Description
H&H Classic Auction @ The Imperial War Museum, Duxford/ Cambridgeshire
9th October, 2024 13:00
1982 Ford Escort XR3
Estimate
£11, 000 - £13, 000
Registration No: ARH 90X
Chassis No: WF0BXXGCABCY39773
MOT Expiry: July 2025
Believed to be 1 of just 168 UK registered vehicles left on the road today
Supplied with rare and desirable 5 speed manual transmission
Offered with a collection of invoices
Finished in attractive Titan Blue
To compete with Volkswagen's Golf GTI, a hot hatch version of the Mark III was developed – the XR3. Initially this featured a tuned version of the 1. 6 L CVH engine fitted with a twin-choke Weber carburettor, uprated suspension and numerous cosmetic alterations. It lacked a five-speed transmission and fuel injection. Fuel injection finally arrived in October 1982 (creating the XR3i), eight months behind the limited edition (8, 659 examples), racetrack-influenced RS 1600i. The Cologne-developed RS received a more powerful engine with 115 PS (85 kW), thanks to computerized ignition and a modified head as well as the fuel injection. Built in Germany but developed with the aid of computers in Essex, Michigan in the US, and Cologne, the XR3 was an instant hit, and represented one in 10 Escort sales. The mix of iconic ‘cloverleaf’ alloy wheels, chin spoiler and Porsche 928- inspired sports seats captured the public’s imagination. It wasn’t perfect, though: despite Bilstein being drafted in at the last minute to tweak the suspension, the ride was firm. That changed in 1982, when Ford’s UK Special Vehicle Engineering arm, headed by Rod Mansfield, stepped in.
More information to follow
