Coys Auction - Légende et Passion
Espace Fontvielle
Monaco
Friday 30th April 2010 at 11AM
Registration Number: EU taxes paid Chassis Number: ICBA67149 - Unit No 1
In late 1967, the new and much lighter Escort was forecast to be the most suitable model in the Ford range to replace the aging Cortina, which in Mk1 and Mk2 Lotus-badged guise had become the company’s main competition car. The Escort even initially employed the same Twin Cam engine as the Lotus Cortinas. However, the aging TC motor, having only 8-valves and the potential of up to 140bhp, was soon thought insufficient to stay ahead of the competition on the circuits and rally stages, so alternative power units such as the 2.3 V6 Granada engine were tried by the Boreham Competition Department and rejected by Ford management.
For road racing and major rallies, where the special stages were shorter, very much more power was required. Both the factory team Escorts and the FIA-policed run of ‘Production’ cars built by