Russell Brooks’ 1979 Ford Escort Rally Car Headed To Auction

April 11, 2023 1:04 pm

1979 Ford Escort Monte Tarmac Special Russell Brookes - Exterior 001 - Front Three Quarters

Ford and rally racing have a long and rich history together, one that continues today courtesy of the M-Sport team. However, those that have been fans of both for some time will undoubtedly remember that back in 1979, Ford Performance built a grand total of three “Monte Tarmac Specials,” very special 1979 Ford Escort rally racers that proceeded to make some serious noise in the RACMSA British Open Rally Championship that same year. Now, one of those three 1979 Ford Escort racers is going up for grabs at Silverstone Auctions’ upcoming Supercar Fest sale in the UK on May 20^th.

This particular 1979 Ford Escort rally racer is quite special for a number of reasons, including the fact that it’s the only one produced in right-hand drive configuration. It also claimed victory at the 1979 Mopar Manx International Trophy Rally with Russell Brookes at the wheel alongside his co-driver, Paul White, which took place on 270 miles of closed public roads. The duo hung on to keep the quicker Jimmy McRae at bay, edging him out by 14 seconds.

From there, this special Escort moved on to Ireland, where it was campaigned by Billy Coleman, who is widely considered to be that country’s greatest rally driver, and has also seen icons such as Bertie Fisher and Vincent Bonner behind the wheel. Following a refresh in 2003, it’s now finished in the same livery that adorned its flanks when Coleman drove it, looking as good as new in the process.

In its heyday, these “tarmac specials” were considered to be giant killers, the kind of cars that beat the best that Porsche, Lancia, and other high-profile teams could conjure up, cementing its status in rally history forever. As one of three built and one of one in RHD configuration, this rallying Escort is certainly a prized piece of that same history, more than justifying its auction estimate of £150,000 – £170,000 (($186,181-$211,005 USD)

We’ll have more cool auction finds like this to share soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for more Ford Escort news and around-the-clock Ford news coverage.

By Brett Foote

Brett's lost track of all the Fords he's owned over the years and how much he's spent modifying them, but his current money pits include an S550 Mustang and 13th gen F-150.