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WIN A MK2 ESCORT! FIND OUT HOW INSIDE… BUY NOW!
JUNE 2016 / ISSUE 123 /
£4.99 /
RETROFORDMAGAZINE
BROADSPEED MK1
16 VALVE RACER RECREATION FOR THE ROAD
BROAD-STREET RETRO RF
TEN YEARS AGO THIS MONTH, WE GOT EXCITED ABOUT...
MK2 ESCORT WIDE MK2 ESCORT WITH WILD SIXTEEN VALVE POWER
001_Cover.indd 1
ST CAPRI
CONTEMPORARY MODS, CLASSIC CAR, PERFECT COMBO 19/04/2016 21:08
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Available for Tension strut or Compression strut setups, Bilstein, DMS, Reiger or Proflex damper setups. THE ULTIMATE FOR YOUR MK2!! 19/04/2016 22:07
JUNE 2016 / ISSUE 123
ADVERTISING Advertisement Sales Manager: Sarah Davis ads@retrofordmagazine.co.uk Tel: 020 3752 2262 Mob: 07887 992910 PHOTOGRAPHY MAKERS Chris Frosin, RB Photography, Gary Hawkins, Andy Ellis, William Neill CONTRIBUTION SENDERS Paul Miller, Daniel Bevis, Luke Wood, Rob Cheesmur, Martyn Morgan Jones, Rob Button, The Dave, David Ford, Andy Ellis, Andy Pyke DESIGN OVERLORD Keith Wood / Hype Creative PUBLISHER BLOKE Silverback Publishing Ltd Publisher: Tom Saunders Managing Director: Andrew Crispin SUBSCRIPTIONS
S
o, we’ve had a couple of nice days weatherwise, as I type this, which can mean only
grown-up’ part of my life. This month we once again have oodles of old Ford
one thing - summer is getting closer. Whilst
goodness between the covers of Retro Ford Magazine,
I might not have the spare time to do it at
from a road going replica of a legendary racer to a
the moment (key words: at the moment)
Cortina with old cigarettes in the ash tray, it’s all here for
there really is nothing quite like the feeling of getting up early on a crisp summer’s morning, not a cloud in the
you to look at with your eyes and enjoy with your mind. As ever this magazine needs you, our beloved readers,
sky, loading up your old Ford with enough food and beer
to survive. This means if you’ve got an old Ford worth a
to survive a weekend and then heading off to a show
feature, or even have a garage full of them, if you fancy
somewhere with a group of mates. It’s something that
getting your keyboard dirty and writing some tech articles
I really used to enjoy doing and actually look forward
or just want to suggest something you’d like to see,
to getting back into again once I’m through the ‘being
please do get in touch. Until then, enjoy the issue.
TO SUBSCRIBE CALL 07717 201720
Subscriptions Manager: Louisa Bell Email: subs@silverbackpublishing.rocks Web: www.retrofordmagazine.co.uk
BEN MORLEY / EDITOR / BEN@RETROFORDMAGAZINE.CO.UK
INDEPENDENCE Retro Ford is published by Silverback Publishing for all owners, drivers and enthusiasts of Retro Fords. It’s entirely independent of manufacturers, dealers and associated clubs or affiliations. The views of our contributors are their own. DISTRIBUTION
If you have trouble finding Retro Ford mag in the UK please contact: Warners Group Publications Plc on 01778 391171 Email: nikkim@warnersgroup.co.uk Overseas queries: Tel: 01778 391171 Email: nikkim@warnersgroup.co.uk Retro Ford, ISSN: 1364-2502, is published 12 times per annum by Silverback Publishing Ltd. Annual subscription price UK £44.50, EUR £59, ROW £79.
While every effort is made in compiling Retro Ford the
publishers cannot be held responsible for errors or omissions. Readers are advised to pay by credit card when ordering goods off the page as they are regulated under Consumer Act 1974, unlike debit or charge cards, which are not. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any storage or retrieval system, without the consent of the publisher. Registered at Stationers Hall Copyright. Direct Input by Silverback publishing Ltd.
ISSN: 1750-2942
© 2016 Silverback Publishing Retro Ford magazine, est. April 2006, is published by Silverback Publishing
003_Contents.indd 1
Steve McCann Did some more pictures at a place.
Rob Button Had two Macdonalds in one day, once.
Andy Ellis Getting out and about as much as possible
Gary Hawkins Never actually did a wrestle with Bob. Yet.
William Neill Irish correspondent and awardwinning journo
Martyn Morgan Jones Award-winning writer and part of the RF woodwork
Rob Cheesmur Our man on the interenet, and on the ground.
Paul ‘Windy’ Miller Has never been able to Moonwalk or eat Spam.
Luke Wood Sometimes is angry about things, often dreams of his Mk1
David Ford His name is Ford, he likes Fords. It’s magic.
Andy Pyke Was cynical about some stuff, made a thing with Bob.
Dan Bevis Finds cars, writes words, posts on Instagram
003 19/04/2016 21:12
JUNE 2016
THE BIGGERRE PICTU
TO USE IT TWICE… D HA E W , OD GO SO . OT T SH THIS MONTH’S STAND-OU
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FEATURES 10 SPEED DATING
So you’ve got a Broadspeed racer, what better thing to do than build a replica for the road?
20 RACE RETRO 2016
The annual trip to Stoneleigh park and all of the associated Ford fun and games that go with it.
28 STANDARD ISSUE
021
A lovely Mk1 Cortina that is an auto, no less, and has original cigarette butts in the ashtray.
36 RESTORATION SHOW 2016
A new one on us, but it seems it was a decent event. We’ll be heading back there next year!
42 FAMILY VALUES
What do you do when you’ve got and love a Capri Ghia? You build a fast road ST-powered one, too.
52 GARAGE NATION
036
It all goes on out there in Great Britain, here’s another firm that like to play at old Fords.
60 ORIENTAL EXPRESS
What’s the best way to spend £35k? On building a Mk2 Escort to have fun with, that’s what.
72 GREAT DAYS
Looking at the original Escort Mexico racing series
72 TRUE BLUE
Martin Painter of Escort Agency fame tells us about his forray into the world of Fords.
052 REGULARS
70 NEW PRODUCTS
Shiny new products to bolt in, on, or near your old Ford.
86 BACK TO BASICS
xx
HANDS ON
072
New series of technical articles to educate you about things that you might not have known about.
88 WIN A MK2 ESCORT
Yes, we’re still giving one away. It’s real. Believe it.
90 FAMOUS FIVE
Five of our favourite Ford cars and builds from out there in the world of the web
92 READER’S PROJECT
A turbo’d four door that’s sure to be a weapon when done.
94 OUR BUILDS
086
Rob Button gets closer, Rob Cheesmur gets further away, Paul gets hot under the collar.
092 096
102 CLASSIC HOT RODS
A look behind the scenes with one of the Anglias that race in the championship
108 RETRO FORD RETRO
A look back at what was getting us excited ten years ago this month.
113 SUBSCRIBE Get a big dollop of Retro Ford goodness every month
delivered to your door and save money too…easy!
007 003_Contents.indd 5
19/04/2016 21:13
K L A T L L A SM S E WORLD OF RETRO FORD TH OM FR IP SS GO ST TE ALL THE LA
9 2 1 £ Y L N O / 6 1 0 2 E 15TH JUN
D R O F O R RET EVENING! TRACK
Y
es, that’s right, 2016 sees the return of
the hugely popular Retro Ford Magazine Track evening at the legendary Brands Hatch circuit in Kent. Get your old Ford out on track with like-minded Blue Oval
fans without worrying about idiots in Clios crashing into things in front of you. Open pitlane format means you’ll get as much or as little track time as you can manage. Track time is reserved only for retro Fords – Mk1/2 & 3 Escorts, Mk1 & 2 Fiestas, Anglias, Cortinas, Capris, 100es. If you’ve got a retro Ford and fancy thrashing it around the Brands Hatch Indy circuit, go to www.msvtrackdays.com/retroford to book your place.
SPECTATORS WELCOME Got an old Ford but don’t want to take it on track? Feel free to bring it along, park up in the paddock and watch all the track action! n
008 008_Gossip.indd 2
23/02/2016 12:37
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Close to London’s M25 and M11 19/04/2016 22:07
SPEED DA
IF YOU HAD A GENUINE OLD-SCHOOL BROADSPEED RACE CAR, YOU PROBABLY WOULDN’T WANT TO USE IT ON THE ROAD EVERY DAY. SO WHY NOT BUILD A MODERN VERSION FOR EVERYDAY THRILLS…? WORDS: DAN BEVIS PICS: CHRIS FROSIN
010 010_Mk1_Escort.indd 2
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DATING
W
COVER CAR
BROADSPEED REP
hen the nuclear winter comes,
up away from danger or broken up for parts. But it’s
rumble, although this is no old-school circuit survivor.
the only things left on the surface
also thanks to the vast swathes of enthusiasts who
No, it’s a fresh new build that’s been optimised for
of the Earth will be cockroaches,
are constantly building new old race cars, harnessing
everyday twenty-first century road use. The fact that
the T-1000, and a whole bunch
modern methods and up-to-the-minute materials to
it’s also pretty handy on track is something we may
of MkI Escort race cars. How
create dogbone Escorts that are harder, faster, more
merely count as a bonus.
so? Because these things are just unkillable. This is
enduring and better quality than ever before. Lee
due in part to the retro Ford community’s keenness
Norris’s Broadspeed replica is a prime example…
Retro Ford office. It’s called ‘Lottery Wish List’. Forget
to keep them going, ensuring that old race cars
as you can see, it’s dripping with period-correct
budget, suspend reality, and draw up a list of your
remain out there and racing rather than being locked
accoutrements and it’s up on its toes and ready for a
dream garage; cars you’d buy, cars you’d build… it
Subscribe online at: www.retrofordmagazine.co.uk
010_Mk1_Escort.indd 3
There’s a fun game that we like to play in the
011 19/04/2016 21:14
changes every day depending on what we’ve been watching on TV the night before or which hair-raising YouTube links you guys have sent us, but there’s generally a hardcore MkI Escort track build in there somewhere. Now, Lee Norris is not a lottery winner. He’s a self-made businessman who now finds himself in the fortuitous position of being able to enjoy his financial successes by ticking off the cars from his own wish list: Ferraris, Aston Martins, McLarens, 911 Turbos, he’s had it all. Indeed, this Broadspeed
‘LEE WAS KEEN TO RUN A ZETEC ON BIKE CARBS SO WE USED A BRAND NEW BLACK TOP 2.0-LITRE CRATE MOTOR’
Escort currently shares garage space with his newlyacquired Lamborghini Aventador. Lee is, it has to be said, something of a polymath. “It all started for me at the age of twelve,” he reminisces, the scenery going wibbly around him like that scene in Wayne’s World. “That’s when I started tinkering with cars – fixing my father’s company vehicles, putting them through the test, painting them in the new company colours… and when I was sixteen I started on my own first project. It was a 1000cc Mini, which I stripped the whole front end off and replaced it with a fibreglass flip-front, upgrading the engine to a 1275; I then sold it to buy an unfinished Mini 1380 project painted in Budweiser livery. I’ve always enjoyed classics; in fact, FST Automotive are nearly done building my 1972 Dodge Charger, and are in the early stages of creating a silver MkII Escort Harrier for me.” …and it’s here that we’re introduced to the rare and rakish charms of FST Automotive, who also happen to be the guys who lovingly crafted this Broadspeed replica. So before we delve too deeply into the story of the car, let’s have a chinwag with Dave Broadbent, the man behind the brand: “The company has been trading for eight years now,” he explains, “specialising in Ford as our lead tech Dave Jackson and I worked there for many years. We have a brilliant team on site and work
A brand-new 2.0 Black top was sourced and bolted in the hole using Retro Ford Limited goodies
on many different brands and ages of car; we have been lucky enough to build a team capable of almost anything, and we have full workshops and flocking facilities on site, with paintwork and detailing also available. We have a well-stocked shop too, and cover all aspects of tuning, repairs and restorations.” They sound like just the sort of lads you want to call for a quality build, don’t they? So how did Lee get involved with FST? “We were fortunate enough to be located not too far from Lee’s business,” says Dave. “He had seen us in passing, and knew from social media what we were capable of doing. He wanted a one-stop shop for all his vehicles, as he is a collector and an avid enthusiast.” So there you have it. OK, on to the Escort, then…
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19/04/2016 21:15
COVER CAR
BROADSPEED REP
Bike carb experts, Bogg Brothers, did the carb work, then someone flocked them. You can’t leave anything laying about these days! Exhaust manifold is lush!
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“I found the car on eBay,” Lee tells us. “It was an
people across five depots, and that takes up most of
Broadspeed/Team Castrol Group 2 RS1600,” he
unfinished project in the very early stages of build, so
my time. Plus I do like to have more than one project
continues. “There was no deep or personal reason
I bought it and engaged FST Automotive to carry out
on the go at the same time, and FST’s expertise
for choosing this, beyond the fact that I love an iconic
the project for me. I’m quite capable of doing this kind
allows me to do this.
race or rally livery! In the same vein, I’ll be doing an
of work, but I have my own business employing sixty
“The car’s external aesthetic is a replica of the
X-Pack Rothmans MkII next year, along with a JPS
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19/04/2016 21:15
COVER CAR
BROADSPEED REP X-Pack MkII van this year – I just like them to be eye-
twice a week to check on progress and chew over
says, “so we went down the route of using a brand
catching and interesting.”
ideas, and there were daily phone calls about the
new 2.0-litre blacktop crate motor, mounting it to a
minutiae of the project. It’s very much his car, his
Type 9 ’box. We used the full Retro Ford Limited fitting
way. Dave Broadbent takes up the story:
kit, along with their exhaust system and manifold, and
So Lee wasn’t hands-on with the actual nuts and bolts of the build, but don’t go thinking that he was just cynically writing cheques. He’d be down at FST
“Lee was keen to run a Zetec on bike carbs,” he
the rebuilt bike carbs sit on a Bogg Bros manifold. We
‘THIS LOOKS JUST LIKE A RACE CAR BUT WILL HAPPILY SIT IN A TRAFFIC JAM ON THE M25 WITHOUT CATCHING FIRE’
Subscribe online at: www.retrofordmagazine.co.uk
010_Mk1_Escort.indd 7
015 19/04/2016 21:15
also went with a NODIZ electronic ECU. This system runs well and produces good, usable power – and it sounds amazing when driven! We did have to do a fair amount of fabrication to the bulkhead and transmission tunnel to get it all to fit, but the Retro Ford Limited conversion is outstanding and we would recommend it to anyone.” A key part of Lee’s remit was to have the car modernised for everyday use, and this led to a full interior refit. Sure, the recognisable retro touchpoints are all present and correct – the rollcage, the threespoke wheel, the general aura of purposefulness – but delve a little deeper and you’ll find that the rear is packed out with a custom audio install, and there are hidden USB ports up front. You’ll note that the huggy bucket seats are also reassuringly squishy. This is basically an everyday road-racer. “The exterior was largely complete when Lee sent us the shell,” says Dave, “although the quality of the paint at the rear wasn’t up to our standards so that’s been redone, and that also necessitated reproducing some of the graphics. We’re fortunate in that we have a graphic designer and all the equipment to do this inhouse.” And with the looks painstakingly fettled to a top-notch concours finish, the fellas set about beefing up the chassis, bolting in adjustable Gaz coilovers and Wilwood brakes to ensure that the power going through those chunky Goodyears was being deployed
The interior is outwardly retro, but houses some modern comforts for Lee. It’s a fusion of retro charm and creature comforts. Making it a perfect, very good looking, everyday cruiser.
effectively. What this car represents, then, is the zenith of restomod race car nostalgia. The idea of taking an everyday Escort and transforming it into a race rep is nothing new of course, but as each year passes we see yet more technological advancement and improvement in methods that sees such builds getting better than ever before. This looks just like a Broadspeed race car, but it’ll sit in a jam on the M25 without catching fire, it’ll happily sync with your iPod, and it’ll always start on a cold winter morning without kicking up a fuss. The fact that it’s running 8” rims under bubble arches and rocking the classic green ‘n’ red Castrol stripes just serves to further highlight the mundanity of the modern traffic. “The car’s recently had its first outing, to an open day at Hartwell Ford in Scunthorpe, and it was very well received there,” Lee grins. “It seems to be very much liked by all, regardless of whether they’re into classics. It’s definitely a keeper, this one.” He’s got that right. This is one for the ages. And it’ll be kicking ass and taking names long after that highly-strung Lamborghini’s spat its Sant’Agata dummy out, you can be sure of that. n
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19/04/2016 21:15
COVER CAR
BROADSPEED REP ‘YOU’LL NOTE THAT THE BUCKET SEATS ARE REASSURINGLY SQUISHY. THIS IS AN EVERYDAY ROAD-RACER’
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Ford Facts Engine & transmission: 2.0-litre Zetec crate motor, four-branch exhaust manifold, Retro Ford Limited exhaust system, rebuilt bike carbs on Bogg Bros manifold, distributorless ignition, Type 9 Sierra gearbox Chassis: 8x13” JBW wheels with 205/60 Goodyears, Gaz coilovers, Wilwood brake calipers, EBC discs and pads, polybushed throughout Interior: Custom-made interior, original clocks with carbon-fibre accents, buckets and harnesses, custom stereo system with speakers replacing rear seats, custom switch panel inc. engine start button, hidden USB ports for stereo, RS three-spoke steering wheel, Safety Devices bolt-in rollcage, fuel cell in boot with Sytec pump along with relocated battery and secondary kill switch Exterior: Correct RS1600 Broadspeed/Team Castrol Group 2 replica, bubble arches, quad Cibiés Thanks: Lee Norris: “I would like to thank all at FST Automotive – I’m a very hard taskmaster and very hard to please, but those lads never fail to impress and will turn their hand to anything. Also, thanks to Colin Norris for helping me keep the vehicle on time, taking care of any meetings I was unable to attend.” Dave Broadbent: “Big thanks to Lee Norris for allowing us to build the car, and his brother Colin for all his input. Also a big thanks to Retro Ford Limited for the fitting kit and parts, and all the staff at FST for their hard work on the project.”
