The Iconic Sale at the NEC Classic Motor Show 2024

+ buyer’s premium of 12.5% plus VAT (15% incl VAT) on the first £300,000 of the hammer and 10% plus VAT (12% incl VAT) thereafter 95 Introduced in 1968 in very limited numbers for homologation purposes, the Escort Twin-Cam is now one of Ford’s most revered cars and still regarded as a formidable road car. Based on a reinforced Type 49 body shell with wider wheel arches, quarter bumpers, uprated suspension and front disc brakes as standard, it was powered by a Lotus-designed, 8-valve twin camshaft head mated to Ford’s 1.5-litre pre-crossflow block bored out to 1,558cc offering 110bhp and 115mph. Only 883 Twin-Cam models were made before production ended in 1970 to make way for the BDA-powered RS1600. The car presented here is a very special Twin-Cam - NBH 769H was an early production example, bought brand new from the Aylesbury Motor Company in 1969 by Mick Briant – the hugely successful British rally driver who won the Motoring News Championship three times, the BTRDA and the Welsh Championship. Mick did several rounds in the prestigious Motoring News Championship in NBH 769H, always finishing in the top ten and in 1971 Mick won the London Counties Rally Championship in NBH 769H, with Donald Close navigating. The car was renewed in-period and returned to white bodywork with a black bonnet that displayed the ‘Go Perrys’ livery (the Ford dealer in Aylesbury). NBH 769H is listed as ‘Escort 1860’ (car #40) on the entry list of the 1971 Jim Clark Memorial Rally, in which Mick drove (with Peter Robinson navigating), and of which a photo exists of the car on the start line. In 2017, our vendor (a rally enthusiast, driver and car collector) acquired NBH 769H and entrusted it to master engineer, Andrew Stapley of ASM Classics in Kent, who specialise in restoring some of the best classic Fords in the UK. Over some four years, our vendor has invested c.£65,000 in bringing this venerable rally car up to a remarkable standard. So much so, it was invited to be displayed at the NEC Classic Motor Show 2021, where after nearly 50 years apart, Mick Briant and Peter Robinson were reunited with the car, plus some of its navigators, all autographing the inside of the doors (captured in photos and video). ASM’s expert attention included a full renewal of the Twin-Cam signature paint colour, Ermine White (with black bonnet and in period livery), its big-arch Type 49 shell, its revered Lotus Twin-Cam engine (with associated dyno readings), its DCOE Weber carbs, 4-speed gearbox, competition clutch and pressure plate, English axle (with 4.7 diff ratio & LSD), coil sprung front Bilstein suspension, leaf sprung rear, plus the addition of Cibie spotlights and a whole host of mods to make this into a formidable period rally/fast-road car. NBH 769H has only been used sparingly since its complete restoration, residing in our vendor’s private Collection, but notably, it was driven ‘up the hill’ at Shelsley Walsh by our vendor and indeed, one Mick Briant – again, all captured for posterity and provenance. MOT’d and ‘match-fit’, this is a turn-key classic performance Ford. This really is a special car and deserves to be fully appreciated and enjoyed by a similar enthusiast. If you simply want the best possible Mk1 Escort Twin-Cam, this one might just be too good to miss! Very well known multi Championship-winning Twin-Cam now returned to pristine condition, with a remarkable restoration. Registration: NBH 769H Chassis No.: BB49JA17572 Estimate: £65,000 - £75,000 Specialist: Joseph Watts Telephone No: 07779 082707 Lot 180 1969 Ford Escort Mk1 Twin-Cam - Ex-Mick Briant More Details Lot 180 Bid On Lot 180