1979 Ford Escort Mk2 RS2000 *Sold £33,200*

Description

• Recent Full Restoration 
• Engine rebuilt 
• Limited Slip Diff 
• High Ratio Steering Rack Quick Rack 
• Absolutely stunning example 
• No expense spared 
• Cherished number plate included

Ford’s long-awaited Escort Mk2 RS2000 was launched at the 1975 Earls Court show and was the most luxurious of the sporting Escorts of the time, 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 RS2000 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 Escort 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. This is no different, an original Ford Escort RS2000 Custom in what can only be described as “perfect condition”. 

Currently being supplied with the V5 that states RS2000, carries the right and correct RS2000 VIN number prefix “GCAT”. Now registered as “Historic” so no longer needing to be taxed and MoT’d. It is even ULEZ compliant. Our vendor, being a professional body shop owner set about restoring this lovely example with absolutely no expense spared; his intentions were to never sell it.  Unfortunately, with circumstances changing he must reluctantly let it go.  There is not a great deal of paperwork in the document pack, predominantly due to the restoration being carried out himself and in his own words “I wasn’t that interested in paperwork”. 

If you have spent any time in the image gallery you won’t be that concerned by the lack of paperwork – you will have seen the extent of new parts and the quality of the restoration. It really is that good. 

Exterior 

If you have managed to pull yourself away from the images of this wonderful example and have reached this point in our article you are probably wondering if it is even worth your time reading this part as it is clear to say the car is perfect in every way. That said, we implore you to keep reading as you will be highly impressed with the way this bodyshell has been restored.  

The journey began with every single part being removed from the shell so that it could be fully inspected before the original black paintwork was stripped to bare metal.  Knowing at the time it was to be kept and cherished, the choice was made to strip every drop of the original paint from the car. In fact, there is no evidence anywhere to suggest that it used to be black. 

Once completely stripped, our vendor replaced any metal that was not in perfect condition. This included: replacing the two front floor pans, the rear panel, both lower quarter panels and the spare wheel well. The bonnet and boot lid both had filler in them so were replaced with high quality OEM replacements. The famous and iconic nosecone was replaced with an OEM part at considerable cost. The same goes for the new old stock rear spoiler, literally sourced from the other side of the world in Australia.  Again, at considerable expense.  Did we say that no expense has been spared on this restoration? 

Anyway, back to that stunning paint job. 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 high build primer to the whole car including the underside. Just look how tidy that part of the car is, and it will help to inform you of the quality of this restoration. 

Once our vendor was happy that the body and underside was as good as it could be, then that lovely diamond white paintwork was applied to the bodywork. Not just once but four times, and wow, what a job he has done. Let’s be honest this is no “splash and dash” paint job, it is the real deal.  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 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 Recaro seats. Although fitted with a bespoke tartan trim that is not standard, it looks fantastic and is brand spanking new. Our vendor also advises that prior to the re-trim, the seat frames were shot blasted before being repainted. New sponges were also fitted. Another thing to note that confirms this was always meant to be kept and cherished by our vendor.  

Once settled you will then see that the original dash is in place with no cracks or scuffs. The original RS steering wheel looks fantastic, and the carpets are also brand 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. 

Our vendor was at pains to share that everything works as it should except the fuel gauge, unfortunately he just ran out of time to sort that but hey ho, we can’t complain too much about that when literally everything else has been sorted and works as it should. 

Engine 

The Escort Mk2 RS2000 featured the Pinto engine from the Cortina, which was announced in the UK in March 1975, providing a claimed 110 bhp and a top speed of 110 mph. 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, alongside the Ford Sierra’s five-speed gearbox, for rallying and other sports.  Let’s be honest, it worked extremely well with a string of rally wins under its belt. 

Once you have managed to stop drooling over the immaculate engine bay you will notice that a new radiator has been fitted and that the airbox looks brand new: again, a new old stock OEM item was sourced. Kept standard, the engine has been checked and rebuilt where needed with a new cambelt fitted as well as a new clutch. 