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19/04/2016 21:16
Classic, Kit & Retro Action Day S AT 2 5 t h J U N E 2 0 1 6
CLASSIC, 2016 KIT & aCtION DaY RETRO Sat 25 JUNE CaStlE COmbE
Fans of Classic, Kit and Retro Cars won’t want to miss the circuit’s unique fusion of Car Show and Trackday. The recipe includes huge club displays, trade village and public track access (fast and parade sessions) and Vintage Bus rides! Admission: £12 (advance), £15 (on day) Track Time: £30 (advance), £35 (on day)
www.castlecombecircuit.co.uk Ad_Layouts.indd 1
19/04/2016 22:09
SHOW REPORT
RACE RETRO 2016
RACE RETRO THE FAST FINNS AND THEIR USE OF THE FORD ESCORT MK2 HAS BEEN PART OF THE RACE RETRO PACKAGE. THIS TIME, FOLLOWING ARI VATANEN’S APPEARANCE, HENRI TOIVONEN WAS FEATURED. SADLY HE COULD NOT JOIN THE SPECTACLE AFTER HIS DEATH AT THE WHEEL 30 YEARS AGO. WORDS & PICS: WILLIAM NEILL
P
eter Clarke – Toivonen’s team principal when the man who started in go-karting drove a Ford Escort RS1800 in the 1979 version of the Lombard RAC Rally until clutch problems sidelined hopes – put a
display of cars together. Over the weekend the stand saw those who worked on the cars and co-drivers pop by to recall sporting memories. There was a chance for Retro Ford readers to grab a copy of the monthly and meet the team. Naturally
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020_Race_Retro.indd 3
a Ford made its way on to the stand but the marque featured on other stands too, the car park and at the Silverstone Auction, where viewers was a chance to place a bid on a wide selection of models. A 1971 Ford Escort Mexico sold for £24,000, while
021 19/04/2016 21:20
SOLD!
Top left: Storage Hunters’ Jesse McClure visited the show in preparation for an upcoming television show
BOOT
Above right: You might be surprised to learn just how much can go into the boot of a Ford Mustang‌
Nigel Worswick took a Ford Escort Cosworth for high-speed runs around the three-lap Stoneleigh Park rally stage
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19/04/2016 21:20
SHOW REPORT
RACE RETRO 2016
TOUR
Top right: The Retro Classics Tour which started and finished at the venue had its share of Fords with an Escort and Anglia.
HAZARD Abover right: This 1982 Ford Escort RS 1700T was so cool it came with warning caution signs.
Simon Moss’ Ford Anglia is not just a showpiece. It has been spotted on track regularly…and moving…fast.
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The Henri Toivonen stand featured the Ford Escort RS1800 used in competition
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19/04/2016 21:21
SHOW REPORT
RACE RETRO 2016
SONS
Anthony and his son Ethan Harrison (below right) had a Mexicoversion Ford Escort Mk1 on the rally stage (above).
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020_Race_Retro.indd 7
a year newer version claimed nearly ÂŁ44,000 following restoration 500-mile prior to the hammer falling. Motor sport fans with cash in their pocket had a chance at both a rally and race Ford Escort. Those who did not, headed for the rally stage. Cars are for driving so on the concrete lanes of Stoneleigh Park was, literally, a blast from the past with a Ford Escort RS200 shared by Ian Gwynne and Steve Rimmer. With a Cortina (although a Lotus version) and Sierra RS represented, the newest model was the Ford Escort Cosworth. Pictured are the cars in action you must see. The show had barley started and murmurs of new owners could be heard. Clarion Events will host next season. Fear not though. The motoring experience they have with classic shows at the nearby Birmingham NEC could prove to be a beneficial portfolio expansion. The dates you need? February 24 to 26. n
025 19/04/2016 21:21
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STANDARD ISSUE COMPLETE WITH ORIGINAL ASH IN THE ASHTRAY AND WITH JUST 41K ON THE CLOCK, IAN JOHNSON’S ‘BARN FIND’ MK1 CORTINA SUPER REALLY IS UP THERE WITH THE BEST OF THEM WORDS: LUKE WOOD PICS: GAZZA
I
t has to be said that most politicians these days
that the number of ‘barn find’ classics for sale in the
are guilty of talking a load of rubbish on any
UK now exceeds the number of actual barns.
given occasion, but every now and again, one of
Well, in a rather sceptical way, he might have a
The current owner, Ian Johnson, tells us that he originally heard about the Cortina from a friend back in 2006 and while he admits that he was actually
them will sometimes come up with something
point but as this rare and very original Mk1 Cortina
on the lookout for an old Mini at the time, the asking
half sensible. Take Sir Greg Knight MP for
Super proves, they do still exist – although this one
price of £50 seemed like too good an opportunity to
instance, a man who recently tweeted that, after
was found in a garage, not a barn, but it’s the same
turn down.
reading two classic car magazines, it seemed to him
sort of thing really…
“It turns out that it had been owned by a chap who
028 028_Cortina.indd 2
19/04/2016 21:25
AS IT WAS…
MK1 CORTINA
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028_Cortina.indd 3
029 19/04/2016 21:25
had bought it new in August 1966, and had kept it all
off for home, the granddaughter produced a bag full
solved a little while later by putting their house up for
his life until he was no longer well enough to drive it
of history and paperwork, including the original bill of
rent and moving to a new house that did have one –
and was forced to park it up in his garage,” said Ian.
sale, receipts for extras such as inertia-reel seat belts
now that’s what we call proper commitment!
“That was in 1988, and when his wife finally died, the
and wing mirrors, the original period logbook, old
family were clearing the house and discovered it still
MoT’s and all kinds of articles and books – she then
on the Cortina, at least to start with, he also had
parked up 18 years later. I was offered it for £50, but
asked me to look after it and never to sell it, because
zero experience when it came to welding. In fact,
ended up paying double that because the old boy’s
it had been her grandfather’s pride and joy!”
apart from fixing a door on his old Mondeo, he
son arrived just as I was loading it onto a trailer and
With any ideas of stripping the Cortina in order to
Not only did Ian not have anywhere to work
was a complete novice when it came to any sort of
said if I wanted it, it was going to have to be £100 as
make a few quid on eBay now completely out of the
mechanical repairs, which was a bit of an issue as it
he’d figured out he could get that for weighing it in
window, Ian dutifully towed the Mk1 home back home
turns out that the Super was in far from showroom
as scrap.
and announced to his wife that he’d not only decided
condition.
“As it turns out, I didn’t mind at all because I’d
to keep the car, but was going to restore it in order to
fallen in love with it. My first car was a Mk4 Cortina
get it roadworthy again. According to Ian, this didn’t
an initial inspection revealed that, while it was
1600L and I’d always promised myself to get a Mk1,
go down particularly well, partly because they didn’t
basically solid enough, with a rot free floor and a bit
but that wasn’t the only reason. As I was about to set
have a garage, although this was an issue that was
of surface rust here and there, the sills, wings, rear
030 028_Cortina.indd 4
As it had been dry stored for nearly two decades,
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19/04/2016 21:26
AS IT WAS…
MK1 CORTINA
‘SHE ASKED ME TO LOOK AFTER IT AND NEVER SELL IT AS IT WAS HER GRANDFATHER’S PRIDE AND JOY’
The interior didn’t need too much work, in fact Ian decided to keep the previous owner’s cigarette butts in the ashtray out of respect to him.
031 028_Cortina.indd 5
19/04/2016 21:26
The standard 1500 Pre-Crossflow was given a once over to make sure it was in good health, something that Ian tackled himself. Not shy, him.
‘AFTER CONSIDERING TACKLING THE RESPRAY HIMSELF, IAN DECIDED IT WAS BEST LEFT TO SOMEONE EXPERIENCED’
032 028_Cortina.indd 6
19/04/2016 21:27
AS IT WAS…
MK1 CORTINA corners and arches and front panel were all going to
and all replacement panels were zinc treated as
need a fair bit of attention.
well. Apart from setting myself on fire on a couple of
Seemingly unfazed by the task that lay ahead, Ian
old age. And while the exterior now looks absolutely first
occasions, repairing the strut tops was probably the
class, the interior, and the running gear for that
bought himself a welder, read some books on how
worst of it, as I found three layers on one side and two
matter, have also been brought back to top-notch
to weld, and got stuck in. And while he might have
on the other, but I took my time and eventually got the
condition.
been a novice, don’t for a second assume that what
shell into a good enough state for a re-spray.”
The 3-speed auto gearbox, which we’re told was
followed was a bodge job – in fact, far from it. It might
After initially considering taking on the re-spray
actually still in very good working order when Ian
have taken him a couple of goes to get the right finish
himself, Ian eventually decided that this was a job
first collected the car, was removed and sent off
in certain places, but Ian’s hard work and attention to
best left to someone with a bit more experience,
to Thames Transmission to be stripped, inspected
detail really have paid off.
so the Cortina was transported to a local bodyshop
and re-built, while the 1500 pre-crossflow was also
“All the metal that I cut out was replaced with new
in Basildon for a fresh coat of Velvet Blue paint,
treated to a refresh, a job that Ian was only too happy
metal, and it was zinc coated in the process to ensure
complimented by an Ermine White roof and the
to do himself – and once again, this was a task that
that the rust was kept at bay for as long as possible,”
addition of new bumpers, wing mirrors, Super quarter
he’d never undertaken before.
he said. “The sills were pretty bad, so these were also
badges, hub caps and wiper arms; plus new seals,
repaired inside and out using zinc-primered metal,
rubbers and any other bits of trim that succumbed to
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028_Cortina.indd 7
“Like the welding, I bought a few books and just taught myself how to do it. It wasn’t in bad condition,
033 19/04/2016 21:27
Much like the exterior, the interior is in fine fettle, though Ian admits that it only really needed a quick clean to get it up to scratch. Much like the old fagends in the ashtray, he has kept the previous owner’s classic tin of de-icer and a box of matches as a kind of shrine to his memory.
it only had 38k on it when I bought it, and only has
In fact, in some areas, Ian could be accused of
before in RetroFord, but this is taking things to a
41k now, but I was keen to get everything looking as
keeping it a little too original…
whole new level…Either way, there’s no denying
good as it possibly could be,” he said. “I was always
“All the interior needed was a quick clean really,
that Ian has done the original owner of this Mk1
on the hunt for new-old-stock parts wherever possible
but there are some parts that I haven’t touched at
Super very proud indeed, and by lovingly restoring
and got lucky with quite a few things, such as the
all,” he said. “In the boot I’ve kept the little shovel that
it back to such a fine condition, he’s also done
steering box, the dynamo and the starter motor. I
was left in there, and the old tin of de-icer, and out of
pretty well on his initial £100 investment too, with a
even managed to get hold of three new-old-stock
respect to the original owner I’ve also decided to not
recent valuation estimating the worth of the Cortina
headlights, which I’ve kept for spares.”
clean out the ash tray, which still has his old cigarette
to be as high as £11,500. Although considering the
butts in there. I’ve even got his old box of matches!
time and effort that he’s put into getting it looking
struts and calipers have also all been refurbished or
Some people think it’s a bit gross, but I don’t mind at
this good, not to mention the obvious emotional
replaced with new, it’s the interior of the Cortina that
all and I think of it more as a shrine to his memory”
attachment, we can’t see him cashing in on that any
While other items such as springs, dampers,
really stands out, both for its originality and condition.
034 028_Cortina.indd 8
Well, we’ve seen a few time-warp condition cars
time soon… n
Subscribe online at: www.retrofordmagazine.co.uk
19/04/2016 21:27
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19/04/2016 22:18
MK2
The Mk2 Capri is considered by some as the least loved of all the Capris, but when they are like this one, you just have to love them
DEALERS
Anyone who likes a bit of celeb spotting will feel right at home at the show – although think less Kim Kardashian and David Beckham and more Mike Brewer and Edd China from Wheeler Dealers
JIM
Never mind the two above, Jim Scott and his Cortina were at the show - possibly the most winningest duo in the world of Fords??
036 036_Resto.indd 2
19/04/2016 21:28
SHOW REPORT
RESTORATION SHOW
RESTORATION AND CLASSIC CAR SHOW 2016
THE AUTOSPORT SHOW MIGHT TECHNICALLY BE THE FIRST BIG MOTORING EVENT OF THE YEAR, BUT THE RESTORATION AND CLASSIC CAR SHOW IS FAST BECOMING THE REAL SEASON OPENER FOR THOSE THAT LIKE A SLIGHTLY MORE HANDS ON APPROACH TO THEIR CLASSIC AND RETRO CARS. WORDS: LUKE WOOD PICS: MARTIN JENKINS
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036_Resto.indd 3
037 19/04/2016 21:29
COR
There were plenty of Cortinas of all ages. This Mk1 was dropdead gorgeous and actually we really want it. A lot.
MK3
There were some lovely Mk3’s on display, and some, er not so lovely ones. However, you can’t claim it’s not original.
FLAKE
Metalflake paint. Yes, that was as real then as it is today, this Capri is very much of it’s time. Quite what that time was, remains to be seen.
038 036_Resto.indd 4
Subscribe online at: www.retrofordmagazine.co.uk
19/04/2016 21:29
SHOW REPORT
RESTORATION SHOW
F
or as long as we can remember, the Autosport show at Birmingham’s NEC has always marked the start of the year in style, and has generally been regarded as a ‘must see’ event for anyone with an ounce of petrol flowing through their veins. As you’ll no doubt recall from reading our Autosport show review last month (you better have read it, we don’t just sit here all day behind a keyboard working our fingers to the bone for nothing, you know…) the annual post-Christmas pilgrimage to the NEC has always been the perfect way to beat the January blues, and while this is a show that covers a broad spectrum of cars from all periods, there’s typically a great selection of top notch RetroFords on display
– plus the engineering halls and the likes of Burton Power, Rally Design and all the top names in go faster bits are all in attendance as well. However, while we’re big fans of Autosport, there is now a new event taking place at the NEC just a couple of months later in March, one that’s proving so popular with die hard classic, retro and vintage car enthusiasts, that it could soon become a genuine alternative to the motorsport themed season opener in January. The Restoration and Classic Car show is certainly not as glamorous, (there’s no live action arena, no Formula 1 and much less promo girls) but for people that like to get their hands dirty, appreciate a barn find or two and know what it’s like to spend months
on end tinkering with a project in a garage or on a driveway, then this is the one for you. This year’s show, which was held on 5-6 March, was only the third installment, but if the visitor numbers put out from the organisers are to be believed, then it’s most likely the fastest growing classic car event in the country. Over 19,000 people visited the show last year, so you can see this event is really starting to get people’s attention! So, what’s all the fuss about, what does the Restoration and Classic Car show have, that others don’t? Well, for starters, there’s the cars, and while they’re not all Fords by any stretch of the imagination, there really is a fantastic mix of retro and classic machinery, with some rare old vintage metal as well.
MOTOWN TRANSIT
Motown inspired Transit… Not everyone’s cup of tea of course, but the effort that has gone into both the bodywork and custom paint is staggering, and that’s before you open up the rear doors and realise that the whole interior has been transformed into a kind of bedroom shrine to the Four Tops. Amazing and just a little bit creepy at the same time…
039 036_Resto.indd 5
19/04/2016 21:29
The beauty of this show, however, is that the cars on display are not all concours, and in fact some of them look like they’ve just been dragged out of a field. Take a look around the various club stands, and while there’s no shortage of pristine, original examples, you’ll also see cars that are only half way to being restored – and some that have literally been untouched since they were discovered in a variety of barns, garages or, in some cases it would seem, the bottom of a lake. Why would you want to pay good money to see a load of rusty old bangers? Well, there’s a lot more to it than that. Lots of stands include live demonstrations on how to restore and repair your project, so if you’ve ever wanted to know more about things like lead loading
or panel work, then there’s loads of experts on hand to help improve your skills or show you a new way of working. There’s also an Originals section of the show, which is reserved for cars that have not been restored at all, just perfectly maintained throughout their lives, as well as a ‘Works in Progress’ area that’s set aside for a variety of projects that are still ongoing. A slightly odd concept, but for anyone that’s in the same boat with their own project, it’s very interesting to see the challenges that other people are facing as well. Similarly, the ‘Before and After’ area of the show, places two cars of the same make and model next to each other, one of which is typically in a bit of a mess, while the other has been subject to a full resto
and as such is fully shiny. The idea here of course, is to provide inspiration to those that might be thinking about starting a project, or perhaps to those that have started but have run out of energy and need something to give them a kick up the backside to get it finished! In addition to all that, there’s also a fantastic auction run by Silverstone Auctions, which this year saw some seriously tasty cars go under the hammer, plus an extensive auto jumble, over 100 club stands, a few well known celebs floating about – oh, and some rather nice retro Fords on display as well. And as we all know, that should be worth the entry fee alone. Keep the first couple of weeks in March free next year, because this one’s only going to get better. n
CHESHIRE CAPRI
Last year, the boys from the Cheshire Capri Club put on a great show of force, winning the Club Challenge thanks to club member, Jason Hibbert. The challenge was to see who could change the valves in a cylinder head the fastest, and after Jason got up onto the Live Stage he managed to perform the task in just over two minutes. Not only did he win £250 for his club, but he did a great job of upholding the honour of the retro Ford contingent. The Cheshire Capri Club were back at the show again this year, and had a great selection of models on display once again.
040 036_Resto.indd 6
19/04/2016 21:29
COMPETITION
D R O F O R T RE ! N O I T I T COMPE
hand tools All Sealey and Siegeen w ranty* come with a lifetim ar SEALEY ARE OFFERING ONE LUCKY PERSON THE CHANCE TO WIN A SELECTION OF HAND TOOLS WHICH WOULD BE IDEAL FOR USE BY ANY RESTORATION ENTHUSIAST!
T
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the full list of goodies you can win!
