Ford Escort - World Of Classic Cars -

Ford Escort Lotus Twin Cam 1970

From the start of the Escort range Ford had intended to produce sporting versions of its new model; the first of this special breed of Escort was the Lotus engined Twin Cam. The Twin Cam used the same 1558cc engine as the Lotus Cortina. This meant 110bhp and a top speed of 115mph. Externally there was little difference between the Escort Twin Cam and its tamer sister, the Escort GT. A reinforced bodyshell with wider wheel arches and quarter bumpers hid the uprated suspension and front disc brakes were standard equipment. The  Escort Twin Cam was conceived and developed by Ford's Boreham based competitions department during 1967 and unleashed on an unsuspecting public during January 1968; going on to achieve many international race and rally victories during its short production life. Ford entered their first event with the Escort, taking part in the new formula of motorsport, Rallycross and also entering at an event at Croft (still used today), the Escort Twin Cam won 4 races out right. The Ford works team was practically unbeatable in the late 1960's and 1970's with, arguably, the Escort's greatest victory in the 1970 London to Mexico World Cup Rally. In total, just over 1,200 Escort Twin Cams were built before production ended in 1970 to make way for the RS1600.