in pretty much pristine condition.

Window rubbers haven’t gone brittle, which shows that the car has been stored well. Pop the doors, boot or bonnet lid and you’ll find toothbrush clean sills, door shuts and gutters.

The Minilite alloy wheels are in freshly restored condition and are shod with matching Uniroyal rubber; as the car hasn’t seen much action in recent years, it’d be worth checking the date stamp before using it in anger. Ford Centre caps are provided, but not currently fitted.

To quote the big Welsh lass from Gavin and Stacey: tidy.

This theme continues within the cabin. It’s pretty much spot on. The dash-top is crack-free, and the GT seats have what appears to be original, unmarked vinyl. That’s the case with the rear seat, too.

Carpets are excellent, as are door cards. Headlining is spotless save for one tiny mark just above the nearside B-pillar. Dials are clear and the dashboard housing panel itself is great. The three-spoke dished steering wheel and gear lever are also in very good health.

It’s as good in here as it is out there.

All switches are intact and the dials and electrics all function exactly as they should.

The cabin does remind you just how basic interiors were back in the late Sixties, and Ford ones more than most. That’s no bad thing, by the way, as it allows you to focus entirely on the matter at hand and that, of course, is the sublime driving experience on offer.

The vendor states that, “we have driven the car and can confirm that it drives superbly with no obvious faults and the 1600 Twin Cam still delivers plenty of power, accompanied by that distinctive engine note that so characterizes the ‘Twink’” You can add to that, a traditionally raspy Ford exhaust note; check out our video below at 4 minutes 16 seconds, when the camera catches it in full rorty flow.

You can also view the car starting first time and the Twin Cam engine turning over smoothly. On the hoof, it drives well with a nice taut feeling. The ride is good, gearbox shifts well and the engine speeds along quite the thing – although a rolling road tune-up would no doubt do it good and unleash a few more Dagenham horses.

Pop the boot and you’ll find the correct early solid panel behind the rear seats in place. The spare wheel is present and secured, as is the battery in its original nearside inner rear wing mounting point. Lifting the bonnet is an ‘aaaah’ moment, as the word Lotus appears. It lets you know that you’re in the presence of four-cylinder greatness, and it’s nice to see it residing in such a tidy engine bay.

The underside remains in very solid and well protected condition. Black underseal remains in situ and is generally free from cracking or deterioration; that said, there are one or two very small areas (such as the nearside front splash panel) that could do with a top up.

The Twin Cam Escort Owner handbook is included in the car’s history file, as is the V5c document (showing six owners from new) and a handful of expired MOT test certificates. The Twin Cam’s date of first UK registration is shown as 03/12/1968 and the current MOT test certificate runs until 19/08/2022.

An RAC vehicle history check (dated 25/03/2022) is also present and, for added piece of mind, shows no alerts present on the vehicle. There are several classic car magazine titles, but of more interest is the supplied pot of Ermine White ‘touch-up’ paint originally provided by P&M Panels Ltd of Warrington.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork to support our claim that this car has been restored and then maintained to the very highest of standards.

Twin Cams restored to this quality and with good provenance come up only very rarely, so this is a top opportunity to bag a rare piece of Ford competition-inspired machinery.

It’s a collection-quality vehicle, so will easily slot straight into another one; that said, having been well looked after, it could quite as easily be used in anger again.

As one of the holy grails of the Escort world, we don’t see demand for these beasts going anywhere but upwards. We think this very smart Twin Cam will sell for somewhere between £45,000 and £55,000, which in years to come could quite possibly be viewed as a bit of a snip.

Viewing is always encouraged. This particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; we are open weekdays between 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’.