Sealey has kindly decided to offer a very
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061_COMP.indd 2
19/04/2016 23:06
FAMILY VA
THESE CAPRIS REPRESENT THE DIVERSE SKILL SET OF CHESTER SPORTSCARS – ONE IS PRISTINE AND ORIGINAL, THE OTHER MODIFIED IN CONTEMPORARY FASHION. SO, WHICH ONE WOULD YOU TAKE HOME…? WORDS: DAN BEVIS PICS: CHRIS FROSIN
K
it cars are polarising things. For some they’re a way of life; replica Cobras and Chesil 356s offer a slice of the sports car pie that would otherwise be, financially speaking, pie-in-the-sky. For others, the likes of the Dutton Phaeton and Ginetta G32 represent all that’s weird and jarring about homebuilt
automobiles. People don’t tend to sit on the fence with kit cars, they’re like Marmite –brownish, sticky, and come in jars. Or something. I’ll always be a champion of the kit car, not least because they represent the possibility that the common man can live out sports car dreams on a budget. When I was a nipper, my dad built a DMS
Bullitt – a replica Aston Martin Volante Vantage, based on a MkII Capri 3.0 Ghia. He’d never tried anything like it before, he just fancied having a go, and I have wonderful memories of handing him spanners and mugs of coffee while he lay underneath it and somehow breathed life into what had previously been a huge stack of oily parts. A cherished father-and-son
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VALUES
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DOUBLE TROUBLE
CAPRI TWOSOME
043 19/04/2016 21:31
‘WE WERE TIPPED OFF ABOUT THE CAR BY A FELLOW MEMBER OF NORTH WALES CLASSIC FORDS’
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19/04/2016 21:31
DOUBLE TROUBLE
CAPRI TWOSOME
Once upon a time, not so long ago, a brown velour interior would have been frowned upon. However these days, an unmolested beauty like this is something to behold.
bonding exercise as much as it was a car. This generational bond centred around epoxy resin, swearing and bashing things with hammers is well known to Graham and Duncan Neale, for this father-and-son team together established Chester Sportscars sixteen years ago. The original day-to-day work of the business lay in assembling Tiger kit cars, which employ various Sierra parts along with Mondeo engines. So the guys found themselves spending a lot of time elbows-deep in oily piles of old Ford parts, and this pattern of behaviour started to creep into various other developmental concepts. Along with supplying and building kit cars, they started working on and restoring other models and, as the business increased, focusing their attentions increasingly on classic Fords. This was bolstered by a strong sideline in supplying and fitting engine tuning kits using bike carbs and programmable ignition, and before long they had become a serious force to be reckoned with in the retro Ford sphere. Mighty oaks from little acorns grow, and those early days of Tiger assembly have evolved into a full-time blue oval obsession. Such a development was always written in the stars, naturally. Graham’s passion stretches back to his days as a 21-year-old sales rep with a company car of which he was immeasurably proud; a MkI Escort 1.1 on hire from Godfrey Davis. “I thought I was in heaven,” he wistfully reminisces. “After trying to keep my old 1948 MG TC going, through a procession of knocking big ends, bent valves, broken half-shafts, rusty and holed petrol tanks and shorting battery cables, the Escort was fabulous.” Duncan has a similarly far-reaching enthusiasm for old Fords, his teen years having been spent blasting around North Wales in Capris, followed by an XR2i. (“Great at the time,” he ponders, “but why did I switch to front wheel-drive…?”) Fast-forward to today, and we find ourselves looking at a pair of exquisite MkIII Capris, each representing an entirely different approach; one is a period-perfect vision in gold and brown, the other an up-to-the-minute custom job. So let’s start with the former, shall we…? What we have here, purring affectionately with its ‘GRR’ number plates, is a smashing example of a straight-and-true 2.0 Ghia. “This Capri has covered a genuine 34,000 miles from new,” Graham reveals, treating the fact with the reverence it deserves. “It was originally registered in Nottinghamshire and still carries the dealer plates and rear window sticker. It’s had several owners, and in later life travelled as far north as Aberdeen and Oban, before making its way down to the south coast of England. We were tipped off about the car by a fellow member of North Wales Classic Fords, who was offered the car while it was garaged overlooking Puffin Island near Anglesey.” The car was in sound condition, its original engine running well, and the chassis was showing the benefits of having been Ziebarted from new. The engine bay was similarly clean, with underseal having been brushed on from the strut tops down, and on the
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Ford Facts Engine & transmission: 2.0-litre Pinto, four-branch manifold, K&N air filter, Weber twin-choke downdraught, standard coil ignition, 98bhp @ 5,850rpm Ford 4-speed H gearbox with external shift rods, cable operated clutch, 2-piece propshaft and standard Atlas 3.44 diff and driveshafts Chassis: 5.5x13� Ghia 8-spoke alloys with 185/70 tyres, MacPherson front struts, coil springs and dampers, 19mm anti-roll bar, multi-leaf rear springs, dampers and 10mm anti-roll bar, standard Capri brakes (servo-operated with master cylinder and split circuits; solid front discs, 9� rear drums) Interior: Ghia spec - Chocolate Brown ribbed cloth seats, front seats adjustable for rake with adjustable headrests, split rear seats with individual fold-down facility, carpeted door panels with brown ribbed centre section and brown vinyl tops, brown dash, 6-dial instrument display, radio-cassette player, brown pile carpet, fleck headlining, tilt/slide sunroof, carpeted boot floor, lockable tailgate with lifting parcel shelf, front inertia-reel seat belts Exterior: Champagne Gold metallic paint with black grille, headlamp surrounds, bumpers and over-riders, black rubber side mouldings, black boot-mounted rubber spoiler, Ghia wing badges and rear bootlid decal, twin door mirrors, reversing and fog lights integral with main rear lights, front headlamp washer jets actuated when lights illuminated
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DOUBLE TROUBLE
CAPRI TWOSOME
The gold beauty left Graham and Duncan with a taste for more, so they chose to slot the very tractable 2.0 Zetec from an ST Focus between the strut towers of the blue one.
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whole the thing appeared to be a peach. A rare bargain to be had here, then? “Not quite,” says Graham. “The seller knew he had a top-of-the-range car, and there was to be no haggling on the price! Nevertheless, it was too good to pass up so we put down a deposit and went to collect it the next day.” As Capris go, this was about as solid a find as one might hope for in the open market, but ‘good enough’ is never quite good enough is it? So as soon as the car arrived back at Chester Sportscars it found itself being separated from its engine and gearbox, with all wiring, ancillaries, brake pipes, crossmember, steering assembly and so on being set aside too. From this point, the fellas had a sound base to work from. The shell was bare-metalled, then delivered to Ian Rogers of Deeside who laid on etch-primer, primer, several two-pack base coats, and top lacquer to restore that old-school Champagne Gold finish. “All original parts were refitted in the engine bay,” Graham assures us, “even the nuts and bolts after refurbishing, and the interior was treated to the same attention to detail. Predictably, the heater fan had stopped working and the front seat coverings had delaminated and sagged, but the local car trimmer, Keith, took these apart and carefully cut away the old linings before repadding and replacing the foam. We were fortunate that the car was found complete with no parts missing, and that the interior was intact with no major tears or rips in the fabric. After a tune-up of the carb, which was running very weak, and a fresh MOT, GRR 116V was back on the road as Ford intended.” It really is a glorious thing to behold, with arguably the finest element being that unbelievably-brown interior. It’s like sitting inside a bucket of Dairy Milk, if you can imagine such a thing. And the car really does work holistically, its period options and colour scheme drawing in countless admirers wherever it goes – the Ghia was always the luxury Capri, and its endearing nature makes the driver feel like a movie star on every outing. But, of course, there’s only so much space in the world for standard cars. Riding high on the success of the gold car’s exquisite restoration, Graham and Duncan began to hanker after something a bit racier, something to showcase the side of their business that deals with custom fare. “We were on the lookout for another MkIII to upgrade with a modern 16-valve engine,” Graham explains, “with the Focus ST170 being our motor of choice for several reasons: firstly, the engine will mate to any of the Ford 4- or 5-speed gearboxes without any adaptor plate. Secondly, the availability of these engines is excellent with many low-mileage units out there at good prices. Thirdly, when the variable valve timing is properly actuated, the standard engine on carbs or throttle bodies will produce 185bhp. (Without the VVT being used a poor 130bhp is recorded!) And finally, because the original ST170 cars were quite expensive, they were usually regularly serviced by the
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‘THE BIKE CARBS RETURN 42 MPG SO IT’S ACTUALLY VERY ECONOMICAL’
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19/04/2016 21:32
DOUBLE TROUBLE
CAPRI TWOSOME local Ford main dealer, so engine wear was minimal.” With the plan hatched they went donor hunting, and the blue Capri was found for sale in County Durham. As an ‘L’ model, it came in fairly basic spec – no sunroof and a comparatively uninspiring 1.6-litre Pinto – but this all played to Chester Sportscars’ strengths for this project. No sunroof means no chance of water ingress. And the engine was coming out anyway, wasn’t it? On the credit side of the ledger, the car was fitted with the extravagantly-bolstered loveliness of a 2.8i interior, all Recaros and classy greyness, and the body had received a light resto a few years previously, with refreshed wings and arches and a decent paintjob throughout. “The history was sketchy, but this was another welltravelled car,” says Graham. “It lived most of its early life around Gosport and Croydon, gradually racking up the miles until it ended up in Sunderland, where it was restored and the colour changed. How many miles? Well, only 11,000 in the last five years, but 166,000 up to 2004 which is probably normal; these Capris were built to just run and run.” And so the heart transplant began in earnest, which happily proved to be a relatively painless graft. New engine mountings were fabricated, picking up from the stock crossmember, and the Focus thermostat housing was replaced by a water rail with flange and side-mounted thermostat. The coil pack was relocated under the custom inlet manifold, and Mikuni bike carbs from a Kawasaki ZX6R were fitted, complete with Chester Sportscars’ very own fitting and tuning setup. A stepped and baffled RWD alloy cast sump nicely cleared the steering rack and front suspension crossmember. The Capri already had a power-steering rack fitted, originally run from the pump and reservoir driven from the Pinto engine, so the Focus pump was employed complete with mountings, alternator, belt tensioner and water pump drive. It looks factory, which of course it is. “Within a couple of days the Capri was up and running with its new motor, powering along very quickly,” Graham grins. “The intention now is to drive the car to shows, many of which involve a 300-mile round trip in a long day, but the bike carbs return 42 mpg so are very economical!” And what better way can there be to showcase a thriving and evolving Ford specialist? This pair of pristine Capris neatly represent both sides of the business’s offerings, and the lads are keen to assert that these are by no means pampered show queens. The cars get out and about, being driven as the maker intended, and they offer a fabulous fringe benefit for Graham and Duncan: their decision to move into Ford restoration and customisation means that driving about the country in these slinky coupés counts as work. Imagine that! There’s surely no better way for fathers and sons to bond, and there’s nothing polarising or Marmite-like about these cars. They’re universally loved and, looking at the quality and passion under the skin, you can’t argue with the logic of that. n
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Ford Facts Engine & transmission: 2003 Ford Focus ST170 Zetec, stripped and rebuilt, standard sintered metal rods, flat-top pistons with inlet valve cut-outs, balanced crank, standard block, waisted valves, solid tappets, variable (inlet) valve timing, alloy RWD dropped bowl sump with baffles and oil pickup, Retro Ford water rail and thermostat housing, custom engine mounts onto crossmember, 4x Mikuni bike carbs with 38 mm choke butterflies mounted on custom port-matched alloy swept inlet manifold, Ramair air filters, programmable ignition controller with 3D map, VVT control of oil pressure solenoid to camshaft 185bhp @ 6,800rpm Type 9 5-speed gearbox, standard ratios, standard mountings, Zetec 1.8 flywheel re-drilled for Pinto clutch plate, 2-piece propshaft, standard 3.77 ratio diff and driveshafts Chassis: 7x15” Minilites with 195/50 tyres, standard front struts with uprated springs, polyurethane suspension bushes, 24mm antiroll bar, single-leaf rear springs, 2” lowering blocks, standard dampers, 14mm anti-roll bar, poly rear bump stops, Capri 2.8i power-steering rack with Sierra fluid reservoir and Focus pump, standard brake master cylinder, 1.6 servo, M16 calipers, vented, drilled and grooved discs, braided hoses, standard 9” rear drums. Interior: Shark Grey Capri 2.8i interior inc. Recaro front seats with reclining backs and head restraints, split folding rear seats, matching door cards (carpet lower, vinyl upper), inertia reel seatbelts front and rear, black headlining, carpeted boot floor with tailgate and parcel shelf, battery relocated to boot Exterior: Fiat Blue paint, MkII grille, standard front and rear steel bumpers, front over-riders moved inward, clear front indicator lenses, ST grille badge, no sunroof or rear wiper
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19/04/2016 22:20
GARAGE NATION
GARAGE LIFE FOR SOME, CARS ARE A WAY OF GETTING FROM A TO B, WITH NO REAL SIGNIFICANCE. FOR OTHERS, LIKE DARREN EDENBOROUGH, THEY GET UNDER YOUR SKIN AND BECOME A BIT OF AN OBSESSION. WITH 3 CRACKING RETRO FORDS TO HIS NAME, THE BLUE OVAL BUG IS WELL AND TRULY UNDER HIS SKIN. WORDS: PAUL BEVIS PICS: GARY HAWKINS
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19/04/2016 21:33
REGULAR FEATURE
FORD COLLECTORS
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053 19/04/2016 21:33
By and large, if you're going to have your picture taken, it's best to have it done next to a mate's Mk1 Granada. It's true. Look. They are doing it below.
T
he Road to Wigan Pier, George Orwell’s seminal work published in 1937,
phenomenal. The impression your first car gave you is one such
now, it was quite a car back in the day, especially to be rolling in with a fresh licence!
has much to offer on the cultural and
moment in life that stays with you until the very end.
sociological machinations of the Greater
It’s something that’s with you from the moment the
really wish I hadn’t sold.” We all have those regrets with
Manchester environs. Its stark depictions
ink has dried on your pass certificate until the very
cars throughout our life, but with the way Mk1 Fiestas
of post-WWII living conditions in the area were a
last ride at the end of your life. As well as enriching
continue to rocket in value, we can understand why
wake-up call to the southern middle classes, neatly
you with life long memories, it can also set you on a
Darren still wishes he had the keys to this one.
'AFTER HAVING A MK1 FIESTA 1300 SUPERSPORT AS A FIRST CAR I WAS ALWAYS INTO FORDS AFTER THAT'
“I loved it,” admits Darren “And it's another car I
“I was always into Fords after owning that car,” Darren tells us. From here on in, Darren was hooked, but as usual, life tended to get in the way a little when it came to owning a garage chock full of top notch old Fords.
counterpointed by Orwell’s own experiences. Making an impression is something that can take mere seconds, yet the impact of said impression can
path that will see you coming back to the brand it all began with. Darren is one such person who took said steps.
“I work for Pirtek and I’ve had company cars for years, and simply haven’t had the want, or need, for another car. But I was in a position to not so long ago and I really
have an impact that lasts for decades. When you
Passing his test, a fresh-faced Darren picked up his
wanted to get another old Ford. I had always wanted
think about it, the staying power of one moment and
first set of wheels, a Mk1 Fiesta 1300 Supersport no
a Sierra Sapphire Cosworth, so that’s what I went out
its potential impact on the rest of your life is pretty
less! Arguably the most desirable Mk1 Fiesta around
looking for.”
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REGULAR FEATURE
FORD COLLECTORS
Darren’s Sierra is a lovely car, and a selfconfessed '90s throwback. Sporting some premillennium spec mods, the awesome and very rare shade of Crystal Blue now gleams after the bodyshop worked its magic. It’s not just superficial bits that have seen attention though, far from it in fact. It’s now knocking on the door of 400bhp, thanks to a few small tweaks. A forged bottom end, a
SAFF COSSIE
set of cams, a T35 turbo, some Siemens black injectors and a host of other goodies mean that it chews up the tarmac. The very '80s build spec, i.e. plenty of power but with a healthy dose of turbo lag, means Darren has to be careful it doesn’t chew him up and spit him out too! ‘On the way back from the photoshoot, one of the guys from work was following me, and he said it looked like the car was trying to kill me
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052_Garage_Nation.indd 5
all the way home!’ he laughs. ‘It’s a bit of an animal. I don’t drive it when it’s wet anymore as it's just impossible, it spins in every gear and tries to throw you off the road. In the dry it’s not much better!’ This one is Darren’s personal favourite, and just look at it! It’s easy to see why.
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RS1600I
We love a 16i here at Retro Ford, and this black beauty really caught Darren’s eye too. After liberating it from a mate, he dived headlong into an extensive restoration, putting right many wrongs and finishing it to a very high standard indeed. His father-in-law took the reigns with
056 052_Garage_Nation.indd 6
this one and has done a fantastic job. “With this one I found the parts for it, and my father-in-law got stuck in with the mechanical work. He’s retired so could spend more time on different bits and pieces. He’d spend ages polishing bits for it, even bits you couldn’t see!”
The hard work more than paid off as the end result is an absolute stunner. The flawless black paintwork, polished wheels and immaculate Scheel interior are all sublime and reek of the '80s and for that, we love it!
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19/04/2016 21:34
REGULAR FEATURE
FORD COLLECTORS
Building a car at a place like Pirtek means you'll never be short of hoses or unions should you need them and the boss not be looking. Darren to have loads of mates all into old Fords all
cheap to own and run. It’s a bit different nowadays,
long before Darren was eyeing up another blue oval
With the Sierra home and up to scratch, it wasn’t
helping each other out, but it isn’t really like that at all,
but the aftermarket support is superb. Finding the trim
purchase.
he explains.
and things like that can take a lot of effort though.
“I was offered an RS1600i from a friend of mine. I think he had bitten off a bit more than he could chew, so I ended up with it!” Featured this year, Darren pulled out all the stops, along with his father-in-law, and produced a stunning car.
“I’ve got one other mate that’s into them, and
“It’s not just the cost of running and restoring them
'THE RS1600I TOOK A LOT OF TIME, MONEY AND EFFORT, BUT MY FATHER IN LAW DID AN AWFUL LOT TO HELP WITH THAT ONE' he’s currently finishing a 3.0 Mk1 Granada. Other
that’s the issue though, it’s actually keeping them
more car, and wanted to wind back the clock a little
than that, it’s me that’s been working on them and
somewhere safe too. You can never be too careful.
more too, straying a bit back further than the '80s for
enjoying them. The Saph is my favourite car, and I’ve
I’ve got 3 different garages I keep these in, and the
his latest purchase.
out a lot of time into that one. The RS1600i took a lot
cost of those adds up a lot over time!”
But to complete the collection, Darren needed one
“I wanted more of a classic car,” he explains, “so
of time, money and effort, but my father-in-law did
Although the number of available lock- up garages
I started looking at Mk1 Escorts. This one came up,
help an awful lot with the build on that one. The Mk1
in Darren’s area seem to be drying up as his collection
and I just had to have it. It's currently a rolling shell
is still a work in progress, and won’t be finished quite
grew, Darren hasn’t written off owning more.
with a roll cage, but I’m aiming for a finish date of
as soon as I would have liked, as the RS1600i took up
next year for this one.
a lot more time and money that expected!”
With all these projects on the go, you’d expect
“I got into Fords as I liked them, and they were
“You never know,” Darren grins, “I haven’t got any plans as yet, but you never know what might come about!” n
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19/04/2016 21:34
MK1 ESCORT
Very much a work in progress, Darren’s Mk1 will eventually become a car he can take to shows, but with the aesthetics of a full-blown rally car! The car came to him in a seemingly good state, but on closer inspection it just wasn’t quite as it should have been. “It had had a lot of repair work, but it either hadn’t been done or simply hadn’t been finished,” Darren explains. “I ended up redoing
quite a lot of the work, but it's getting there now.” Sporting a now rot free shell and a rollcage, the Mk1 will eventually sport a tweaked 1600 Pinto (“Unless it's too slow, then it will have a be a two litre!” Darren laughs) and a full accompaniment of logos. “I’m going to use it as a bit of a business advertisement tool. I will have the whole car
painted white, but then I’d like to get it wrapped with the old Pirtek colours and logo to make it look a bit more period correct. “It’s a bit further behind than I’d like it to be, but I want to do it right, so I won’t cut corners. I’ve just bought and sold a Capri to raise more funds to finish this one, and I’m now aiming for 2017 as my finish date.”