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. But don’t let us encourage you, the RS2000 will do that all by itself.   

There are probably no superlatives that could truly explain how these engine and gearbox combinations worked and if you know your RS2000 stuff then you won’t need us to keep banging on. 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 

Originally designed with stiffly sprung MacPherson struts at the front and leaf springs at the back, the car will misbehave with glorious predictability. Have a look at the images and you will see that the underneath is in stunning condition with completely refurbished leaf springs at the rear and the same quality of restoration at the front. The only move away from original being the Bilstein shock absorbers, which again were brand new. As expected with the quality of the restoration, the bushes all round have been replaced with original rubber bushes as per factory and not the usual poly bushes found on so many classics these days. 

Next, we have the brand new JBW 7J RS Alloys. Again, immaculate and wrapped in brand new sticky 185/60/13 Toyo tyres all round. The brakes have been given the same treatment with new calipers at the front, new pads all round, master cylinders and brake lines all brand new. The brake servo has even been repainted, and as you expect from such a comprehensive rebuild all the bearings, bushes and ball joints are new. 

To add to all that new running gear there has been a limited slip diff fitted along with a quick rack steering rack. 

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.  

As you can imagine, with so much work gone into it, this Ford Escort Mk2 RS2000 is tight and taut and is an absolute pleasure to drive. With a High Ratio 2.4 Steering Rack Quick Rack fitted it really is a superbly sorted car that will better the already well sorted standard car when it first hit the roads. 

Our view  

A spectacular car in virtually standard format is becoming harder to find. Especially so in the condition that this example is in. It’s going to be a very long search if you think you’ll find one better than this superbly restored, iconic, hot hatch that arguably set the tone for the Hot Hatch revolution. 

Prices have been following the upward curve of the Escort Mexico and you’ll be hard pressed to find a decent Ford Escort Mk2 RS, let alone one in this condition. Really nice RS2000s like this are bound to keep on rising, simply because there are so few original survivors left. With thousands spent bringing it up to this condition, we would recommend that you don’t waste a minute more. Get bidding. 

Good luck! Please remember, our site uses anti-sniping software which ensures fairness to all bidders. So, if a bid for a lot is received in the last minute, the auction will go into a 2-minute overtime period for each subsequent bid.

Vehicle Location: Loughborough, Leics LE12 – it’s the responsibility of the winning bidder to make collection / transportation arrangements directly with the vendor.

Would like to arrange a viewing or have a question about this Escort Mk2 RS2000? Please contact us at team@evoke-classics.com and we will speak to the vendor on your behalf.

Guide Prices?

We’re different. But you know that. And we’re always honest. In a sector where no two classics are same, how does anyone put a ‘guide’.

Well, everyone knows the broad value of classic, let’s all be honest. So we don’t need to tell you what you already know, do we.

The ‘market’ decides and the old cliché that ‘it’s worth what someone wants to pay’ is no less true. So why kid everyone!

But, because we are different, if it really does matter to you, that’s fine, we want you to be happy. Just drop us a line at team@evoke-classics.com and one of us will be delighted to ring you back and discuss, it’s what we do.

Tedious but it’s vital you read this, please.

We will always strive to offer the most descriptive and transparent auction listings available. However, we can’t claim to be perfect. Your own analysis is very important and we are here to help and also answer any and all queries you may have prior to purchase.

We offer and positively encourage buyers to view, or arrange inspections for each vehicle thoroughly prior to bidding.

If we do take a physical, as opposed to a remote, look at any of the vehicles on our platform, they are not those of a qualified vehicle inspector or other professional. Nor do they include a test drive unless expressly stated.

As with all vehicles of a certain age, localised paint repairs are common. This specifically applies with classics.

So, please, unless we state explicitly to the contrary, please assume that classic vehicles on our platform could have had remedial bodywork of any kind at some point in its life.

Two final comments on images and photos.

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Finally, finally, finally. Please note that vehicles are sold as seen and a returns policy is not applicable. This is the norm for used items acquired at auction.

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