Classic Ford Escort Twin-Cam Car 1967, 1968

Classic Ford Escort Twin-Cam Car

In 1967 a successor for the aging Cortina GTs and Lotus Cortinas was created by shoe-horning the Lotus-Cortina's engine, transmission and braking system into the two-door bodyshell of the new Escort. Series-production was allocated to Halewood, although the first 25 production cars were built at the Boreham competitions department workshops. The car was unveiled with the standard Escorts in January 1968.

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Sporting Ford Cars: GT40, Capri RS3100, Escort RS2000

What Is Your Favorite Sports Car?

Sporting Ford Cars

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This guide celebrates the performance Ford models of the 1960s and 1970s.

Ford Lotus-Cortina Mk1

Increasingly aware of the importance of the performance image, Ford revealed the Lotus-Cortina in 1963. Powerful and fast by the standards of the day, the car was highly effective in the hands of the right driver. When the legendary Jim Clark spent time in one during the 1964 British Saloon Car Championship it came as no surprise to see the pari become the overall champions.

Ford Lotus-Cortina Mk2

The MkII Lotus-Cortina was assembled sharing production lines with other quantity produced Cortinas. Consequently less specialized than the original (built at Lotus mainly from Ford parts), it was still a fine competition car and a valuable image-builder for Ford. Rally wins included the Canadian-Shell 4000 and in 1967, the Scottish Rally (Roger Clark) and the Gulf London Rally (Ove Andersson).

Ford Escort Twin-Cam

The Escort (Mk1) Twin-cam was one of the gutsiest 1600s ever to be marketed by Ford. It was devised in January 1967 by Henry Taylor and Bill Meade of Ford's Competitions Department, believing that the magic already generated by the highly successful Cortina-Lotus pairing could also be applied to this all-new Ford compact saloon. The result was the fastest Lotus-powered Ford saloon yet.

Ford Escort RS2000

The Escort (Mk 1) RS2000's debut was in early July 1973 and it became the most popular of the RS Escort models. The car was an ideal package, a powerful saloon, offering a comfortable interior and excellent fuel economy. Easily definable by the 8" high decals and four-spoke RS alloy wheels, it was the third "performance special" version of the Escort theme following the Mexico and RS1600.

Ford Capri RS3100

A competitive Capri was needed after Ford received a thrashing from BMW in the 1972 European Touring Car Championship. The Capri RS 3100 was born, with the 2,944cc Essex V6 engine bored out by the .060ins, adding 99cc, increasing power by 138 to 148bhp. It was Ford's intention to produce 1000 RS3100s to homologate the model, but only 250 were built, all at Halewood in 1973.

Ford GT40

A motoring legend, the Anglo-American Ford GT 40 achieved the pinnacle of success on the track and in many respects was the ultimate sports racing car, capturing the imagination of a generation. Designed with a specific purpose in mind, to win the prestigious Le Mans 24-hour Race, the Ford GT40 realised this goal winning it for years in succession, during 1966, 1967, 1968 and 1969.

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Your Top Car? Ford Escort Twin-Cam, RS 1600, 1800, 2000 and Mexico

Escort Twin-Cam, RS and Mexico

What is your favourite car of all time? Please comment below. Is your top car a Ford Escort?

This is one of many illustrated classic car guides I've created for the community. I hope you enjoy it and if you would like to find out more about the classic Ford Escort art featured in this guide please click here.

This guide features six classic performance Escort models produced between 1968 and 1980.

Escort Twin-Cam

In 1967 a successor for the aging Cortina GTs and Lotus Cortinas was created by shoe-horning the Lotus-Cortina's engine, transmission and braking system into the two-door bodyshell of the new Escort. Series-production was allocated to Halewood, although the first 25 production cars were built at the Boreham competitions department workshops. The car was unveiled with the standard Escorts in January 1968.

Escort RS1600

For April 1971 the Twin-Cam was joined by the RS 1600, replacing the Twin-Cam as Ford's most exciting sports saloon and enabling the Escort to remain a front running competition car. The RS1600 featured the Cosworth BDA engine but in almost all other respects was the same as the Twin-Cam.

Escort Mexico

The Mexico was announced in November 1970 and took its name from Ford's success in 1970 London-Mexico World Cup Rally. Basically a re-engined Twin-Cam/RS 1600, the new Mexico used the mass produced 1,599cc Kent engine instead of the limited production 16-valve BDA unit, although in most other respects it was the same car. Maximum speed was just over 100mph compared to 113mph for the RS1600.

Escort RS2000

Basically the original Mk1 RS 2000 was a re-engined and refined RS 1600, featuring Ford's new overhead-camshaft Pinto unit. At 1.6 litres, the Kent engine was already at its size limit and to increase performance beyond Mexico standards, this 1,993cc engine was the ideal choice. In the RS2000 it produced 100bhp (DIN) at 5,750rpm.

Escort RS1800 (Mk2)

The RS 1800 was produced in very limited numbers between 1975 and 1977. Fitted with an enlarged version of the 16-valve BDA engine, cubic capacity was now 1,835cc and power output had risen to approximately 115bhp. The RS 1800 model was used with great success by the works rally team and numerous private owners.

Escort RS2000 (mk2)

With its new droopsnoot nose, the new RS 2000 created a stir at the 1975 Geneva Motor Show. Like all previous RS Escorts, it was based on the two-door saloon body style and featured extensive used of matt black paint in place of conventional bright metal. Clearly aimed at the sporting buyer who wanted refinement and performance, the model was a success, gaining higher demand than earlier cars.

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