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19/04/2016 21:34
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19/04/2016 22:10
ORIENTAL E 060
060_Mk2_Escort.indd 2
19/04/2016 21:35
FEATURE CAR
MK2 ESCORT
TAKE A MK2 ESCORT AND ADD SOME HONDA POWER UNDER THE BONNET AND £35,000 AND 5 YEARS LATER THIS CREATION IS WHAT YOU END UP WITH WORDS & PICS: SIMON COOKE
L EXPRESS Subscribe online at: www.retrofordmagazine.co.uk
060_Mk2_Escort.indd 3
061
19/04/2016 21:35
G
ood things come to those who wait -
a Vauxhall 16V engine under the bonnet - but, rather
wheel-base combination for you. “At least with an
and here’s the proof. I featured Nicolas
weirdly, never owned a Ford-powered Ford. “I don’t
Escort I’m happy to get it sideways knowing there is
Rooney’s Honda-powered Mini about 6
have anything against Ford engines, it’s just that I like
more chance of keeping control of it,” he continued.
years ago for Mini World magazine. At
to be a bit different,” he explained. So, encouraged by
the time he said to me that his dream
Why a Mk2? “I’d already had a MkI and the panels
fellow car club members, he finally took the plunge to
and bits and pieces for a Mk2 are usually about half
car would be a Honda-powered Ford Escort and
start on his dream project, which was almost 6 years
the price of the MkI’s! ” he replied. You really can’t
that’s what he was planning as his next project. Fast
ago, soon after his Mini was featured.
fault that reasoning.
forward to the RS Day at Castle Combe 2015 and I
“I bought the Escort while I still owned the Mini,
With the conversion he had planned, he really
spotted this Escort parked up in the paddock looking
but I needed to sell it to fund the Escort build,” he
didn’t mind if he started out with just a shell, but in
all shiny and sexy. And the owner looked vaguely
explained. “To be honest the Mini always felt that it
the end Nick spotted this complete car on eBay. Fitted
familiar. So here we are.
wanted to kill you when you were driving it.” That’ll
with a Vauxhall engine on twin 45s, a cage, Sierra
be the mid-engine, RWD, lots of power and very short
Cosworth leather interior and a coat of Kawasaki
Nick had owned a Escort in the past - a MkI with
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19/04/2016 21:36
FEATURE CAR
MK2 ESCORT
Watts linkage helps keep the Atlas axle in check at the rear, especially when combined with a good old four-link setup.
‘I’D ALREADY HAD A MK1 ESCORT AND THE PANELS FOR A MK2 SEEM TO BE HALF THE PRICE’
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19/04/2016 21:36
Green on the outside - it would have been a suitable feature car the day he bought it. “I knew that I’d be able to sell all the parts I took off it, so I collected the car on a trailer, handed over £6000, and took it home. Within 24 hours it was pretty much stripped down to a bare shell,” he elaborated. “I got about £3000 back in parts for the engine, 5-speed gearbox, the interior, wheels and even the glass,” he remembers. His brother took the roll cage off his hands leaving him with a bare shell, and following a close inspection he was delighted to discover that it was in pretty good condition, with little welding, damage or rust; he doesn’t think it had ever been used for track days or rallies. “I decided to get it dipped to get rid of all the green paint and when it came back there were still no bad surprises,” he’s happy to report. Aside from a few bits of welding, the only parts he needed to replace was a rear panel and a part of the floor. “I knew I was going to Gp4 the car with a weld-in cage, larger tunnel and get it 6-linked at the back,” said Nick. That part of the conversion was carried out by a rally competition fabrication company and then the rolling shell was given a coat of Focus RS Frozen White. “By this time I’d sold my Mini and bought the Honda engine and gearbox from a breaker’s yard for £1700,” he continued. He was told the engine was a runner, so didn’t feel the need to strip and rebuild it. As the Honda/Escort conversion is a popular swap in the rally scene he knew what was involved and that would include changing to a dry sump system as there just isn’t the room for the Honda sump to clear the steering rack. You can apparently keep the Honda part if you want to move the engine back 10 in, but Nick wanted it to look a ‘natural’ fit so bought an off-the-shelf chassis mounting kit (for a Vauxhall) and then had conversion plates fabricated to take the Honda block. He hid the wiring loom and smoothed
Nick has opted for throttle bodies on the side of a lightly modified cylinder head
off as much as the engine bay as was physically possible. He also added a power steering kit - it’s an exchange unit and he says it makes all the difference when driving the car slowly. “It’s hard to use the original Honda ECU because it’s all wired into the immobiliser, lights and electric windows etc: it’s much better to add a stand-alone ECU which then gives me more mapping options,” he pointed out. Hence the Omex. The engine fired up first time and all seemed to be going well until he took the car for a rolling road session to get the mapping sorted. “Every time I took it to the dyno it was loosing oil pressure when it got hot,” he recalled. He thought he must have plumbed in the dry sump system wrong - but after
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FEATURE CAR
MK2 ESCORT
‘THE POWER KICKS IN AT ABOUT 3500 AND IT REDLINES AT 9000 RPM’
Rather than faff about with making the Honda management work, Nick opted for a standalone system in the shape of Omex, with a custom map.
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Yes, there is a stereo in there amongst all the other twiddly bits. But Nick has done many miles in this, so you can forgive him.
066 060_Mk2_Escort.indd 8
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19/04/2016 21:36
FEATURE CAR
MK2 ESCORT
Comfy seats from Mitsubishi Evo are comfy. Trufact.
several checks he could see nothing wrong with it. “I eventually took the engine apart and the centre crank
Escort across Europe to shows, you can see his point. “It drives as well as I was expecting,” says Nick. “I
box which he says makes the acceleration rapid. He adds that it handles like a dream, while Hi-Spec 4-pot
bearings fell out so I had to replace them. Then, when
know some people say the VTECs don’t have much
calipers on the front and Sierra discs on the rear take
I was running in the engine, it seized up.” He bought
torque, but I’ve done some work on the head and
care of any slowing down requirements.
a new fully-built bottom end and the engine has run perfectly ever since. The interior started with a custom weld-in roll cage and was then complemented by some Mitsubishi Evo seats, which he had trimmed and modified to fit, and
‘I KNOW PEOPLE SAY THE VTEC DOESN’T HAVE MUCH TORQUE, BUT IF DONE WORK ON THE HEAD AND IT’S GREAT’
then surrounded by numerous custom-made parts including the flocked dashboard. So what he ended
added the throttle bodies and now it’s great for what
up with is a half race / half rally interior - he says he
I wanted it to do, which is just a fast road car. The
the best part of £35,000, but Nicholas is finally the
likes to have music for long journeys to make them
power kicks in at 3,500 rpm and it redlines at 9,000.”
owner of his dream car. He says he has no intention
more bearable - and seeing as he’s even driven his
And of course it’s mated with the Honda 6-speed
of starting another project; but they all say that. n
Ok, it may have taken 5 years to compete, and cost
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Ford Facts Engine: Honda S2000 engine, F20 double valve springs, 46mm Jenvey I.T.B’s Omex 710 ECU, Longlife stainless exhaust fitted in exhaust tunnel, race engine design, Pace dry sump system, oil tank in boot with Aeroquip supplied by Rallyweld, all powder-coated in black. Power: 230 BHP Transmission: Honda S2000 6-speed gearbox with stage 2 clutch fitted, one-piece propshaft Suspension: Group 4 Bilstein coilovers, compression struts adjustable T.C.A, quick rack, roller top mountings, Corsa electric D.A.S, X-member moved back 2 in Rear suspension: 6-inked Atlas axle, 4.4 plated L.S.D, Bilstein coilovers Wheels/Tyres 8 x 15in Minilites all round in anthracite with 205/50/15 Toyo Proxy T1-R all round. Brakes: Hi Spec 4-pot calipers in red with 280 mm ally-belled discs, bias pedal box, Aeroquip pipework throughout, Sierra rear discs. Interior: Mitsubishi Evo front seats modified to fit and retrimmed in Alcantara and leather with Ford logo stitched in. Escort rear seats modified to go around cage and 4-link box retrimmed to match front, carpet made to fit with handmade floor mats. Home-made dash flocked with digital R.M.D, clocks
in white flocked dash top. Corsa electric P.A.S, bias pedal box, carbon door panels, parcel shelf, centre console, 6x9’s in homemade speaker pods in rear with Alpine CD player, R.M.D steering wheel new black headlining, blue harnesses, homemade parcel shelves in front, Alloy fuel tank with swirl pot built in, dry sump oil tank powder-coated in black, fuel pump hidden under panel, fitted boot carpet. Exterior: Group 4 shell, 15” tubs in rear large tunnel stitch welded front to rear, skidded chassis legs, Jack points in sills, shell acid dipped and electrophoretically coated, tarmac arches, welded-in cage attached to front strut mountings, painted in frozen white, RS1800 decals, Mk2 fiesta door mirrors, all new green tint glass and rubbers, all round carbon front and rear bumpers lamp guards wheelarch guards, crystal head lights with H.I.D kit fitted, carbon dipped c pillar trims, new grill, blue mudflaps Thanks: Craig at C N Bodyshine for awesome paint work. C N Bodyshine 07803082063. Paul at Fineline for awesome re-trim and carpets Fineline re upholstery 01443 815203. Shaun at Rallyweld for all my alloy bits Rallyweld 01495 769778. Matt Pedro Stanton for the use of his unit for the photo shoot. My wife Chaz, for putting up with me spending hours and hours working on the car!
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The Performance Tuning Specialists Here at Northampton Motorsport, we have over 20 years experience tuning all types of Ford engines.
From Crossflow to Duratec, 4 to 8 cylinders, vintage to modern we have seen them all on our rolling road.
As main dealers for Webcon, Dell’Orto SU and Stromberg carbs we have a huge range of Jets and spare parts plus we are Omex, Life Racing and Webcon engine management specialists. We map all other popular modern engine management systems. Whether it’s for the road or competition Why not call Northampton Motorsport.
Unit 52, Rothersthorpe Crescent Northampton NN4 8JD northamptonmotorsport@btconnect.com tel: 01604 766624 | fax: 01604 701126
www.northamptonmotorsport.com Ad_Layouts.indd 1
19/04/2016 22:10
S T C U D O R P NEW 2
ELVES FOR YOUR OLD FORD SH E TH ON H ES FR D AN E HAT IS OUT THER OUR MONTHLY LOOK AT W
1 1 : QUICK RELEASE STEERING WHEEL BOSS
3
Getting in and out of a racing car with a lengthened steering column, low and high bolstered bucket seats, and door bars can make it a real challenge. Thankfully, removable steering wheels make the job a little easier. This particular offering from Brown and Geeson is a weld-on affair made from aircraft grade aluminium and conforms to FIA technical specifications, making it perfect for motorsport use. Who : B.G Racing Where : www.bg-racing.co.uk How much : £89.99
3 : UNIVERSAL DOUBLE ADJUSTABLE DAMPERS When it comes to fine tuning a suspension set up, particularly a fully custom setup, getting damping rates right is crucial. Gaz can now offer double-adjustable
2 : SINGLE SIDEDRAUGHT ADAPTER MANIFOLD. Where underbonnet space is a premium, sometimes it
dampers, or coil-over dampers if required, to perfect your driving technique. These dampers enable the bump and rebound rates to be separately adjusted
4 : MOMO WOOD STEERING WHEEL If you’re looking for a steering wheel upgrade, yet
can be necessary, or desirable, to switch to a horizontally
to suit the individual track conditions and/or personal
orientated carburettor. Any engine using a standard 2.0 or
driving style. The rates can be altered by means of two
want to maintain a bit of class, the wood-rimmed item
3.0 Weber DGAS carb, or carb with the same bolt pattern,
dedicated knobs on the side of the units; both are easily
Momo have on offer could be the one for you! The
can benefit from using this manifold to convert to a single,
accessible and clearly marked and colour coded for
finest of quality, it uses leather and mahogany wood
traditional, sidedraught carburettor. If space is an issue,
BUMP and REBOUND.
combined in such a way to create a classy yet sporty
this is an ideal solution. Give Burton Power a call, and get
As with all Gaz products, they come fully tested and
wheel. We think these would look right at home in one
one of these on order!
with a 2 year warranty.
of Ford’s ‘E’ range of cars, or a Granada!
Who : Burton Power Where : www.burton power.com How much : £89.95
Who : Gaz Shocks Where : www.gazshocks.com How much : POA
Who : Momo Where : www.b-gdirect.com How much : £335.99
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19/04/2016 21:38
EVERY MONTH
THE LATEST GEAR
6 5
7 6 : MK1/2 ESCORT GROUP 4 BRASS RADIATORS Cooling historic rally cars well is of huge importance, especially when a rebuild for an overheated BDA engine will run into thousands! Torsten, at Group 4 Fabrications, has created this awesome masterpiece, managing to combine period looks with modern cooling technology. We love it! Who : Grp4 Fabrications Where : ww.grp4fabrications.com How much : Approx £460
7 : NANKANG AR-1 TRACK DAY TYRE Good quality road legal track tyres are a bit of a rarity, but Nankang’s latest offering, the AR-1 looks like it fits the bill perfectly. The latest high performance tyre from Nankang, it has been developed to be a faster and more refined track day tyre. The AR-1 tyre is List 1C rated and is ideal for trackday drivers looking to improve their performance particularly in dry conditions. They are also
5 : SHORT WEBER 48IDA TRUMPETS Downdraught Webers often look the business, but can cause bonnet clearance problems on some cars. Standard trumpets on these carburettors are quite long, but Webcon’s new 33mm high trumpets give nearly an
E-Marked for legal road use, meaning you can hammer the track the drive home too! Who : Nankang Where : www.demon-tweeks.co.uk How much : From £62.50 each
inch more clearance over the standard items. At just £25.11 each, it won’t cost too much to overcome a
4
potentially huge stumbling block. Who : Webcon Where : www.webcon.co.uk How much : £25.11
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070_New_Products.indd 3
GOT A PRODUCT?
Do you have a product that’s exciting and will change the world of old Fords forever? Or just sometihng that is new and good? Get in touch!
