There are many cars on the roster of legendary rally machines, and the Ford Escort is deserving of its place on the list. The rear-wheel-drive stage hero made a name for itself not only with speed and victories, but also in the spectacularly sideways way in which it went about its business.
At the Festival of Speed presented by Mastercard, Ari Vatanen and his co-driver David Richards were reunited with their Rothmans-liveried Escort. In this video, they reminisce about its primitive nature and propensity to crash. Despite numerous ‘offs’, the pair claimed three outright wins and enough points in the 1981 World Rally Championship to claim the title.
The car will be back in action in this weekend’s 78th Members’ Meeting, taking part in the first ever public Goodwood Rally Sprint presented by Cooper Tires.
WRC
Video
Ford
Ari Vatanen
David Richards