A brief history of the Group 4 RS 1800 Mk 2 Escort rally car

The Mk 2 Escort that followed on from the Mk 1 RS1600, the RS1800, emerged in 1975, and within months the Boreham-based works Ford team had turned it into a formidable World Championship machine. Its first outright victory came in the 1975 RAC rally, when Timo Makinen completed a personal hat-trick, and the Escort took its fourth straight win. Ford retained the RAC trophy in the following year, 1976, when Roger Clark won for the second time in an Escort - four years after his first RAC triumph.

Roger Clark, Hannu Mikkola and Bjorn Waldegard spearheaded the works team's international charge in the following years. As ever, the Escorts were still the class of the field. Bjorn Waldegard won three of the world's most punishing World Championship rallies in 1977 - the East African Safari, Acropolis and RAC events, and the Swedish in 1978, while Hannu Mikkola also won the RAC rally in 1978.

Throughout this period, drivers used Escorts to win hundreds of events at World,European and National Championship level. One of those Ford rally experts, Gilbert Staepelaere of Belgium, won more events than any other individual driver in Europe. The Ford Escort was also unbeaten in the British Rally Championship for eight consecutive years, from 1971 to 1978.

In 1979 the Ford Escort then made a clean sweep of the World Rally Championship.By the end of the year, the well-developed and versatile RS1800s had won five World Championship rounds, in Portugal, Greece (Acropolis), New Zealand, Canada and the UK (RAC) - the RAC being won for the eighth consecutive occasion.

Not only did Ford win the World Manufacturers' Championship in 1979 - for the third time in twelve years - but Bjorn Waldegard also became World Drivers' Champion, with team-mate Hannu Mikkola close behind him.

As the 'works' team concentrated on developing new models for the 1980s, anothermember of that famous team, Ari Vatanen, spearheaded the privately-financed Rothmans Escort rally team which contested the World Rally Championship in 1980 and 1981. After winning the Acropolis rally in 1980, Ari went on to win three more World Championship events in 1981, and became the first, and only, privateerever to win the World Drivers' Championship.

Today, Many Mk 2 Escorts are still winning rally’s all over the world, either in period Historic trim,or highly modified versions, these days some featuring 2.5 lt Millington engines, and sequential gearbox’s along with modern suspension, the Escort still retains its excellent handling characteristics that make it such a favourite with drivers.

Both current WRC Ford Drivers, Miko Hirvonen, and Jari-Mati Latvala own Mk 2 Escort rally cars, why, because they are so much fun to drive!

The power behind the Escorts performance was from the Cosworth designed BDA Engine.Originally in 1601cc form in the Mk 1 RS1600 road car, it gave a modest 115 BHP. Later, in full 2lt Rally trim a Dry sumped BDA , BDG or even BDX as the larger valved versions were known was producing a very reliable 240 to 255 bhp depending on inlet system and cams used. The gloriously sounding engines will happily rev to 9500 rpm, creating that magical noise.

To cope with the power Ford used a ZF 5 speed gearbox, which proved tobe very strong and reliable, and along with the Atlas Axle which was used in the Ford Capri with mostly a 5.1 ratio for acceleration, the running gear for the Rally cars proved very durable.

Front Mc phearson struts with Bilstein inserts with coil springs, with adjustable Track control arms, and anti roll bar was the standard set up for Forestry use, where as Tension struts were often used for Tarmac use.

At the rear 5 leaf slipper springs with upright Bilstein shock absorbers were used for forestry, along with 4 trailing arms and a panhard rod for axle location. For Tarmac a single leaf spring with coil over shocks helpers were sometimes used, as was a Watts linkage.

Other features, were a hydraulic fly off Hand brake, adjustable brake bias, Ventilated discs all round, with 4 pot callipers front, 2 pot rears, 24v starting system, dry sump system, sump guard and all the usual features you would find in a Rally car.

• Mk 2 Escort RS1800 Group 4
• 980kgs
• 250bhp
• 120mph
• 0.60 5secs