Quarter million pound Ford Escort: MkII RS 1800 owned by the same family for 50 years sells for record price
The MkII RS 1800 is one of 109 limited edition road-going models built at the car giant's Advanced Vehicle Operations Pilot Plant at Aveley, Essex - each one finished in Diamond White paint.
But few remain in the same condition with such low mileage as the one sold on Saturday - let alone an example that's been kept in single family ownership almost from new.
The vendor's late husband acquired the car from Ford in 1977, shortly after it had concluded its duties as the second of five vehicles provided to the press for test drives - the first being written off during this time.
While the price he paid for the car remains undisclosed, when new in 1976 the RS 1800 was priced at £2,990 plus tax.
When the hammer dropped at the weekend, registration ONO 804P sold for almost 100 times that amount to become the most expensive MkII Escort in history.
This is Money has exclusively spoken to the collector who was last to raise their paddle in the auction hall at the weekend...
Record-breaking Ford Escort: This MkII RS 1800 has been in one family ownership for the best part of half a century. Its low miles and incredible original condition has made it the world's most expensive second-gen model
When the hammer dropped at an auction in Windsor at the weekend, registration ONO 804P sold for almost 100 times its original price to become the most expensive MkII Escort in history
The vendor's late husband reportedly drove the rally-inspired Fast Ford for around 10 years before it underwent a restoration and was kept off the road in a barn.
As such, it has a mere 24,186 miles on the clock - barely 500 miles for each of its 49 years since rolling off the Essex assembly line.
Following his death recently, the keeper's widow commissioned classic car specialist Historics to offer the lot the highest bidder at an auction in Windsor.
The car, described as the lone owner's 'pride and joy' has now become the world's most expensive second-generation Escort.
The lot winner - having been embroiled in a 'frenzied' bidding war in the auction room - paid an eye-watering £278,848 to secure the keys on Saturday.
The previous record was held by a 1975 Ford Escort RS 1800 rally car campaigned by Björn Waldegård, Roger Clark, Ari Vatanen and Pentti Airikkala.
That car was sold at by Bonhams at the 2015 Goodwood Members' Meeting for a comparatively paltry £85,500.
The sale price also far eclipsed the pre-sale estimate of £160,000 to £185,000 as the winning bid exceeded the top end by an additional six figures.
The vendor's late husband acquired the car from Ford in 1977, shortly after it had concluded its duties as the second of five vehicles provided to the press for test drives - the first being written off during this time
'After travelling 25,000 road miles during its lifetime, this Escort has rested gently under cover in a farm barn for decades,' Historics says.
It adds that the performance RS Ford has twice been painstakingly and professionally restored, all with the accent on originality.
It is understood that the car remained in the barn for 35 years with a fully rebuilt engine sitting on a pallet next to it.
With time and a lack of use taking its toll, the second restoration project was undertaken just five years ago, with the aim of returning the Fast Ford to its former glory.
'It is probably in a far better condition than when it left Ford's Essex low-profile side assembly line, nearly half a century earlier,' the auction house says.
The lot winner - having been embroiled in a 'frenzied' bidding war in the auction room - paid an eye-watering £278,848 to secure the keys on Saturday
Jeremy Walton from Historics added: 'The MkII Escort RS1800 is an icon of Ford's World Championship motorsport history, but this blistering sale result - most surely a world record for a 1976 Ford Escort - is a spectacular endorsement of how few unmodified public road examples of these Escorts remain.
'Certainly, far fewer original RS1800s survive than many exotic classics, bearing more prestigious badges.'
Stewart Banks of Historics Auctioneers described Saturday's auction hall as an 'electric atmosphere'.
He said: 'After publicising the car far and wide, we had great expressions of pre-sale interest, and bidding on the car was intense - as was to be expected as the Escort RS1800 was such a star of world rallying.
'However, nobody could have predicted such a stunning result.
The performance RS Ford has twice been painstakingly and professionally restored, all with the accent on originality
Speaking exclusively to This is Money, the winning bidder - who requested to remain anonymous, told us: 'I am thrilled to be able to secure what is probably the most original, low-owner RS1800 with such super provenance.
'It has been purchased to enjoy as part of a private collection of some of the most important historic Ford race and road vehicles.
'ONO 804P will be hugely cherished.
'I cannot thank Stewart Banks and the whole Historics team enough as well as the previous owner.'
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