Registration - VSM 250T

Chassis No - 274574VM29038

M.O.T. - Exempt

Odometer - 42,518

MKII Escort Sports are surprisingly few and far between these days. This tidy specimen matches Signal Orange bodywork to black quilted interior trim and rides on a set of five-spoke Compomotive alloy wheels. It resided in South Africa until imported to the UK in the Autumn of 2020. Since arriving on these shores it has undergone a sympathetic restoration that included complete refurbishment of the underside and any other bodywork that was deemed necessary, followed by a repaint of the affected areas and engine bay. The 1600cc Kent engine was rebuilt and fitted with a downdraft Weber carburettor topped by a K&N performance filter. The four-speed manual gearbox was also rebuilt and uprated with a quick shift change. The driveline now benefits from a rally specification English rear axle. The vendor currently rates the OHV engine and transmission as ‘excellent’, and the two-door bodywork, paintwork and upholstery as ‘good’. The Ford comes complete with a degree of supporting paperwork and two sets of keys.

The Ford Escort is one of the motor industry’s longest running success stories, with over 4.1 million examples of the model being sold over a period of 33 years, and it was frequently Britain’s best-selling car during the 1980s and 1990s. The second of the six generations was ushered in during 1974 and reigned until 1980. Much squarer in shape than its predecessor, it was offered in the four guises of two and four-door saloon, estate and van, and in various levels of trim and performance. Versions of the MKII were manufactured or assembled from CKD kits in England, Ireland, Germany, Australia, Israel, New Zealand, Holland and South Africa. For the latter market, UK-built MKIIs were exported to the country, where they were assembled at the Ford plant in Silverton. The beauty of the dry South African climate and salt-free roads is that car bodies and undersides are far less likely to suffer from rust or rot, making vehicles imported from there highly desirable. The added bonus for a UK owner is that they are usually righthand drive, as is the case with ‘VSM 250T’.

In summary:

• Imported from sunny South Africa in 2020
• The subject of recent body restoration work and engine rebuild
• Features quilted interior trim and rides on Compomotive alloys