1976 Ford Escort MK II RS 1800 Press Car Breaks Auction Record

We routinely come across historically significant vehicles at collector car auctions, including things like prototypes, concepts, press cars, and other interesting and rare finds. Oftentimes, these vehicles sell for big money, proving to be coveted by folks who collect such things or just believe that they’ll continue to appreciate moving forward. That isn’t always the case – see a one-of-one 1975 Ford Escort Monte Carlo Prototype that recently sold for pennies on the dollar – but this 1976 Ford Escort MK II RS 1800 press car did manage to reset the record books.

This 1976 Ford Escort MK II RS 1800 press car recently went up for grabs at Historics Auctioneers and proceeded to sell for a world record £276,848 ($371,528 USD), a staggering sum of money, indeed. However, it’s also a pretty special machine that was one of five such models used by Ford as a press car originally, and is one of just 109 built in total. It also has a mere 24,186 miles on the clock and has remained in the possession of the same family in Buckinghamshire since 1977.

After purchasing the car in 1977, the owner proceeded to drive and enjoy it for 10 years before treating it to a restoration, but after that, it was put into storage. Sadly, that owner passed away recently, and his widow decided that it would be better off in someone else’s garage. Regardless, now, someone has a pretty special piece of Blue Oval history in their possession, though it certainly wasn’t cheap to acquire.

“Beyond its rallying success, the Escort RS1800 Mk II remains a cherished car among enthusiasts and collectors. Its combination of performance, history, and timeless design continues to captivate fans,” a Historics Auctioneers spokesperson said. “Out of the 109 cars that were built, there were five press cars, owned by Ford Motor Company, and this is one of the five -ress cars. In March 1977, it was purchased by the second owner, who used the car for a number of years and in the late 1980s it was restored.”

“The car sat in a barn for 35 years with the rebuilt engine sitting on a pallet next to the RS1800. It runs beautifully, although it needs to be treated gently as it has only done less than 50 miles since the rebuild.”