The cars we drive: 1979 MkII Ford Escort rally car

Some of you might recognize the car that I'm sitting in as the current car [UNKNOWN] the Landrover Discovery Sport, but there are other cars in our lives that are even more long-term. George, for example, behind the camera has a MGBGT rubber bumper, which he adores. I have a clear [UNKNOWN] too. But the car that's been longest in my life Is a 1979 Mark-2 Escort Rally Car, and I think you might like to know a bit more about it. So let's go and have a look. [MUSIC] And here it is in all its glory. Now a couple of things to point out Some of you may know this car ready from previous iterations of where I've been first thing. Let's just get that everybody points it out. Yes number plates is dnf, but it's got of what's going to 50% finish, right? So the moment not entirely appropriate anyway. I like it. I like a challenge. The other thing that people always say is, obviously it has not got any arches. Normally, you would, in most rally escorts you get either forest arches, which are actually the little ones, or the big tarmac arches, or even the massive red Monte Carlo arches here. Originally when I bought this car Which is an RS2000. I thought I would turn it into some sort of RS1800 replica and I would put arches on it. And then seeing it in service parks and its little narrow body, I just think it's something very cool. You don't see many narrow-bodied Escorts out there. So I'm inclined to keep it like that. I'm not gonna enter any championships. I'm probably not gonna win. And he rallies in it. I haven't got the money to pump into it, with a sort of a BDA or anything like that. So yeah, it's just for fun, so I think I'm gonna keep it unarched for the moment. I've done two rallies in this, mostly through lack of money. I've done Woodpecker twice, actually. First time, we finished Second to last we got a trophy, hey. The other time we failed to get to the first stage which was last year due to electronics problems. So the plan at the moment with this car is to well change various bits and bobs on it. If we have a look in back here we'll see Fuel pumps, knackered basically. They need to be changed. I think it needs a new battery as well. A lot of it's really nice but there's various bits of it that just need to be done to make it reliable, basically. So it would get through a rally, before we start looking at sort of performance Enhancements. So that's the plan over the next few weeks and months. Actually put a bit of money into so I can actually go out and use it. A little Felix the Cat on there. Felix is my middle name. G. Jones. Geffen Jones who's my co-driver last time out. Brave man and also a very good driver in his own right. Have a look in here. So yeah, all the usual rally bits and bobs in there. My lovely Cobra seats. Originally developed with [UNKNOWN] in mind. The plastic windows here which are actually really good ones. We've got a four speed rocket box in here. And then you walk around the front Have a look. Wheels have certainly painted that nice light blue color. I did find or go sent an image of this car when it was originally rallying. And it had proper magnesium lightweight mini light on it, and painted in exactly that color. I just did it cuz I like them and I'd seen The Castrol livery escorts in those colors. Under the bonnet it's a 2.0L pinto, mighty boat anchor which is obviously what you had in the RS2000 so, yeah we need to do a few bits and bobs in that. The dual autos on it. Twin dual autos. That's it. It's still running an English axle at the rear and hopefully, in the next few months, when we'll get this up and running properly. And we're gonna do a shakedown on it because it needs a bit of a shakedown. There are rolling roads and we're gonna get the carburetor set up correctly and we'll, hopefully, take you through all of those little bobs with [UNKNOWN] if you like this, if you would like to know more. So let us know in the comments, if you want to see more of this give it a thumbs up, say so, that we are. [UNKNOWN].