071 19/04/2016 21:38
S Y A D T A GRE SERIES THE FIRST MEXICO RACING
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FROM THE ARCHIVE
MEXICOS RACING
S
ponsors like to be prominent. Sponsors like their cars to win. For Eaton’s Yale in 1978 it was like a fairy tale. The distinctive blue-liveried Escort won its first attempt at the RAC rally. Oh yes, and another RAC in 1979, plus four other ‘Home Internationals’ as well. When Ford set out to building up its Rallye Sport image, Ford Sport days were held at circuits all round Britain, where Escort Mexico racing seemed to be the most popular of all events. This seemed to be tailormade for motorsport clubmen, in particular for the private owners who did not have huge backing, and the major purpose was to encourage the use of crossflow engined Mexicos, and - naturally - to put a bit of money into the sport at this level. This, then, seemed to be the right time for a brand-new one-make racing series, the Castrol Mexico Challenge, to appear. Ford press-man Stuart McCrudden’s got the job of making it happen, to make sure that in a long season, there would be a fleet of high-profile, flamboyant, but near-standard Mexicos appearing at twelve BRSCCpromoted race meetings around the UK. There was even time for them to tackle a non-Championship race at Zandvoort, in Holland. Seasoned professionals muscled in on the act, with the young bloods soon being overwhelmed by ‘names’ like Gerry Marshall
and Barrie Williams. There was even a young unknown from South Africa called Jody Scheckter we always wondered what happened to him ? The regulations were so strict, so all the Mexicos had near-identical performance, for Championship rules required the use of Group 1 (‘showroomstandard’ production saloon) cars. In particular, there was to be no engine tuning (although Formula Ford-style ‘blueprinting’ of the cross-flow 1.6-litre lumps was allowed), no optional gear ratios, no rear axle modifications, and certainly no limited-slip differentials. Roll hoops were compulsory, racing tyres were authorised, and fireproofing was compulsory for front and rear passenger bulkheads, to keep flames and fumes from the engine bay, or the fuel tank, out of the cabin. Ford was so worried about compliance, that it even considered setting up ‘selling plate’ rules (horseracing style) where another competitor could buy a rival’s car at a fixed price - but then decided that the mere threat of taking this action was enough. In the first season, 1971, a typical ‘standard’ (though blue-printed) 1.6-litre ‘Kent’ overhead valve engine produced 99-100bhp, and on rolling road check-outs, this delivered 75 - 80bhp to the rear wheels. Each race car seemed to have almost the same performance – not only in acceleration and top speed,
but in handling too - so victory inevitably went to the bravest drivers. These were the ‘late brakers’, those not frightened of race-car contacts - which was where the ‘old lags’ had the advantage over young novices. Some of the RS Dealers’ body shops were kept busy too. Competition was fierce - there was £100 in cash awards at every race meeting (just £30 for the winner, and £24 for second place) but, at the end of the season, the winner would get a brand-new 16-valve Escort RS1600 road car. And that, in 1971, was worth £1,495, or about half the salary of a middle-manager of the period. Perhaps we should have seen that bumper-tobumper crashes were inevitable. To quote Autosport’s first race report : ‘There was a great deal of anticipation, not to say apprehension, before the wellsupported Mexico Challenge Series race. One or two cars were already dented by the end of practice .... ‘ At the first corner of the race at Rufforth, even so, most of the 16 near-identical Mexicos made it to the finish where Barrie Williams won. Gerry Marshall won the second race, and Barrie Williams the third. The scene was set, the old pros were in charge - and the newcomers were already struggling. Roger Bell of Motor, Gerry Marshall, Jody Scheckter , Colin Vandervell, Barrie Williams, Gillian
FIRST RACE
This was the grid for one of the very first Mexico Championship races of 1971. Barry Williams (in FNP 348J) is in pole position, with Gerry Marshall’s yellow car alongside him, and with Roger Bell (of Motor magazine) alongside him
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BAZZA WILLIAMS Barry Williams, in typical pose, in FNP 348J, at Brands Hatch
074 072_Great_Days.indd 4
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19/04/2016 21:42
FROM THE ARCHIVE
MEXICOS RACING
Above: Gillian Fortescue-Thomas was thought to be a ‘pit-lane posy’ until she started racing - and was just as rapid as all the men Fortescue-Thomas, Rod Mansfield, Nick Brittan, Chris Sclater, Simon Taylor of Autosport, Keith Holland and Stan Clark (Roger’s brother) all figured that year. Roger Bell, incidentally, kept a complete cost record. With a car (KOO 652J) loaned from Ford , once prepared, and with a certain amount of sponsorship, the on-costs were only £400. Roger finished fifth in the series, his prize money totalling £112. This was cheap and cheerful motor racing. The racing was so close and the drivers so determined that a multiple shunt was almost guaranteed. It duly arrived in race six, at Mallory Park. Coming through the Esses on the opening lap there was mayhem, spinning cars, dust and wheels everywhere. Barrie Williams’s and Mike Hibbert’s cars were written off, Bell’s needed a new shell, and the race had to be stopped. In the end it was Gerry Marshall (whose 18-stone weight must have been a performance handicap) who won several races, and the series. A rising star called Jody Scheckter was second, from Barrie Williams. The ‘Man of the Series’, no question, was a girl of quite formidable talent, Gillian Fortescue-Thomas. Motor trader Gerry Marshall enjoyed a free year’s
sport, for after he had won the £1,495 Escort RS1600 as his first prize, at the end of the season the racewinning Mexico was advertised, ready to compete in 1972, for £1,500. The RS1600, one hears, was sold on almost immediately.... By any standards, if a car did not get involved in a big accident, this could be very cheap motor racing, for the cross-flow engines were very reliable. A ‘blueprinting’ job on that engine, from a Formula Ford expert, would liberate at least 100bhp, and cost a mere £75. Five new Dunlop racing tyres would only cost £80 while a set of replacement brake pads and linings would be £6.00. Happy Days ! Compared with the standard Mexico, the acceleration times were cut considerably. 0-60mph came down from 11.5sec to 10.0sec, and 0-80mph from 21.5sec to 18.5sec. Not quite RS1600 road-car performance, but not embarrassingly slow either. Ford got mountains of publicity from this season, and was always ready to support Mexico racing in future. For 1972, however, the prize fund was reduced - for the series winner would get ‘only’ £500 (a big drop from a new RS1600), and each race offered a prize fund of a mere £100. Although some
of the top drivers’ names were fresh (Jody Scheckter was on his way to single-seater stardom, and Gillian Fortescue-Thomas graduated to driving Escorts in the British Saloon car series), the motor racing was just as close. With no more power to come from the engines, development was concentrated on the chassis - some of the later Mexicos running very low, with very stiff suspension. A lanky young Broadspeed mechanic called Andy Rouse, then tried his hand at Mexico racing. Other new-comers included Irish rally driver Adrian Boyd, Mike Young (of Superspeed, who had helped other competitors in 1971, and who had once raced Anglias and Escorts), and Colin Vandervell. Even so, after taking a few rounds to settle himself, Rouse went on to dominate the season, and won the Championship by 20 clear points from Vandervell. For 1973 it was the same mixture, the same razor-sharp competition and the same close-contact racing as ever, though there were many new names. The third series, therefore, was won by Allan Wilkinson. Allan just happened to be a Ford employee at AVO, was already involved in new-car engineering, and would eventually become Rally Engineer at
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SUNNY BRANDS
Mexico racing was always immensely popular, especially at FordSport days - this was Brands Hatch on a sunny afternoon
Boreham in the ‘glory years’ of the late 1970s. Another very important AVO engineering personality, Rod Mansfield, took second place, and journalist Tony Dron was third. Although sales of Rallye Sport cars were badly hit in the aftermath of the Energy Crisis of the previous winter, there was wheel-to-wheel competition again in 1974, and this time it was single-seater exponent Colin Vandervell who lifted the trophy at the end of the year. Because there was no thought of placing a ‘Mexico’ in the original Mk 2 Escort line-up, the latest
1600 Sport was allowed in to the 1975 series. Wellproven and well-developed old-type Mk I Mexicos were still eligible, and proved to be dominant: their lighter weight and smoother body style might just have helped. Steve Thompson drove the ex-Colin Vandervell car to win the series, with Mike Freeman and Graham Hollis close behind. For 1976, the older-shape Mexicos still seemed to have the edge, which cannot have pleased Ford’s marketing gurus very much ! This Debenhamsponsored series was won by Wayne Wainwright, though he must have been helped by using a very
well-sorted machine, the ex-Colin Vandervell/Steve Thompson Mexico which had already won two earlier Championships ! This, though, was the end for the original-shape Mexico, for only the Mark 2-shaped 1600 Sports were eligible from 1977. Escorts continued racing in their own little inward-looking series for the rest of the decade, but their hey-day had already passed in Ford circles, and the 1980s and 1990s would be dominated by front-wheel-drive Fiestas instead. Motor racing ? Of course. Banger racing ? Yes, sometimes. Entertaining ? Always. n
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E U L B E TRU ND RETRO FORDS, OU AR EN BE S HA , CY EN THE ESCORT AG MARTIN PAYNTER, MDCAOF S..... AND ESCORTS FOR DE DE
On reflecion, we certainly wouldn’t mind having a lineup of cars like this. No sir. Not at all. The tough bit would be choosing which one to drive first.
C
ut Martin Paynter in two and you’d
infancy, but the older Fords had become much more
had them. But it’s all relative really. Selling them
probably find the words ‘RS Escort’
popular,” explains Martin. “I was amazed how much
enabled me to pay a chunk off my mortgage and put
running through him. He’s been around
they were selling for - and how much some of the
some money aside.”
Fords, and particularly hot Escorts,
parts were!” This rise in popularity, and the relative
since his youth. “I’ve owned Anglias,
paucity of parts, especially for the RS models, got
Cortina spare that Martin could lay his hands on
Cortinas etc., since my late teens and then progressed
Martin thinking. Thinking about how he could turn his
including: axles, gearboxes, suspension, even an early
onto Escorts,” reveals Martin smiling. “I used to rally
former hobby into a business.
engine (one that we discovered was actually from a
Escorts too, on road events and in the forests, then tarmac . I even navigated for a number of well-known Escort drivers, including Peter Lloyd in his ex.works
Trevor Barefoot also bought every Lotus
car he owned). And, it was thanks to sorting through
PART AND PARCEL “There was a magazine around at the time called
‘I SOLD MY LOTUS CORTINA BITS AND IT WAS WHILST ROOTING THROUGH THEM THAT I CAME ACROSS THE ESCORT SPARES’
the container, searching out the Lotus spares, that Martin found his stash of Escort parts.
“It was whilst rootling through the Lotus
Cortina bits that I came across the Escort spares,” recalls Martin. “There were many more than I ever remembered having. I’m a bit of a hoarder and the Escort performance parts, rare ex.works parts and
Gp1 RS2000. In fact, Escorts have been a way of life
‘Ford Heritage’, recalls Martin. “The cars looked great,
service items, were ones that I’d squirreled away
to me for longer than I care to remember. To fund the
and there seemed to lots of interest in Fords but not
when I was rallying. In finding them, the seed of an
rallying, I started breaking a few Escorts and selling
much in the way of specialists. Before I’d gone to
idea was sown. I decided that there was quite a bit of
the spares. Then I moved abroad to work for a few
work abroad, I’d accumulated a lot of Ford spares, a
money tied up in those spares so why not sell them?
years.”
container full in fact - along with five A-framed Lotus
Plus, with the money I’d put aside I bought a couple
Cortinas in different states of repair! To cut a longish
more Escorts.”
When Martin returned to the UK, back
in the early ‘90s, he was surprised to see how the
story short, I sold all five Lotus Cortinas to Trevor
Ford, and the classic car scene, had changed. “To
Barefoot, a well-known expert on these cars. Seeing
the help of a local lad, Martin sold the spares and
be honest, the classic car movement was still in its
the price Lotus Cortinas command now, I wish I still
started breaking the Escorts. “This was circa ‘96
Initially working on his own, and then with
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REGULAR
FORD LOVERS
Escort builds can start life in all kinds of conditions. The RS below is probably one of the better ones. Arched Zetec Anglia build proved very popular.
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Just one of the many stunners to pass through the doors of the Escort Agency. Finished to a flawless standard with no corners cut at any point.
and we worked from home,” says Martin. “But,
Circa ‘97 Martin took on another employee, Meurig,
high end market with quality cars built to a very high
before long, it dawned on me that to do this kind of
who, he would soon discover, was a extremely good
work properly, and professionally, I’d need a decent-
welder. “Meurig joined the company as a general
sized industrial unit. I did not want to be seen as a
helper and was there for six weeks before we even
number of builds increasing. So much so that ‘The
hobbyist working from a shed at the bottom of the
knew he could weld!” explains Martin “He turned out
Escort Agency’ was bursting at the seams. “It was
garden, packing parcels in my kitchen and using my
to be an exceptionally good welder and passionate
word-of-mouth really,” mentions Martin. “Initially, we
bedroom as an office! It was around ‘97 that I started
about his work, and was a huge asset. In the early
just did a few restorations a year, up until about 2003,
advertising in the classic magazines. The response
years we focused on repairs rather than restorations.
which is when the work really started to escalate -
was very good. Customers also started asking for
Customers would come to us for panels, see the
and when, because of this, we needed much more
‘UNTIL THEY ARE COLLECTED BY THEIR OWNERS I TEND TO THINK OF THEM AS MY OWN’
standard.”
Things progressed steadily, with the
space and moved to our current location. We have since grown to where we are now, with fifteen cars in build, in five industrial units, each dedicated to a specific area of the restoration i.e. build up, welding and fabrication, paintwork, stores etc., with nine other
new spares, such as polybushes, even panels. So, I
quality of the repairs on our own cars we were doing,
cars awaiting restoration. Cars are brought to us from
started stocking SuperFlex bushes and also bought
then ask whether we could fit them. We started doing
all over the country, even abroad. Three of the cars
up as many old-new-stock panels as I could lay my
this and the responses we had were very positive.”
we are working on at the moment are from Aberdeen.
hands on. In fact, it was the sales of panels that really
So much so that within a couple of years
The funny thing is that the owners don’t know each
got ‘The Escort Agency’ established. Without panels
the company had gone from replacing panels and
other, even though two of them work for the same
there will be no Escorts, and we are still a major panel
generally tidying up Escorts, to doing full-blown high
company!”
supplier to this day. And it also started the company
quality restorations. “We’d noticed that a lot of cars
moving towards the restoration route.”
weren’t being restored properly, or sympathetically, but being patched up and then finished off with a nice
MOVING FORWARD
080 078_Trueblue.indd 4
paintjob!” states Martin. “We wanted to target the
TURN-KEY Not only has the business changed, the type of restorations ‘The Escort Agency’ undertakes has
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19/04/2016 21:45
REGULAR
changed too. “For some time now, we have only
FORD LOVERS
done ‘turn-key’ restorations,” elaborates Martin. “We find that by doing this, we can exercise control over the finished product and ensure that the customer gets the best car possible. And, we don’t sell many spares anymore, although we have a unit dedicated as a stores where we hold masses of new and used parts. The vast majority of our stock is kept solely for customers’ cars. This way we ensure that we can put our hand on any specific item, at any given time, throughout the restoration. We are pretty much selfcontained really.”
THE REAL DEAL What’s more, the company only stocks genuine Ford spares, or parts that are known, through experience, to be of the highest quality. “With us, it’s
It’s not just RS Escorts that go through here. Even a four-door can receive the treatment!
all about the quality of the finished product,” enthuses Martin. “We only like to take on those customers who love and cherish their cars, and who will appreciate what we do. The true retro Ford enthusiast is only interested in quality and/or being period correct. We restore cars to original factory specification, or modify in line with the customer’s requests. The majority are road cars, but we build competition cars too, including proper Group 4 rally cars. In fact, we recently built a left hand-drive Group 4 car for a customer in Denmark. Occasionally, because certain period-specific parts aren’t available, or are an astronomically high price, we fit the best match possible, but only with the customer’s blessing.”
PASSION If the quality of the parts is paramount, so too is the quality of the staff Martin employs. “I realised very
RS1600 as featured a couple of months back. In this picture awaiting an engine for the bay.
early on,” continues Martin, “that to build the best cars I needed to employ the best people. The staff are first class at what they do. But, equally importantly, they are also enthusiastic. I’ve had a passion for what we do since I started the business and I want my staff to share this passion. We are actually so busy at the moment that I’m looking for a panel beater/sprayer, a general mechanic, and a helper to complete the workforce.” Understandably, given the title of the business, Escorts predominate. But Martin likes other old Fords too - and other classics. “We’ve done a number of Anglias, one of which won ‘Restored Car of the Year’ in 2007,” he says. “We’ve also restored Capri 2.8I’s, a Capri RS3100, an Zetec-powered XR2 on bike carbs, and LVX 900J, a Mexico press car. We’ve also done a Mini Cooper S ...the list goes on. In fact, we have just taken on a ‘64 Mini Cooper and
Mk1 XR2 is one that has recently been completed by Martin and again it was immaculately finished.
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it hard to let them go. “Until they are collected by their owners, I tend to think of
have also been asked to fully restore a Ur-Quattro.”
Fords remain at the heart of the company though. “I’m looking for
the cars as my own! In fact, they are mine whilst they are here, and built my way.
a Ford 100E Estate,” tells Martin. “It’s for a customer who wants a concours
Some are particularly special to me. I have a real fondness for the RS1600 and
car to replace the one he’s currently using. I’m also on the look-out for a SWB
RS1800. By today’s standards they are not especially fast,” admits Martin. “But get
Mk1 Transit panel van - one we can do up as a promotional vehicle. Talking of
them on a track, or in the lanes, and they come to life. Wonderful!” n
promoting, what I’d like is to have a new unit, one where we can display our latest builds. A kind of showroom, with retro memorabilia. It’s on my ‘to do’ list - if I live
CONTACT:
long enough!”
The Escort Agency http://www.theescortagency.co.uk/
FAVOURITE
01834 860929
Martin does admit to becoming emotionally attached to some of the cars, finding
07702 572857
Everywhere you look there is a treat for an Escort-lover’s eyes. In varying stages of build, one thing’s for sure, they’ll be crackers when they’re done!
WE NEED YOU Are you a devout Ford enthusiast that’s had Ford’s for as long as you can remember? Drop us a line, we’d love to hear your story and share your pictures!
REGULAR
TRUE BLUE AUBONÉ BRADDON, AND HIS
FATHER KEN, LIVE AND BREATH
Venetian gold Anglias are a bit like busses, you don’t see one for ages and then two turn up on one issue. The above one was early in the collection.
A
lthough Auboné Braddon doesn’t actually drive (because of visual
which was in my late teens, was my uncle’s ‘sit-upand-beg’ Ford Pop. This was back in 1986. Most of my friends had cars and I mentioned to my dad that
This one needed more than a bit of TLC but its cost,
I’d really like to own a car. He was very supportive.
just £50, reflected that fact. It came via the friend of
passionate about motoring since a very
I actually bought two Anglias and dad became the
another neighbour and had been stored in a stone
named driver. I also bought the Ford Pop. Currently, I
workshop for years and years. “The funny thing about
have ten named drivers on my Footman James policy
this Anglia, one of only 250 made in this colour,”
growing) collection of retro Fords. Auboné, who’s well and truly deserved of ‘True Blue’ status, is the 105E
and around the same number of cars!” The collection doesn’t include the Ford Pop though. It was sold many moons ago. The buyer, who in fact
WHAT REALLY GOT ME INTO OLDER FORDS WAS MY UNCLE’S ‘SIT-UP-AND-BEG’ POP. THIS WAS BACK IN 1986 the club’s Technical Officer), so it will come as no
still owns the car, converted it to a street rod and,
continues Auboné, “was that it was a demonstration car at the garage my dad worked in during the ‘50s and ‘60s!”
PRACTICAL CLASSICS As the now-proud owner of a quartet of Anglias, you’d have thought that Auboné was happy with his owners club (which he’d joined in 1986), meant that
along the way, outed the wheezy side-valve in favour
he came into contact with a number of cars that were
of a rather more potent all-American 5.7-litre V8
for sale. And, like a sticky-fingered child in a well-
he’s been collecting, restoring and rescuing these
...running on nitrous.
DIFFERENT ANGLES In 1988, the two Deluxe Anglias were joined by
“I remember the two Anglias and the Cortina
stocked sweet shop, Auboné found the temptation too great.
rather fine small Fords for three decades. And, as is so often the case, there’s a family connection too.
The Anglias have been joined by other Fords over the years, including a lovely Mk2 Escort Ghia four-door , Capri 2.0S and a Mk1 Granada GXL.
lot. Well, he was happy, but his involvement with the
surprise to you to learn that his collection is almost exclusively 105E’s, or variations on the theme. Indeed,
POPULAR CHOICE
If you’re going to have an estate, it’s got to be a 1200 Deluxe. Maybe. This one had a 1500 lump dropped in, in place of the 1.2 along with some other mods
About a year later another Anglia, an end-of-run model in Venetian Gold, joined the Braddon fleet.
difficulties Auboné is registered as partially sighted), he has been
early age. So much so, he’s gone on to indulge his passion and accrue a very fine (and seemingly ever-
Owners Club Registrar and Historian (his dad Ken is
FORD LOVERS
ALL THINGS 105E…
a Standard, in Vulcan Grey, which cost Auboné just £200. “This was purchased from a neighbour,”
Which is why, in 1990, with the arrival of a 1200 Deluxe Estate, the tally had risen to five. The Estate has been a real boon, and really earnt its keep. What’s more, it’s been uprated. The 1200 has been swapped
1200 we had when I was quite young, and dad’s
elaborates Auboné. “She bought it when she was
out for a 1500 and although it looks outwardly
Transit V4 too. Dad worked in commercial vehicle
65-years-old, which was actually when she learnt
standard, it’s been fitted with such goodies as
repair business until he retired,” recalls Auboné. “I
to drive and she kept it, and drove it, until she was
halogen headlights, alternator, and disc brakes. Plus,
liked them, but what really got me into older Fords,
eighty-six. It’s a lovely car.”
to make motorway cruising a breeze, the axle is home
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19/04/2016 21:46
REGULAR
FORD LOVERS
Naturally aspirated Cosworth YB sat between the wings of a Mk1 Escort, we can’t wait to see this one finished. Or any of them, to be fair.
Subscribe online at: www.retrofordmagazine.co.uk
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COME VISIT OUR NEW SHOWROOM ENJOY A FREE CUP OF COFFEE OR TEA!
