"The squarer-styled Escort Mk. II version appeared in January 1975 with the first models having rolled off the production lines on 2nd December 1974. Unlike the first Escort (which was developed by Ford of Britain), the second generation was developed jointly between the UK and Ford of Germany. Codenamed ‘Brenda’ during its development, it had the same mechanical configuration as the Mk. I Escort. The estate and van versions used the same panel work as the Mk. I but with the Mk. II front end and interior. The car used a revised underbody which had in fact been introduced as a running change during the last six months of the life of the Mk. I. The car was a success with just four body styles by competing in many different market niches where rival manufacturers had multiple models. The ‘L’ and ‘GL’ models were in the mainstream purchased by the private sector, the ‘Sport’, ‘RS Mexico’ and ‘RS2000’ in the performance market; the ‘Ghia’ for an untapped small car luxury sector and ‘base’ models for the fleet market. During the second half of the 1970s, the Escort continued to prove hugely popular with buyers in Britain. Production, after an incredibly successful model run, ended in Britain in August 1980 with other countries following soon after.
This superb Escort RS2000 Custom is in excellent condition and has more recently been the subject of an extensive restoration. Undertaken in 2018 the car was placed on a rotisserie and work included a bare metal respray and restoration of the body. The paintwork was finished in dark blue and the interior was trimmed in contrasting brown cloth. During the restoration, the Ford was fitted with an upgraded 2.0 Litre Zetec engine and five-speed gearbox and as such performs very well indeed and sounds superb when on song. Dry stored and used sparingly the car remains in excellent condition; the engine bay of this Ford is immaculate as is the paintwork and interior. This 1980’s classic is one of the finest RS2000’s we have seen and is supplied with a sizeable history file detailing the restoration, the current UK V5C registration document, and many old MoT test certificates. Eminently usable, we are sure this RS2000 will bring a smile to the face of the lucky new owner.
(Buyers please note this lot is offered with various spares including a Pinto engine block which will require collection from the vendor)."