1980 Ford Escort MK2 RS2000 Coupe

A rare Australian RS2000 2-door, added to the register. This is an original matching numbers car, in its original Burnt orange paint. There appears to be a bit of rust, as expected for such an original car, but overall it represents a great opportunity for someone. If anyone knows who bought it or has any further details, please get in touch with us. At the time of the advertisement, the seller noted the following:

"I purchased this car some 12 years ago, and put it in storage with the aim of undertaking a concours restoration as a retirement project.

Unfortunately health has got in the way, which means I will not have the opportunity, so it's time to pass it on to someone who has the time and passion to complete it.

This rare Burnt Orange 2 door, is completely standard and retains all the correct RS2000 components, including rear sway bay, short-shift gear lever, glovebox, under-dash sound deadening panels, and the other parts that get lost over the years.

The car was delivered in South Australia originally, and comes with a verification letter from Ford Motor Company, confirming the factory build spec.

The original engine has just been rebuilt to stock specifications, but updated to run on unleaded fuel. It has less than 50km on it, and is still being run in. The emissions plumbing has been removed, but I still have the bulk of it, along with other parts that will go to the successful purchaser of car.

No expense has been spared on the engine rebuild, with everything being new or refurbished, and includes a brand new carburetor, starter motor, clutch, water pump, oil pump and so on. All ignition components have been replaced, and it starts first time, every time.

Body wise, the vehicle is in extremely original condition, and it has never been resprayed. The usual C-pillar and heater bubble rust has been repaired as some point in it's past, and there are only two rust spots showing currently, one on the drivers door, where a speaker was touching the door skin, and the other ahead of the LHR wheel arch, but both are easy and cheap repairs. It has it's fair share of car park dents, and at some point the passenger door handle has been ripped off, doing minor damage to the panel. 

The interior is great for it's age, with one crack in the dashpad. The original seats have had the cloth replaced with the correct diamond fabric along the way, but there are a couple of small cracks in the vinyl on the side bolsters.

The suspension is original height and the front springs look to have been uprated to a Pedders set at some point. The steering rack has been overhauled, but I can't identify exactly when.

While the vehicle is not registered, it has been road-tested on a day-permit after the engine was re-installed, and drives remarkably well for a car that hasn't been driven on the road for 12 years.

The car is listed with a very reasonable reserve, to allow someone to undertake the restoration and still have a good amount of equity in the car. Asking prices for concours quality restored RS2000's are approaching $30K in Australia, and even more overseas.

The car is listed for ten days, but will be advertised elsewhere if it doesn't get enough interest on eBay. It can be inspected over the weekend of 30th/31st July in Adelaide.

The car is unregistered, and has not been registered in SA since it was delivered. As a result, registering the vehicle in most states of Australia, will require an inspection. 

For interstate or overseas buyers, freight will be at your expense, but I am happy to deliver the vehicle to an SA transport depot if needed.

Please ask all the questions you want, and I have loads of additional pictures I can provide if required.

Just a couple of other points..

With the car now over the reserve, I will include a set of the original Volante alloy wheels, which have been stripped and are ready for powder coating.

Also the heater bubble has been replaced at some point, and the cowl panel was removed then re-welded. The welds have not been painted, as that was going to be sorted out when it was resprayed.

When purchased the car, the battery was in the boot and the battery carrier was removed from the engine bay. I purchased a new tray and support and fitted it back in the correct location, and installed the correct battery. The tray is temporarily screwed into position, but does need welding."