Prima Motorsports is a British Company, manufacturing a British Product from totally sourced British parts – all components are batch tested so we know exactly when and where each component part was made. TITON our own brand of harnesses ALL are FIA approved. Suitable for use in track day events or any competition. Customers are welcome to come pop in for a harness and/or seat fitting in our new show room. Prima Motorsport Limited 19-20 Balena Close Creekmoor Industrial Estate Poole, Dorset BH17 7DU T: 01202 661034 F: 01202 661078 E: sales@primamotorsport.com
www.primamotorsport.com
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Specialists in Mk1 & Mk2 Escort Spares find GS Escorts on facebook
We have a massive stock of parts for Capri, Sierra, Cortina, Fiesta and Escorts - all models Escort Mk2 RS2000 white concours condition, ring for more details .......................................................................£32,0000 Escort Mk5 B, 3 Door, one owner, 3300 miles ....................................... £650 Fiesta Mk1 roof(no sunroof) ..................................................................... £80 Escort Mk3 roof, complete with sunroof ................................................ £100 Capri 2.8 injection special ....................................................... breaking for spares Anglia 105E rear quarter panels ........................................................ £100 ea Anglia 105E, bare shell with ID ............................................................... £250 Sierra 3 Door Cosworth rear quarter panels......................................£150 ea Escort Mk1/Mk2 rear quarter panel.......................................................... £75 Capri Mk3 roof, no sunroof ....................................................................... £60
www.gsescorts.co.uk over 1200 items for sale and growing everyday!
We accept all Credit/Debit cards & Paypal
✸ BRAND NEW ITEMS ✸
Escort Mk2 RS200 nosecone brackets .....£30 per pair Escort Mk2 RS2000 rear bumper corner brackets....£15 per pair Escort MK2 RS2000 nose cone brackets....£35 per pair Escort Mk1 bonnet rubbers...£15 set Escort Mk1 new inner wing. AVO type49...£250 each Escort Mk2 new RS2000 inner wing...£250 each Escort Mk1 rear bumper chrome...£240 Capri Mk3 front & rear bumpers...£50 each Capri rear bumper brackets...£32 pair Escort Mk1 headlining bars....£40 set Escort Mk2 black rear bumper....£125 Escort Mk1/2 new heater bowl....£75 RS2000 MK2 outer headlights....£42 each RS2000 MK2 inner headlights....£42 each Escort MK2 steel quarter bumpers....£125 per pair Escort MK1 steel chrome quarter bumpers....£125 per pair Twin Weber 40 Carburetor on Xflow manifold ........................................ £350 harnesses , various .........................................................................from £25 Escort RS200 alloy sump and pick up pipe ............................................ £200 2 litre Pinto engines, less sump and carb, from .................................... £100 Various 205 blocks, from only ................................................................. £70 RS1600i 5-speed gearbox ..................................................................... £100 XR3/XR3i 4-speed + 5-speed gearboxes ................................................ £50 Mk1 & Mk2 RS2000 4-speed gearbox ................................................... £180 5-speed Type 9 gearbox ........................................................................ £180 1600 Sport gearboxes ............................................................................. £90 Mk1 & Mk2 Escort standard gearboxes, only .......................................... £30 RS2000 alloy engine mounts ...............................................................£50 pr RS2000 alloy alternator brackets ............................................................ £50 Original RS2000/Mexico exhaust manifolds ............................................ £50 4-branch RS2000 exhaust manifolds ...................................................... £50 X/flow 4-branch exhaust manifolds......................................................... £35 38 DGAS carbs ......................................................................................... £85 Various K&N air filters, from .................................................................... £20 Various DGV Weber carbs ........................................................................ £50 1600 Sport engine mounts, round rubbers..........................................£30 pr Std Escort engine mounts, rectangular rubbers ..................................£20 pr X/flow and Pinto alternators .................................................................... £20 X/flow inertia starter motors ................................................................... £20 Pre-engage x/flow & Pinto starter motors ............................................... £30 RS2000 alloy gearbox spacer blocks...................................................£10 pr Std MkI & MkII Escort pedal boxes - complete ........................................ £30 Mk1 Mexico, twin cam etc 1 piece props ................................................ £50 Mk2 RS2000 propshafts (2 piece) ........................................................... £50 MkI & MkII escort STD props 1+2 piece .................................................. £20 Various MkI & MII Escort (inc RS2000) axle casings from ....................... £25 4.1 English diffs ..................................................................................... £100 3.89 English diffs ..................................................................................... £80 3.77 English diffs ................................................................................... £250 3.54 English diffs ................................................................................... £250 Various Atlas crown wheel & pinions ................................................... £POA Recon propshafts: MkI & MkII Granada, MkII and MkIII Capri, MkI/II/III auto Capri, MkIII/V/IV Cortina ................................................ £50 ea
SWITCH
✸ NEW ITEMS FOR SALE ✸ Lotus Cortina MK1 quarter bumper brackets .................................£65 set MK1 Escort bonnet stay ..................................................................£15 MK1 Mexico brand new genuine Ford wings .................................£1500 pr Escort MK2 RS2000 washer bottle bracket ....................................£15 Escort Mk1 indicator seals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £10 set Escort Mk1 rear light seals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £30 set Escort Mk1 & Mk2 alloy centre console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £20 Escort Mk2 new single leaf springs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £120 pr Escort Mk1 & Mk2 compression strut kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £100 Escort MK1, Mexico, single piece propshaft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £135 Escort MK1 & MK2 RS2000 single piece propshaft new . . . . . . . . £135 Anti-roll bar locking tabs (set) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £10.95 Gaz rear shockers Mk1/2 Escort . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £120 pr Mk2 Escort quick rack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £110 Mk1 Escort Bias pedal box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £180 Mk2 Escort Bias pedal box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £180 Escort Roller Bearing Top Mounts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £75 ea Roller Bearing Top Mount Covers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £12 pr Big Gear Box Tunnel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £50 Mk 1/2 Steering rack locking tabs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £6 set Mk 1 Bumper bolts, stainless steel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £35 set 5 speed Type 9 alloy mounting blocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £37.50 pr Brake calliper bolt locking tabs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £2 ea Disc bolt locking tabs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £1.50 ea Mk1/Mk11 NEW fuel filler neck rubbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £20 ea Remanufactured Mk1 RS2000/Mexico steering wheel centres bargain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £10 ea RS2000/Mexico clutch forks “Genuine Ford” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £40 ea Mk1 Escort door/drop glass. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £120 pr Various decal kits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £POA 5-speed gearbox to x/flow clutch plates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £37.50 4-speed quick shift kits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £20 5-speed quick shift kits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £30 4-speed rose jointed quick shift gearlever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £45 5-speed rose jointed quick shift gearlever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £45 5-speed (Type 9) long speedo cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £16 Mk1 + Mk11 RS2000 clutch cables. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £16 Mk1 + Mk11 RS2000 throttle cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £16 Mk1 + Mk11 handbrake cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £16 Throttle cables for Twin 40s + 45s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £8 ea Weber + Dellorto twin throttle kits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £50 Mk1 + Mk11 Escort new windscreens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £80 ea Std Mk1 Escort track rod ends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mk11 RS2000 track rod ends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mk1 + Mk11 Escort + Capri track control arms c/w polybushes . Anti-tramp bar kit Mk1+Mk11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bolt on double width kits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Anti-dive kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Twin Cam anti-roll bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Long U-bolts c/w nuts (set of 4) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . M16 re-conditioned calipers (exchange) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . M16 caliper spacer kits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Princess calliper spacer kits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mk1 Escort quarter bumper brackets (set of 4). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H4 halogen headlight kits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-up 2-down alloy quick release lamp brackets Mk1 + Mk11 Escort . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mk1 + Mk11 Escort bonnet pins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mk11 adjustable in-situ track control arms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alloy navigator’s footrest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Goodridge brakehose kits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . LH + RH Mk11 Escort rear lenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . LH + RH Mk11 complete rear light units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Straight + oval strut braces. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Complete brake pipe kits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bonnet pull cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Panhard rod kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mk1+Mk11 Escort half shafts. Also Atlas 2.8 Capri, Anglia & Mk11 Cortina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8” rear brake assemblies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
£15 ea £15 ea £53 pr £52.50 £37.50 pr £40 £65 £15 £45 ea £30 kit £32 kit £40 £40 pr
9” rear brake assemblies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £60 pr Mk1 and Mk11 Escort/Cortina turreted rear Bilsteins . . . . . . . . . . £60 pr Mk1 and Mk11 Escort Spax/Bilstein rear shocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . £55 pr Mk1 and Mk11 Escort engine crossmembers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £35 Mk1 and Mk11 Escort steering racks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £30 Mk11 RS2000+1600 Sport anti roll bar (22mm) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £30 Mk1 and Mk11 Escort Std anti roll bar brackets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £12 pr Mk11 RS2000 6” x 13” 4-spoke alloys (each) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £25-£35 Various Capri Laser 6 x 13 alloy wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £20 ea 2.8 Capri Special 7-spoke alloys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £20 ea XR3 5 _ x 14 Clover Leaf style alloys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £20 ea XR3i 5 _ x 14 dog leg alloys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £20 ea RS Turbo 6 x 15 dog leg alloys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £20 ea Mk1 RS2000/Mk11 Mexico 5 1⁄2 x 13 steel wheels. . . . . . . . . . . . . £30 ea 1pr 2.8 Capri Bilstein struts with vents/calipers etc . . . . . . . . . . . £300 pr Mk11 1600 Sport struts/brakes etc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £100 pr Mk1 and Mk11 Escort rear seat sections, cloth/vinyl . . . . . . . . . . £30 ea Mk1 Escort 6 dial instruments 7000/110mph . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £70 Mk11 Escort Sport/Ghia instruments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £50
✸ PANELS ✸
Escort Mk1 Estate tailgate. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Escort Mk2 RS2000 bonnets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Escort Mk2 boots & bonnets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MK3 Capri doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fiesta MK1,2 and 3 doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Escort MK3 and 4 doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sierra doors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fiesta MK1,2 and 3 bonnets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Escort MK3 and 4 bonnets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sierra bonnets and tailgates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Escort MK3 and MK4 tailgates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fiesta MK 1,2 and 3 tailgates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
from £50 from £50 ea from £60 ea from £30 ea from £30 ea from £40 ea from £30 ea from £30 ea from £30 ea from £30 ea from £40 ea from £40 ea
✸ NEW FIBREGLASS ITEMS ✸ MK1 Escort works style console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MK1 Escort front bib spoiler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MK1 Mexico front arch lips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MK1 Escort bubble arches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MK11 Escort forest arches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MK11 Escort tarmac arches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MK11 Mexico style front spoilers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MK1 + MK11 Escort quarter bumpers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MK11 boot spoilers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MK11 boot c/w spoiler. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MK1 + MK11 Escort H/Duty bonnets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MK1 + MK11 Escorts back bumpers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
£45 £37.50 £35 pr £85 set £85 set £85 set £45 £45 pr £40 £90 ea £90 ea £35 ea
Large stock of Mk1 & Mk2 Fiesta panels including wings & rear quarter panels...£POA
STOCK CHANGING DAILY !!!! ✸ WANTED ✸
Mk1, Mk2, Mk3 & Mk4 Escorts and their spares!!! Mk1 & Mk2 Fiestas and their spares!!! Capri’s and their spares!!! (any condition) Cash Waiting!!
£35 pr £10 pr £100 pr £15 £38 £8 ea £16 ea £40 £POA £16 ea £70.00
We are now the stockist for the following companies :
£30 ea £30 pr
• All spares available from a bolt to a rolling shell • We have a selection of Mk3 & Mk4 Escort Spares
All prices correct at time of going to press, however subject to change without notice
✸ East Kent Trim Supplies ✸ Magnum Body Panels ✸ Ashley Competition Exhausts ✸ PJG Graphics
✸ MAIL ORDER A SPECIALITY ✸
SWITCH
Tel: 0151 422 8333
Mobile: 07815 723943 Email: graeme@gsescorts.co.uk Based in Cheshire 10 mins from J12 M56 & J7 M62 CLOSED SUNDAYS FOR DELIVERIES *ALL PRICES INCLUDE VAT* Unit 5, Lynch and Grice House, Warrington Road, Widnes, Cheshire WA8 0ST
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19/04/2016 26/07/2015 22:11 19:42
BACK TO BASICS RETRO FORD’S IN-DEPTH GUIDE TO THINGS YOU’VE HEARD ABOUT BUT MAY NOT NOW ABOUT…
CAMSHAFTS
THIS MONTH WE MOVE AWAY FROM THE BOTTOM END OF THE ENGINE AND TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT CONTROLS YOUR ENGINES INTAKE AND EXHAUST VALVES WORDS: SIMON
P
istons sit in the middle of the engine block, where they are a precision fit in the cylinders, here they are attached to the connecting rods, leading to the crank shaft. Pistons are in essence a moveable pressure barrier that has four main functions. The camshaft is a means to control the valves through which the intake and exhaust gases flow. The valves allow the gases to pass, but without the camshaft to both actuate and accurately time them, they would be useless. The camshaft has to control when the valves open, how far they open, and for
how long, and all while keeping perfect time with the crankshaft/piston. If this timing is off by the smallest amount it can lead to loss of performance, rough running or even catastrophic engine damage.
HOW DOES IT WORK? The basic layout of the camshaft is a long hardened metal rod. In most Ford applications, the camshaft is mounted in the head where it is driven via a chain or belt, typically these are driven by gears or sprockets. The crank gear/sprocket is around half the size of the cam equivalent, this halves the speed at which the
cam spins, meaning the crank turns twice as fast as the cam, this is because the cam only needs to open the intake and exhaust valves every two revolutions of the engine. This is due to the four stroke cycle taking two complete cycles to complete. Along the cam are egg shaped “lobes”, these sit at 90 degrees to the cams length. As the cam turns these lobes rotate and come into contact with the cam followers and apply pressure to them, this is in turn transferred to the valve and forces it open. Once the lobes starts to roll off the follower it allows the valve and follower to travel back upwards from the pressure
A yes a lumpy stick, or two, that can make a big difference to the performance of your engine. Not only how much, but also where.
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TECHNICAL
BACK TO BASICS
of the valve spring, which holds the valve in the closed position until the cam lobe comes around again.
UPGRADING Performance camshafts are a tricky subject to understand as their design is very complex and not something you can learn over the weekend by reading Wikipedia. But to at least understand the basics, there are three principles you should know about: Duration; this is how long the cam will hold the valve open for. Lift; how far it opens the valve. Overlap; for how long both the inlet and exhaust valves are kept open at the same time. Duration is measured in degrees rather than time, as using time would change depending on engine speed. A full four stroke engine cycle consists of two revolutions of the engine which is 720 degrees of rotation on the crankshaft, the number assigned to the duration is the number of degrees out of this cycle that the valve is open, so a 280-degree cam will hold the valve open for 280-degrees out of the 720-degree cycle. Obviously engines employ two sets valves, the inlet and the exhaust, so most cams are advertised with two sets of numbers denoting the duration of the inlet and the exhaust. For example a 270/260 cam has 270-degrees of inlet duration and 260-degrees of exhaust. Whereas a 270/270 cam would have equal amounts of duration on both sets of valves. Lift is typically measured in inches, this is mainly due to the first performance camshaft manufacturers being from the USA who did and still do use the
imperial measuring system. It’s pretty much as its sounds really, a cam with 0.300 lift quoted in the specs, will have .3 of an inch of lift. As mentioned previously, overlap is where both sets of valve are open at the same time and as with duration it is measured in degrees, although it tends to be a much lower number. Although more overlap
‘PERFORMANCE CAMSHAFTS ARE A TRICKY SUBJECT TO UNDERSTAND AS THEIR DESIGN IS VERY COMPLEX’ is better for high end power, it’s not so good for fuel consumption and emissions as in some cases air/fuel can be drawn straight from the inlet valve and out of the exhaust valve, some cams have no overlap at all due to tighter and tighter emissions laws. Also, the top end power gain is at the expense of low end power and idle quality, meaning high overlap cams tend to be found in more race based applications. Different types and specs of camshaft will create different types of engine characteristics for different power delivery, some engines will want lots of low down power delivery producing torque and horsepower at lower RPM’s, where as some will be designed for less low down torque and more power at higher RPM’s. A rule of thumb is that most camshafts are a compromise, what you gain in one area you lose in another, and extra power will come at the expense
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086_B2Basics.indd 3
of something else. As mentioned before you can generally have a cam designed for high-rpm power or for low-rpm torque, but not both. It is possible to have a good spread of power across the board, although this cam won’t excel at either top or bottom end power. Other compromises include idle quality as
mentioned before, and valve train wear; more aggressive race camshafts will have an increased wear rate over normal street cams, this is due to a more aggressive lobe design and due to the fact the race cams generally produce higher RPM’s which increases the speed the cam spins at. Noise is also a factor, as aggressive cams can tend to “slap” the camfollower making for a noisey valve train, this might not be so much of an issue in a track based car but will be when it comes to production based vehicles. Fuel consumption and emissions will suffer if the spec of the cam is too wild, which is something you might want to keep in mind if the car is your daily drive and you have MOT tests to get through. Your best bet if you are in doubt is to call one of the cam specialists mentioned in this fair magazine and ask for advice, they will be able to best guide you to the cam that will suit your particular needs. n
087 19/04/2016 21:47
WIN A MK2 ES
SURELY IT’S ABOUT TIME RETRO FORD DID ANOTHER SILLY BUILD?
A
fter spending hours trawling through the Retro Ford archives, it not only gave us a headache, it also gave us a potential headache in that it now seems like a brilliant idea to build this car in a stupidly short amount of time and make a video about it whilst we do it. Great idea, yeah? Maybe we’ll have changed our minds about it next month. Maybe not.
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ESCORT!
FREE STUFF!
WIN A MK2 ESCORT
WHO’S IN ALREADY? Already working on supplying bits for the car are the amazing guys at:
GAZ – www.gazshocks.com 3J Driveline – www.3jdriveline.com Aldridge Trimming – www.aldridge.co.uk Burton Power – www.burtonpower.co.uk HiSpec - www.hispecmotorsport.co.uk
HOW DO I ENTER?
Entering is easy, all you have to do is fill out the form, cut it out, send it to the necessary address, and that’s you entered. What’s more, you can actually enter every month, giving you twelve chances of winning the car. If you take out a subscription, or renew your existing one, in the next twelve months, you automatically get 24 entries. That’s 24 chances of winning a two door Mk2 Escort.
WIN A MK2 ESCORT! WIN A MK2 ESCORT! WIN A MK2 ESCORT! Simply add your name and address to this form, cut it out and send to the address below…
MONTH MONTH MONTH MONTH MONTH MONTH 1 2 3 4 5 6
MONTH MONTH MONTH MONTH MONTH MONTH 7 8 9 10 11 12
Retro Ford Magazine, Silverback Publishing Ltd, 14 Victoria Road Sutton, Surrey, SM1 4RT
NAME: ..................................................................... ADDRESS: ...............................................................
