1979 Ford Escort Mk2 RS2000 Recreation

Description

• UNSOLD at auction September 2022
• Recent Full Restoration
• Engine rebuilt
• Limited Slip Diff
• High Ratio 2.4 Steering Rack Quick Rack

Ford’s long awaited Mk2 RS2000 was launched at the 1975 Earls Court show. It was the most luxurious of the sporting Escorts of the time, and was powered by an uprated version of the 2.0-litre OHC Pinto unit employed in the Capri, Cortina and Granada. A four-into-two exhaust manifold coupled to a big bore exhaust system raising its output to 110bhp. This was sufficient to help sprint the Escort to 60mph in 8.5 secs and on to a top speed of almost 110mph. The foam-filled plastic snout and flexible rear spoiler were said to give a significant reduction in drag.

Most Mk2 RS2000 aficionados would tell you that all UK Mk2 RS2000s were called Customs and were fitted with that model’s distinctive slanted polyurethane nose, or ‘droop snoot’ in common parlance. However, some were actually supplied to be used as rally cars and as such were fitted with a flat nose for better cooling.

Our vendor is unsure if this was one of those select few or whether it was converted during its lifetime, what he does know is that it was the version he wanted and searched for, eventually becoming the proud owner and subsequently bringing it to the standard that it is currently at.  Purchasing the vehicle from its previous owner who had plans to rally it but never managed to get round to it, he went to town restoring the car.

Exterior

If you have managed to pull yourself away from the images and have reached this point of our article you are probably wondering if it is even worth your time reading this part. But we implore you to keep reading as you will be highly impressed with the way this bodyshell has been restored.  Even the correct Dove Grey has been applied to the underside.

The journey began with every single part removed from the shell so that it could be fully inspected and restored prior to being professionally painted with no expense spared.  Fortunately, our vendor has a very good friend that owns a bodyshop and jumped at the task of restoring this special flatnose Escort.  To be honest, I think we all need a friend like this, especially if he is putting quality work out like this.

Once all the metalwork was up to the expected standard of our vendor, the paint preparation was carried out. This started by applying a liberal coat of truck chassis paint to the underneath, followed by another coat of hardwearing stonechip paint protection prior to that Dove Grey paintwork, all presumably so that this 43-year-old car can look spotless in another 43 years.

Once he was happy that the underside was as good as it could be, then that the lovely deep Venetian Red was applied to the bodywork,.  Let’s be honest this is no “splash and dash” paint job. With the amount of quality product, time and effort gone into restoring and painting this we doubt you would get an equivalent quality paint job done for less than £10k.

Interior

The rally inspired interior is another sight to behold, the first thing you will notice as you lower yourself in are the fantastic, fully adjustable and forward tilting leather bucket seats and matching red stitched leather steering wheel that both complement the stunning venetian red paintwork.

Once settled you will then see that the original dash is in place with no cracks or scuffs but with some slight adjustments to remove any un-needed weight. A bespoke consul has also been built to house the various switches that all work correctly and as they should.  Our vendor was tempted to go for the full stripped out look but, wisely in our opinion, left some creature comforts in place, such as the original rear seats and replacement carpet and matts.  All looking as new.

The door pads and inner quarter trims have been refreshed to look lovely and in keeping with the colour combination, the roof lining is as good as the rest of the car.

Engine

The RS2000 featured the Pinto engine from the Cortina, which was announced in the UK in March 1975.  It provided a claimed 110 bhp and a top speed of 110 mph.  For acceleration to 62.5 mph, a time of 8.9 seconds was claimed by the manufacturers. The 2.0 litre engine was also easily retro-fitted into the Mk2, along with the Ford Sierra’s five-speed gearbox, for rallying and other sports and it worked extremely well, with a string of rally wins under its belt.

Well forget everything just stated above because this is where this RS2000 Recreation gets really interesting.  The 2.0 Litre Pinto engine has been given the same attention to detail as the exterior and interior, in fact being the piece de resistance of this classic Ford Escort, this beauty has arguably been spoilt even more than the bodywork as our vendor truly went to town when it was rebuilt.

