The Ford Escort is one of The Blue Oval’s more popular models from the past, having existed from 1968 all the way up to 2004 across six generations. While many remember the Escort as a thrifty and affordable mode of transportation for the masses, the truth is, that same model experienced its fair share of motorsports success over the years, too. There were several homologated Ford Escort models sold to the public that are worth big bucks today – and even a continuation Mk1 model on the way – but this one-off prototype didn’t quite garner as much interest at auction.
This 1975 Ford Escort Monte Carlo Prototype recently crossed the block at a Bonham’s auction in Chéserex, Switzerland, and wound up hammering for a mere CHF 28,750, or around $36k USD. That’s a shockingly low figure for a car that’s a true one-of-one, designed by Pietro Frua – one of the leading Italian coachbuilders and car designers of the ’50s and ’60s. Over the years, Frua was responsible for designing a host of models for the likes of Maserati, Ghia, and Renault, to name just a few.
As for Frua’s take on the Ford Escort of this era, it made its debut at Paris Salon de l’Automobile in 1971. Based on an Escort 1300 Mk1, that particular model took on a new form in this case, one that resembles the Ferrari 330 GTC, despite its more humble roots. The Italian-designed prototype wound up being featured in a pair of magazines, too – Germany’s Motor Klassik in August 2018, as well as Autoretro in January 2022.
Frua kept his unique creation for a short period of time before selling it to the wife of a Swiss architect in 1972, and the third owner wound up holding onto it from 1980-1998. The seller has owned the special one-off Ford Escort since 2018, and it has been part of a collection of Italian coachbuilt cars during the past few years after receiving a restoration back in 2003. Sold with a host of documentation, it’s pretty surprising that this special machine didn’t garner more money at auction, but we imagine that the new owner is at least somewhat thrilled with their bargain purchase.
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