.................................................................................
EMAIL: ..................................................................... TEL: ........................................................................
Smallprint Entries from outside the UK won’t be accepted. Winner will be chosen just before the NEC Classic Motorshow 2016 and notified. Winner is responsible for collecting the car from the NEC Classic Motorshow 2016, after the final day of exhibiting. Only one entry per household, per issue will be accepted*. Competition entrants will exclude employees of Silverback Publishing and any of their family members or close friends. Winner agrees that they are the keeper and not the owner of the car for 12 months from the competition draw date. Winner agrees not to sell, dispose or alter the car for 12 months from the date of the competition draw, after which they will become the keeper and the owner. Silverback Publishing agrees not to pass on to third parties any applicant’s details. *excluding the automatic 24 entries applied to subscribers on, or after 05/11/15. Subscribe online at: www.retrofordmagazine.co.uk
088_Win_A_Mk2.indd 3
089 20/04/2016 17:58
E V I F S U O M FA
RETRO FORDS THAT VE FI ND FI TO ET RN TE IN E EESMUR SCOURS TH U CAN’T QUITE PUT YOUR FINGER ON… EACH MONTH ROB CHEX A SOMETHING YO SEEM TO HAVE THAT TR
CHRIS CUMMINGS’ 100E A 100e in this colour looks like some kind of ice cream dessert that I want to eat! Damn it’s sweet! The car has been in the family since 1988, so it’s been gradually evolving into what it is today, but the lion’s share of the work has taken place in Chris’s hands. First in was a 1360 Crossflow, next a 1660 and then it became one of the first 100e’s to receive a Zetec engine between the front wings. The 16V engine runs on GXSR bike throttle bodies and a home brewed Megasquirt ECU. An ancient wayward steering box has made way for an Escort rack and Capri struts to add some precision. With a set of staggered Minilite wheels and that ‘Audi Vanilla Geb’ paintwork, Chris has created a really great looking car, and on a small budget, but it certainly doesn’t mean it’s not a quality build! Nice work Chris!
JUAN PABLO’S MERLO TAUNUS The minute I clapped eyes on this car, I got rather over excited! Like the Capri? Like the Cortina? This reminds me of an advert about taking two bottles into the shower. Well here you can have the best of both worlds! Well maybe not in the U.K as we never got them, but perhaps these guy’s importing Mk2 Escorts into the country could slip a couple of these into the container? The fact that Juan’s 1979 Taunus TC3 is a beige 2.3 GT Ghia running what we know as Cortina alloys, just puts the cherry on the cake for us! Damn it looks cool! Juan can cruise in comfort too with a full beige leather interior, wood-capped doors and dash, and wood-rimmed steering wheel. The car looks mint in the photos but it’s not up to Juan’s standards he’s now in the process of a total strip down and restoration! Juan you are a brave man to strip such a mint car!
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HANDS-ON
YOUR FORDS
FRANK BYRNE’S MK2 ESCORT 4 DOOR 2.8 Frank has put together a cracking more-door Escort here! Starting out as a 1.3 GL auto, in a fetching shade of Solar gold, we think you will agree it’s a bit more eye catching now! The orange with the custom made 2.8 Sport stripes look superb, although they do give the game away a bit! Frank has fitted a 2.8 Cologne V6 running a 38 DGAS Carb with a Type-9 five-speeder. The engine really looks good in the bay, almost like it was meant to be there from day one! With the exception of a 3 spoke RS steering wheel, the interior is pretty much original in retro chocolate brown. Some shiny 7” JBW four-spokes have found their way onto each corner, wrapped in 175/50r13 Yokohama rubber. Even better news is that if Frank tires of listening to the twin Sportex exhaust burble, then he can listen to the original radio! Yes, it’s still fitted!
SUZANNE MARIE ROBERTS’ CAPRI MK1 Suzanne owns this very cool Mk1 Capri running some very cool period mods. Now on some cars Louvers wouldn’t work, but with the black 70s metal rainbowflake paint, Minilite rims, ducktail, and just the right amount of chrome it all just comes together! There’s no V6 under the bonnet of this Capri, instead the original numbers matching Crossflow has been bored to 1700cc. It now features steel rocker posts, lightened flywheel and a pair of Dellortos to bring the noise! The interior features 70s custom dash with extra gauges and 3 spoke steering wheel. Petrol head Suzanne has owned this Capri for 9 years, so I don’t think she will be parting with it any time soon. She uses it often to take to shows, and to Lydden Hill race circuit where she marshalls on a regular basis. I think the motorsport may be having an effect on Suzanne as she has big plans for the car in the near future.
JASON WALTERS’ MK1 ESCORT A late night bid on eBay can be a risky move, as our editor knows only too well!
balanced bottom end with steel rods and offset ground crank. Spent gasses exit
Jason Walters also knows this, as he chanced his arm on this particular Escort. With
through one of 105 Speed’s awesome manifolds and a full exhaust system. The spec
help from his father there has been a lot of graft and it was built in his garden. As you
goes on and on. Standard under-pinnings would have been flapping around all over the
can see from the pictures, it’s turned out pretty damn well! The propulsion comes
place with this much power! So Jason has had to file them in the bin in the corner, and
courtesy of a pretty full on Pinto engine built by CTM Performance Engineering….
replace with more suitable replacements! The spec of the car is huge, so expect to be
2.3 litre capacity, full race spec head, CTM’s own grind of cam, vernier pulley, fully
seeing more about it in the near future. n
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T C E J O R P YOUR D ESCORT PROJECT O’ RB TU S HI T OU AB NO JO ITH ROB CHEESMUR CHATS W
LOW
ESCORT MORE-DOOR PROJECT BUILD
T
Ben Szanto is no stranger to chucking out a low car or two
here’s a strong possibility that when this
ride in my Escort was all it took to convince Jono that a Jap
project reaches fruition it could well earn itself
engine would be more suitable for his needs,” says Ben.
set eyes on it he knew I was right,” grins Ben. Exterior-wise the car is to remain much the same as it
the name ‘Plain Jane the Super Brain’. If that
Well doctor Ben prescribed a Nissan SR20 engine
is now, the colour will stay Terracotta, and the wheels will
sounds a bit strange we need to delve a bit
and gearbox. The aim with this is a reliable 300bhp. Ben
be colour keyed the same colour. A bone of contention are
deeper to find out what’s going on.
wasted no time, and with a few tweaks to the sump, the
the front spoiler and quarter bumpers. They may be going
engine is now chassis mounted and in the bay. Ben has
to be replaced with a full length bumper to add to the ‘Plain
(07594 969955). If that name sounds strangely familiar,
chosen an Airtec alloy radiator/intercooler combo, and
Jane’ look, but the jury is still out on this at the moment.
perhaps if I mention a certain white Escort Mk1 Estate
these have been slotted into the front to look after the
At the rear end there’s the 1.3L badge still on the boot lid
running a turbo’d VTEC engine, then the name Ben Szanto,
cooling duties. The planned engine bay will be a tidy affair
and that’s staying, to give an almost standard look to the
are things starting to fall into place?
with hidden wiring and an Omex 600 ‘brain’ to control the
outside.
Well, this particular Escort is being built by Szantosport
Well nowadays Ben is building cars for other people
fueling, ignition etc... Fitting the Nissan gearbox did require
A mint condition standard interior has been ‘mothballed’
as well, but they still seem to have that Szanto twist! The
an Automatic transmission tunnel and bespoke mounts,
at the moment and lies in wait to be installed, once the
owner of this Escort, Jono Whitaker, has entrusted Ben to
but Ben can knock this sort of thing out before breakfast.
other work is finished, and that’s about the extent of the
build him an Escort that can take all the abuse he can throw
The considerable power will then be sent rearward via a
build so far.
at it, hold its own on a track day, and still be as reliable as
modded propshaft to an English axle, with a 3J LSD to get
“The brakes still need to be uprated as at the moment
a Swiss watch! This could be a tall order, but Ben can build
the power down. There’s no coil-over or 6 link tomfoolery
it’s still on 9” drums at the back and the front end is running
this kind of thing with one hand tied behind his back.
on the rear end though, just leaf springs poly bushes and
vented 2.8 front discs and calipers, so an upgrade will be
an anti-rollbar. Jono is going to have to get his hairy chest
needed there but what this will be is un-decided at the
Mk2 Escort, running a 150 bhp Pinto. The trouble was it
on to drive this, as with those 175/50r13 tyres it’s going to
moment,” says Ben.
ran like a sack of the proverbial! It wouldn’t start when hot,
be a handful!
“Jono is a mate of mine and he had a pretty tidy 4 door
Well we can’t wait to see this finished, and we can
and used loads of fuel. To be honest it just wasn’t set up
“I talked Jono into these 8” Alleycat wheels with the
imagine owner Jono is feeling the same! It’s going to be
right, and didn’t deliver the goods. Jono has a heavy right
175/50/13 tyres as I knew it would look cock-on and suit
a cracking car, and Szantosport has a quite a few more
foot, and the likelihood was that its days were numbered. A
the car down to the ground. Jono wasn’t sure, but when he
projects waiting in the wings, so watch this space. n
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HANDS-ON
YOUR FORDS
Japanese power plant is sure to divide opinion, but if it makes the numbers does it matter?
As well as looking pretty cool, it turns out that the Escort is a comfortable enough seat, too.
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In 1968 Peter Sansom, autocross and rallydriver, started Sanspeed in Lewisham after graduating from Chelsea college of Aeronautical and Automobile Engineering… Nowadays it’s turbochargers and re-mapping OE ECU’s and aftermarket systems on all cars from pre-war, to 1960’s and 1970’S classic cars to the 2016 Fiesta ST
“having started tuning them in 1968, many of the cars we do today we did when they were new!”
www.sanspeed.co.uk 1-17 Standard Road, Bexleyheath, Kent/London DA6 8DP / Tel: +44 20 8303 4314 https://www.facebook.com/sanspeed https://twitter.com/sanspeed
CLASSIC & RETRO CARS WELCOME ; TRACK & ROAD VEHICLE PREP
2WD DYNO TUNING ; REMAP SPECIALISTS ; CARB TUNING & REBUILDS
Rolling Road Services
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19/04/2016 22:24
OUR CARS
IT’S NEVER EASY BOB FINDS MORE EXCUSES TO NOT FINISH HIS MK1
W
hat’s that coming over the hill?
out to explain that they did that would work for my
Well its not my Escort, that’s for
car. They offer an electronic ignition system that was
sure! But I’m pleased to say that
concealed all within the distributer itself, which looks
it is running, at last. After working
nice and stock, plus they also supply a matching coil.
through all of the niggling faults,
The kit is set up to the spec of the engine, meaning
it’s actually running.
that it will have an optimised ignition curve pre-set in
Of course that’s not the full story, though. The twin
ROB BUTTON
‘H&H HAVE SUPPLIED ME WITH AN ELECTRONIC IGNITION SYSTEM THAT IS ALL CONCEALED WITHIN THE DISTRIBUTOR’
MK1 ESCORT
WHAT’S THE PLAN?
Wont accept the editor’s generous offer to swap the Escort for a Volvo and a cuddle.
6
£350
4
(DAYS)
(£££)
(?)
TIME SPENT?
MONEY SPENT?
LIVES SPENT?
the distributor itself. H&H can also supply uprated HT
45’s are back off the Crossflow and heading off to get
leads to make your engine electronics completely bullet
some base jets put in them, as early running quickly
proof. But as I have already emptied out the piggy bank
showed that they were a million miles from being
to purchase a set of Magnecore leads, I just opted for
correct. The money I’ve spent on the car, there’s no
the distributer and coil. They turned up double quick in
way I could foot the fuel bill with those puppies spraying
the post and are already fitted.
petrol about like a fireman’s hose. It would seem that the distributor is also playing
As you are reading this I’m convinced that the Webers will be hanging off the side of the Boss Racing
up. After doing some research, and speaking to some
1700 Crossflow big-valve head and the timing light
specialists regarding distributors I have opted to go for
will be aiming timing marks. Either that, or I’ll instead
a brand new kit.
be using the timing light in a darkened room to create
The guys at H & H Ignition Solutions took some time
some sort of illegal rave, and achieve my lifetime’s
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HANDS-ON
OUR FORDS
As well as taking more bits off and painting his propshaft black, Bob has actually made the Escort work by fitting an H&H kit. Thank god.
ambition of fusing jazz flute with a funky-ass bass line, and a sample taken from the
interior. I got around to fitting the arm rests properly and trial fitting the Contour seats.
Channel 4 programme: A Place in the Sun.
I must say I love the shape and look of them. Which is good as I don’t think I’ll find
The other huge problem I had this month was that the heater matrix leaked. So whilst we were huddled around the engine bay basking in the glorious tappety-sound
them that comfortable to sit in. Next month really is going to be the big push, even though I say that every month.
of the engine, the floor pans were treated to lashings of coolant. I have removed the
I have brakes to fit and bleed, it’s then got to go back to the body shop for some final
heater box and taken the matrix to a radiator specialist.
fettling, then the interior needs to go back in for the last time.
Whist it was out I removed the motor to check it and I was pleasantly surprised to find that it looked in good nick.
After this it’s back to where it all started; Morley Auto Services, where I will leave a fiver in the ash tray for our very own Ben Morley and say no more(It’ll need to be a lot
Now that I can’t do any more until the carbs are back I started looking at the
more than a fiver ~ BM). Then drive it home with a new MOT. It sounds so easy…
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OUR CARS
IN OUT SHAKEN ABOUT HE’S CUT HIS THUMB AND GOT THE ENGINE OUT
I
f you haven’t shed some Claret, sweat, and four
engine resting back in the bay.
letter words on your project then, in my opinion,
The engine bay is going to get a coat of paint in
you haven’t built it! There, I’ve said it, hopefully I
body colour, but here is the rub: The car has been
haven’t upset anyone, but there you go…
painted in an unknown amber colour. I believed it
Progress on the Bumblebee has occurred,
to be Signal Amber but, I believed wrong! No one
not as much as I would like, but progress never the
knows what the colour is, and I can only imagine it’s
less. In a two steps forward, one-step back kind
a one-off mix. I have tried getting paint mixed using
ROB CHEESMUR
of way. It’s kind of progress, if you can call taking
a spectrograph, and it’s still wrong! So cutting a long
apart what you have already done progress. But, as I
story short I got given a 5 litre can of Daytona yellow.
MK3 CAPRI
stated last time, I had rushed and bodged the job. So
Now I don’t have time at the moment to do a full re-
WHAT’S THE PLAN?
Rob has got a game plan, it involves fitting a NODIZ management system and other stuff
2
£250
1
(DAYS)
(£££)
(?)
TIME SPENT?
MONEY SPENT?
THINGS BROKE
‘WITH THE ENGINE OUT I WAS ABLE TO WHIP THE SIERRA SUMP OFF AND REPLACE MY HOME-BREWED PICK-UP PIPE’ I borrowed an engine hoist off a friend of mine, Andy
spray so I plan to paint only the duff parts of the car.
Clayton; Thanks for the loan! Then I set to stripping the
This was obviously going to look cack! To solve the
bay down and hooked the Zetec back out.
problem I jumped on a certain internet auction site and
With the engine out, I was able to whip the Sierra
bought some bright orange cellulose. Now rewinding
sump off, and replace my home brewed oil pick-up
back to when I was at primary school, apart from
pipe with a proper Sierra one. Now the D.I.Y one may
mixing up chocolate-coloured powder paint and eating
have been fine, but I didn’t want to take any chances.
it, I also discovered that yellow and orange mixed
After mashing my knuckles a few times (hence the
together in the right quantities will hopefully make
swearing) then I had the sump was back on, and the
amber.
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19/04/2016 21:51
HANDS-ON
OUR FORDS
Nodiz management system has arrived and will help with the making the sixteen valve Capri make brum brum noises.
If this does not work then it hasn’t cost a fortune, but if I can get the colour as
Lastly an exciting package arrived; The Nodiz management system. What a piece
close as possible then I will paint the repaired parts. Long term though I will be
of kit! The wiring loom has all the right terminals already on it for the Zetec sensors,
painting the whole car, but for the moment I’m getting withdrawals from not driving
so even an electrical numpty like myself can fit it. The guy’s at Nodiz even load a
the car. So for me right now, quicker is better!
base map already on it to run carbs, so it really can be a plug and play solution!
Next on the list of jobs is spacing the cross-member down a bit to give more clearance for the sump, then I can paint the bay.
So next time I really hope to be able to show real progress, I just need to get myself a compressor and some time.
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OUR CARS
This is a fan switch that works. Which is better than the one that Paul had before, as it didn’t exist.
EVER CLOSER
PAUL GETS CLOSER TO HAVING HIS FIESTA ON THE ROAD
T
his month has been a little slower on
money. Then we switched the headlights on, and it
progress than I might have liked, but
worked! In a slight faux pas moment, we had wired the
there’s still been progress nonetheless, so
main power feed into the feed to light up the gauges! A
I can’t complain!
quick rewire soon had it back in order, and with a full
I have been having difficulties with the
cooling system, but this month things seemed to be turning a corner. I got the fan installed, but then wiring
complement of gauges, I can now keep an eye on all vital signs. The engine has got cracking oil pressure, which is
PAUL MILLER
it into what I thought was the original fan switch proved
great news, and seems to come up to temperature
to be a real pain. The fan just would not cut in; the
ok, so needless to say, I’m pretty happy. Another thing
MK1 FIESTA
wiring was correct, the fan would run when hard-wired,
I was over the moon with was an insurance quote I
so what could the problem be?
received this month. It had worried me how expensive
WHAT’S THE PLAN?
Got all excited about it firing into life, so excited that he didn’t do much else.
1
£350
INFINITY
(WKS)
(£££)
(?)
TIME SPENT?
MONEY SPENT?
LIVES SPENT?
As it turns out, the original fan switch is ECU
it might be, as the car is quite heavily modified, but
controlled, meaning it doesn’t open like a normal one,
£350 for a year really surprised me! I was over the
hence why it wasn’t bringing the fan on… A bit of a
moon, and it now means that I can knowingly afford to
moment from myself, but a quick phone call soon saw
put it straight on the road as soon as it’s finished.
another one sorted. I’ve got an adapter on the way
I’ve got suspension tweaks, a full nut and bolt check,
too, so I can put the fan switch in the top hose. This
a service and MOT check and then the old girl is finally
should mean that I’ll be able to get the fan working as
finished! Fingers crossed, next month should see the
it should.
final chapter written!