Firstly, just look at the cleanliness and quality of the engine bay then appreciate the Webber 38 DGMS carburettor that has been fitted to the uprated engine. Completely rebuilt with new pistons, rings, a Newton Fast Road Cam, all new bearings, seals, cambelt, water pump and so on, you will be pleased when you first turn that ignition key and fire her up. She sounds exactly how you would expect as the sound of the Pinto engine is amplified through the 4 into 2 manifold and eventually flowing in the new Sportex single box exhaust system.  Wow, music to our ears….

Ford’s original rear wheel drive Type 9 gearbox is mated to this stunning engine and works perfectly with smooth and direct gear changes that just want to make you drive faster.

There are probably no superlatives that could truly explain how these engine and gearbox combinations worked but if you know your stuff then you won’t need us to keep banging on as you will appreciate how much fun the new owner is going to have when they win this baby, in fact it doesn’t stop there, keep reading.

Wheels Tyres Suspension and other

In common with all rear-drive Ford Escorts, this classic is a hoot to drive, but made more so by having that spectacular uprated engine and gearbox, easily enough to break the rear tyres loose on demand.  Designed with stiffly sprung MacPherson struts at the front and leaf springs at the back the car will misbehave with glorious predictability, all to the tune of a ‘Romford Nights’ snarl of tuned four-cylinder with the exhaust letting everyone know you are coming before they actually see you!

This classic Ford Escort will treat you to even more of the above as if such a great car can be improved on, then that is what we have here.  Firstly, the spotless 7J RS Alloys are wrapped in brand new sticky 185/60/13 Yokohama tyres all round, the suspension has been renewed with adjustable gas struts and the brakes have been given the same uprated treatment with grooved and vented disks fitted at the front and nine-inch drums fitted at the back, the brake servo has even been repainted

The driveshafts have been fully refurbished and are connected to a limited slip differential, plus as you expect from such a comprehensive rebuild all the bearings, bushes and ball joints are new.

Open the boot and you will be pleased to see that some of the weight has been redistributed with the brand-new battery repositioned in there to add to the aesthetics of that wonderful engine bay we discussed earlier. You will also see the spectacular aluminium fuel tank and braided fuel lines leading to the brand-new fuel pump, all fitted with bespoke brackets, in fact the whole area looks like a work of art.

As you can imagine, with so much work gone into it, this Ford Escort is tight and taut and is an absolute pleasure to drive, in fact with a High Ratio 2.4 Steering Rack Quick Rack fitted it really is a superbly sorted car that will better the already well sort standard car when it first hit the roads.

Our view

With the short-throw gearbox, uprated Pinto 2.0-litre four-cylinder motor and paper-cut-sharp turn-in our winning bidder is going to enjoy his drive home.  If they don’t immediately feel like a rally driver then I’ll eat my hat.  A spectacular car in standard format, an unbelievable one in this guise.  Especially in the condition that this is in, it is going to be a very long search if you think you are going to find one better than this superbly restored iconic Fast Ford that arguably set the tone for the Hot Hatch revolution.

Prices have been following the upward curve of late Really nice fast Fords like this car are bound to keep on rising simply because there are so few survivors left and with thousands spent bringing it up to this condition, we would recommend that you don’t waste a minute more, get bidding.

Additional information

The Ford Escort will be sold with the V5. It carries the correct RS2000 VIN “GCAT” number prefix. However, we’ve been asked to market this Ford as ‘Recreation’. The MOT expires in June 2023. There are a handful of receipts with the classic Ford.

 

Vehicle Location: Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Notts NG17 it’s the responsibility of the winning bidder to make collection / transportation arrangements directly with the vendor.

Have a question about this Ford Escort RS2000 Recreation? Please contact the Evoke team at auction@evoke-classics.com and we will speak to the vendor on your behalf.

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