The Ford Escort Mk2 rally car needs no introduction. If you love your rallying you’ll know this was the most successful rally car ever when it dominated the motorsport during the 1970s. We are really quite excited to say this is your chance to drive this mythical rally car for yourself on a loose gravel stage in Essex!
The iconic RS1800 won every single consecutive RAC rally from 1975 to 1979 and of course pulled off the WRC one-two in 1979 with Bjorn Waldegard on top of the podium Hannu Mikkola as runner up and Ari Vatanen fifth. Totally epic. This incredible rally car held its own right up until the fledgling years of the four wheel drive generation of rally cars headed by the Audi Quattro in the early 80s.
Even today nothing beats the sound and sight of a MkII Escort hammering it around a rally course. You can hear the breathy engine-wail way before you can see it and when the Escort does come into view it’s invariably at a near-impossible sideways angle.
That seminal Cosworth engine was without doubt most at home in the Welsh forest wining endless rally stages. And who could forget those classic Rothmans and Castrol liveries and those extra-large wheel arches? Not even the fact that front vision was pretty useless through the front windscreen (which is why you often saw drivers and co-drivers peering through the side windows!) could detract from the sheer charm.
Simplicity and drivability is what makes this car an enduring icon. That is the beauty of the Escort Mk2 rally car. It’s low kerb weight and perfectly balanced rear wheel drive set up means you can get the rear end swinging out knowing you will still exit the corner and accelerate neatly away.
Luckily for you the legend that is the Escort Mk2 rally car is still very much living. That’s why rally operators (who are as big a rally fan as you) keep these classic rally cars going. Everyone deserves the chance to enjoy the sheer thrills and sensation of this great car at least once – and that’s why we’re offering these Ford Escort rally drives just for you!