I also needed to keep an eye on the water temperature, so I bought myself the last gauge I needed. Wiring it up should have been easy. My good friend Trevor came round and we soon had it installed, but then couldn’t get a reading out of it for love nor
100 096_Our_Cars.indd 6
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THE WRIGHT STUFF CHESHIRE’S STU WRIGHT SHOWS THAT WITH DEDICATION AND A HEAD FULL OF FIGURES, THE RESULTS ARE TO BE FOUND OUT ON TRACK WITHOUT BREAKING THE BANK WORDS: ROB HUGHES PICS: RAYMOND BRANDT, ROB HUGHES, JASON LARNER, ANDY HANKIN
T
hirty six year old Stu Wright, a motor
is like racing in an armchair. It’s too stable! I like my
are incredibly labour intensive, and after that infamous
engineer from Sandbach in Cheshire
car to be light, responsive and twitchy, almost like a
race, my original shell was beyond repair.”
has been around short circuit race race
fighter plane that’s inherently unstable. That’s why
cars all of his life. His dad Roger started
I prefer the shorter wheelbase Anglia, where you’re
season and complete with its solid silver and black
racing Hot Rods on the ovals in the late
almost on top of the action!”
livery and traditional coach work signs thanks to Gary
seventies and is still racing today well into his sixties.
The Anglia that Wright currently races is his second
The new car came out on scene fresh for the 2014
Chapman. The Anglia looked every inch the show
Stuart, starting in junior mini’s at the age of twelve,
one in Classic Hot Rods. “My first car got damaged
piece it needed to be where the look of the car is as
has seen a racing career develop in various classes
at Hednesford in 2013 when I lent it out in a celebrity
important as how it goes.
of machinery from 1300 Stock Cars, Dirt Rods, Stock
race. It was a racing incident, just one of those things,
Rods to Classic Hot Rods.
but these old Classics arn’t as easy to repair as the
condition that Stu professes a distinct preference
Stu followed his father in the coolest class on the
And go it did! Especially in the wet, a track
space framed modern race cars where you remove
for. “The final race of the day at a torrential National
ovals in 2010. “My dad as always been an Escort
the panels and replace the part of the damaged
Championships at Hednesford in August 2014 I
man.” Stu muses, “but to me an Escort on the oval
frame, then put new panels on. Oh no, these old cars
class as one of my favourites.” Stu says, “When you
The highs and lows of racing. Sadly the two extremes can be very far apart at times. But that’s motorsport for you.
102 102_Classic_Hot_Rods.indd 2
19/04/2016 21:52
MOTORSPORT
RACE REPORTS
start at the back and you’re able to race right on the
The engine in the Stu Wright Anglia is a race tuned
extolling the virtues of getting out what you can
edge, passing some of the top drivers in the sport,
two litre Pinto, but one built to budget. The bottom
reasonably afford to put in, considers the torque of
it’s incredibly satisfying. Unfortunately my car had
end was originally put together by Paul Simpson Race
the engine within the realms of car sympathy, to be a
gremlins in the engine just a few laps before the end
Engines, and Stu maintains the whole package by
greater aspect compared to just letting it sing all over
and I didn’t finish, but I won’t let that minor detail spoil
putting on his one standard heads with 36” chokes
the place.
the memory of how the car performed in that race!”
on twin 45’s feeding the standard valves. “Compared
Stu, with over twenty years of racing under his belt,
The brakes on the 924 machine are unspectacular
to putting on a mapped head with big valves but
but effective. Capri twin pots in the front, vented with
has had several seasons where he has split his racing
restricted by 32” chokes, which is the other Pinto
Mintex competition pads. That’s were the majority of
commitment between Stock Rod racing and racing
set up allowed in CHRs, I feel that my way allows the
work is done, as on the back the combination is Mk3
his Anglia in Classics. However, this split commitment
car to breathe better and with a certain degree of car
Fiesta disks with conventional pads. The braking itself
dented his impact on both divisions and in 2015, Stu
sympathy, I can make the engine last.”
is fed through twin master cylinders and a bias box.
took a break from CHR to concentrate on racing his
The power from Stu’s engine is delivered to the
The weight of Stu’s Anglia comes in at 740kgs,
front wheel drive Stock Rod. “I wanted to see if I could
Escort English rear axle via a three speed ‘Hot Rod’
featherweight in many a book but in the world of
make a full commitment to that class tick the box for
box - so called as it’s designed especially for the
Classic Hot Rods, she is forty kilograms heavier than
me....and at the end of the season I wasn’t convinced
power bands required for oval racing. “It has a tall
she could be. “I could get her lighter,” Stu admits,
that it did..so I returned to racing the Anglia at the last
first gear,” Stu explains, “with the ratios for second
“but at a price. A lot of weight could be saved in the
two meetings of last year, and I’m so glad I did!”
and third very close. The difference in the revs they
wheels as split rims come in with a 15kg saving on
convert is as little as 300RPM, but on the small tracks
Compomotives, but a £1000 is a significant ask on
we race on, that can be crucial.”
your annual racing budget, at least it is in my world
So what has allowed Stu to find #TheWrightStuff in Classics? “I’m now concentrating on a division of racing which, in the years that I have been involved,
The axle itself has a limited slip differential,
where I finance my racing myself....”
step up from being a ‘Gentleman’s Club’ to proper
again essential for oval racing with internal settings
historic racing series. That’s a good thing. The
that allow the delivery of power to both wheels at
his ability to make his racing budget stretch as far
following that the formula is getting at the track and
that exact moment out of the corners. The 924 car
as possible in with the tyres. Avon A10’s are the
in social media and through Retro Ford Magazine is
utilises typical 3:5, 3:7 and 3:9 ratios depending on
regulated tyre in Classic Hot Rods, but they are a tyre
fantastic and it’s a pleasure to be part of it.”
the size of oval Stu is competing at. The bigger the
which all the drivers involved are supremely grateful
track, the higher the gearing, but typically, Stu’s
for. It is superior to every other tyre allowed in oval
wholly to Classics and carefully apply the knowledge
car will be pulling 7700RPM at the end of the short
competition and as a tyre that was utilised back in the
that he has learnt from other racers and crafted from
straights on an oval. This is not as high as other cars
seventies and eighties when today’s Classics were the
his own ability to create a perfect marriage between
Stu competes against, as other drivers, with bigger
National Hot Rods of the time, it is of the period and
man and machine. Upon revealing what makes up the
budgets can invest in all steel components in their
authentic. “I just make mine last as long as possible,”
‘Wright package’ for #924, Stu is able to demonstrate
Pintos to allow higher rev tolerances, and as for
Stu declares, “I have had a set of tyres that are so old
his racing premise of getting the maximum out of
those drivers with 1700cc Ford Kent Crossflows,
that there are no bar codes on them. I can get some
what you are able to afford to put in.
10,000RPM is common. Wright however, again
tyres to last three seasons! On one occasion I had to
Stu admits that he has been able to now commit
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102_Classic_Hot_Rods.indd 3
Probably the biggest area in which Wright displays
103 19/04/2016 21:52
admit defeat and buy a new tyre as the canvas was
describes himself as a “budget Red Top” (Classics,
showing through on the one I came off track with!”
like many oval formula employ a handicap system
satisfied. He had benchmarked his performance
Rotation is the way to tyre longevity in Stu’s book. The
where the best drivers start at the back. A red grade
against his own ability in setting up and racing
tyres are rotated round the car after every meeting to
signifies a top grade driver.) At each meeting Stu
the Anglia, and had benchmarked against fellow
achieve equal tyre wear. It may be time consuming
has been able to fine tune the car to advance its
competitors that he aimed to beat, and on that bases
as the balance of the tyre can be affected; but with
on track performance, using his rule book, which
Stu had improved. “Just time to raise the bar!” Stu
adherence to tyre stagger, tyre pressures between
he keeps safe and secure in his head(!) to perfect
concludes, “I’m aiming to beat the bigger budget
16 and 22PSI depending on weather and track
the car’s balance. At Wimbledon in February and
racers next. That really would be good!” In aiming to
temperature, and spring rates from the GAZ shockers
Northampton in March, Wright found the performance
compete at nearly all the rounds in the English CHR
Stu uses, the correct set up on the car can again
was there to power down, brake effectively and have
series in 2016, Stu just aims to “Simply enjoy myself.
be achieved to get the ‘Wright result!’ “Brand new
the car perfectly set up to achieve a natural ‘turn in’
If I have a good clean race that’s perfect. A win would
tyres are fantastic,” Stu states, “but they are not the
for for the car racing permanently in the clockwise
be a lovely bonus!”
answer to everything. You can get good results still
direction. It allowed Stu to select the outside line time
out of used tyres on a well set up car and currently I
and time again, out braking rivals into the bend and
down to Stu himself, the motor engineer is quick
am delighted to be achieving this.”
out accelerating them out of it. Stu’s most recent
to express sincere thanks and gratitude to both his
And the right results have indeed been forthcoming
Stu came away from Northampton extremely
Although the hard work and financing is mainly
performance at Northampton had been typical of late
parents in introducing him to racing and his wife’s
so far for the Cheshire racer. Since his return to CHR
with two third places in his heat. He was only sixth
support in allowing him to continue. A whole host of
competition at the tail end of 2015, top six places
in the final after errant contact with a spinning rival
others like Paul, Max, Gareth and Jason help keep Stu
have been a regular achievement from the driver who
knocked the tracking out on the steering.
trackside. n
These days all the classics have to run a Pinto engine, which means that no naughty Crossflows can sneak in and spoil the fun.
104 102_Classic_Hot_Rods.indd 4
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19/04/2016 22:13
T I B S Y R BAR THE BARRY LEE STORY Y LEE - THE OTHER SIDE OF WINNING) (ABRIDGED FROM BARR PART 1 - GRASS ROOTS....
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19/04/2016 21:53
FROM THE ARCHIVE
BARRY LEE STORY
A
lthough Barry’s first four-wheeled foray into motor sport was autotesting, it was another branch of motor sport that truly captured Barry’s imagination ...and helped set in his professional career in motion. That sport was autocross. Autocrossing ...which is competing on grass rather than tarmac, against the clock, was one of Britains’ most popular forms of motorsport in the 1960s. Cars raced in groups of two, three, or four, for approximately three laps and the ‘rustic’ nature of the courses provided huge opportunities for learning about car control, and all for a relatively modest outlay. “Autocrossing, a really competitive form of motor sport, was beginning to attract a lot of attention in the 1960s, which is why I was drawn to it, yet it was still very much a grass roots club sport with a real family atmosphere. Many competitors competed in their everyday road cars. They’d turn up, remove loose items from inside the car and the boot, paint their entry number on the doors or windows with Windolene, and get racing. My first event was in 1964 in the grounds of Orsett Hall in Essex which, at the time, was Sir John Whitmore’s place. I’d become something of a Ford fan, and joined the West Essex Car Club to go autocrossing, and bought a 997cc Anglia 105E. It was a grey Deluxe but I had Johnny Geeves paint it a nice shade of yellow. I fitted the Anglia with a 1650 GT engine, uprated suspension and disc front brakes. Lots of people were doing this back then.” Whilst it’s certainly true that fitting bigger engines into the humble Anglia 105E was a popular period modification, boosting performance considerably, what the majority of competitors were not doing was looking for self-promotion. Barry was. This explains why he had the Anglia repainted a more racy hue. What’s more, he purchased vinyl race numbers and, to make them easily identifiable, he went to the trouble of having vinyl black roundels made. Roundels (or similar) are commonplace nowadays, but were little-used during the mid-1960s, particularly in autocross. Their appearance on Barry’s Anglia set tongues wagging. “Although I started motor sport as a hobby, within a very short space of time I realised it was what I wanted to do as a career. At around the same time I began to appreciate that to do it properly, I would need to approach things as professionally as possible, hence the roundels and race numbers. I have to say that my roundels and numbers caused quite a stir and
were soon much-copied!” Not content with making such a small break with tradition, Barry, always a boundary-pusher, took the idea of self-promotion and professionalism a stage further! “As I’ve already mentioned, this was a time when autocross competitors were predominantly using road cars. They’d drive to the event, compete, and assuming they not crashed the car, or suffered some terminal mechanical failure they’d drive home. I wasn’t interested in following their example. From day one, the only way I could give 100 percent to the driving was if I knew that I didn’t have to worry about breaking the car and not being able to drive it home afterwards. For the first events, Bobby George was good enough to tow the Anglia behind his 15cwt Thames van. This arrangement worked well for a while, but Bobby had his own commitments, especially once he’d started making a name for himself with the darts. I was competing almost every weekend and couldn’t be reliant on anyone else. So I bought an old Bedford ‘OB’ truck and hand-painted it yellow and black to match the Anglia, which I could drive up onto the back of the lorry using long ramps. This set-up also got tongues wagging! I then had Johnny Geeves paint a black racing stripe on the Anglia. It ran from the boot, over the roof and along the bonnet. There were quite a few Anglias in autocross at the time...but the stripe, like me, was an attention-grabber! I also wanted to entertain. People probably think I’m a show-off, but I don’t think that’s completely true. When I compete, I see myself as a showman and it was during my autocross years that I began to develop this other persona.” There is no doubt that when Barry got behind the wheel of a car, this other persona, his alter ego so to speak, would quickly manifest itself. Although blessed with a prodigious talent, he was not simply being recognised for his driving skills, he was being recognised for being Barry Lee the showman. Even from his very early association with motor sport, Barry brought an extra dimension. Media savvy, pro-active, focused, and utterly professional (but with a penchant for mischief and practical jokes), Barry pulled in the paying crowds and the sponsors. In the early 1960s, Britain’s performance tuning industry was in its infancy. Even so, there were a handful of companies possessed of an ability that belied their embryonic status. One such company, a performance pioneer that’s recently celebrated its 50th year in business, is Burton Power. Barry was one of many to beat a path to Burtons’
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106_Barrys_Bit.indd 3
door and his relationship with the company, and its managing director Steve Burton, blossomed. Works cars aside, Burtons would go on to sponsor, partsponsor, or support each and every Ford vehicle that Barry drove in competition. “Burtons has been a big part of my competition career and has supplied me with Ford competition parts, including engines and gearboxes. My relationship with the company really picked up when I started Autocrossing and also built the 1200 Anglia for Roy Turner. The 1200 109E engine uses a threebearing crankshaft, a known weak point, especially if the engine’s used hard. Roy’s engine regularly ran its bearings because the crank whipped at high revs, so I took the engine to Steve Burton. Steve suggested that we should beef up the centre main bearing with a steel cap. As far as I know, the steel main cap was the first performance engine part that Burtons made, and it was done by Steve Burton himself. Burtons went on to help and support me with the Escort, a car, in various forms, that I used in autocross, rallycross, rallying and hot rods of course. I actually had a bit of a lucky break in autocross, which brought me to Ford’s attention ...and got me behind the wheel of the new Escort. During the 1967 Player’s final round at Silverstone, Ford had brought along Roger Clark who was there to set a time for us to beat. He was in a Lotus Cortina. I was in my 1650 Anglia and managed to beat his time, which pleased me ...and it obviously got the Ford people talking too. Roger’s mechanic was Bill Meade, Boreham’s top mechanic. Bill and I had competed against each other in autocross. We would become very good mates and still are. Henry Taylor was there too, overseeing Roger his new British protégé. Anyway, I must have impressed them as Henry and Bill came over to me and asked me to pop down to Boreham on the Monday. When I turned up, Henry said that they’d been keeping an eye on my progress. He and Bill then took me to see the new J25, the Escort Twin Cam, which was a month or two away from launch. They told me to collect a pre-launch Escort from Allens of Romford, take it back to my Dad’s garage, prepare it for autocross and rallycross, but keep it under wraps ...literally! Because it was for Ford, Dad relented and let me use the garage, but he still made me work for the space by doing a few MOTs and so on! I went on to compete in and helped develop the Escort (Mk1 & Mk2) in autocross, rallycross, rallying and hot rods. The first one I ever prepared and drove was XTW 368F.” n
107 19/04/2016 21:53
REWIND! A CHEEKY LOOK BACK AT WHAT RETRO FORD WAS GETTING EXCITED ABOUT TEN YEARS AGO
CHRIS WELLS 100E ISSUE: JUNE 2006 PICS: RICKY MORRIS
108 108_Retro_RF.indd 2
19/04/2016 23:23
FROM THE ARCHIVE
10 YEARS AGO
F
uelled by his father’s love for an old Ford, Chris bought his 100e after finding it in AutoTrader. He even raced to Kent to buy it before someone else could beat him to it. Using an Old Ford Auto’s template kit, Chris chopped the bulkhead and tunnel to suit a Pinto engine and Sierra five-speed gearbox. An Anglia axle was held in place by RS2000 anti-tramp bars, a modded panhard rod and a cheeky flip of the shock absorber spring saddles.
The Pinto wasn’t just any Pinto, though, it was built by Ron Harris himself and kicked out a healthy 170bhp. This means it was a fully lightened and balanced 2.1 with a stage two-and-a-half cylinder head and a pair of Weber 45 DCOE carbs. Externally, the shell was in great shape to begin with, but Chris and his dad gave it a fettle up and treated it to a couple of coats of Lada Wedgewood blue paint. It also got an ultra-rare three-bar grille, as well as a set of brand-new bumpers.
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108_Retro_RF.indd 3
Internally the car was as immaculately presented as externally, with a one-off carpet made by Chris and his dad, everything was neatly packaged and well thought out. The plan was to go all out and have a 2.2 Pinto built for it, which would sit in front of a straight cut gearbox. There would be no need to change anything else because, as I said at the time, Chris had managed to get it just right. n
109 19/04/2016 23:24
Ford Facts Engine: 205 block Pinto, 93mm bore, 2.8i Capri pistons, lightened and balanced bottom end, RL31 camshaft, vernier pulley, stage 2.5 cylinder head, 10.5:1 compression ratio, twin Weber 45 DCOE carburettors, 4-branch exhaust manifold, RS2000 alloy sump Transmission: 5-speed Type-9 gearbox, custom propshaft, 4.1:1 final drife, limited slip diff, Anglia 105e rear axle Suspension: 2.25” Bilstein front struts, modified top mounts, Escort track control arms, rack and pinion conversion, Spax adjustable rear dampers, lowering blocks, RS2000 anti-tramp bars, modified panhard rod Brakes: Capri vented discs and calipers, rear disc conversion using Sierra rear calipers, braided hoses Wheels and Tyres: 5.5x13” front, 7x13” rear Superlites with 175/50r13 Yokohama tyres Exterior: 3-bar grille, standard bumpers and brightwork, Perspex windows, painted Lada Wedgewood blue Interior: Home-made carpet set, home made dash assembly, period low-back bucket seats.
110 108_Retro_RF.indd 4
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(Contents subject to something funny being written here, or not as the case may be)
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19/04/2016 22:14
A56 - Gaz Shocks_CLASSIC 28/01/2015 09:50 Page 1
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