decent weather forecast looked
promising for a healthy attendance
for the Fordmeet at Squires Café, east
of Leeds, and we weren’t to be disappointed.
By 9 am the showfi eld of this one-day event
was already pretty much full and almost
900 Blue Oval-badged cars would pass
through the gates during the day.
The variety of cars on offer at Squires is
second to none and fortunately the recent
spell of dry weather meant there was no
shortage of classics. From concours standard
cars through to rally and race machinery along
with some lairy homebuilds thrown into the
mix there was something there to keep
everyone happy. There was a notable increase
in Sierra Cosworths this time around with a
few extra unfamiliar Sapphires coming out of
the woodwork, though it was the highly
modifi ed 550 bhp RS500 of Mark
Devonshire with its recent Norris motorsport
engine rebuild and Compomotive THX rims
that really caught our eye. Modifi ed
three-door Cosworths are becoming
increasingly rare, so it was great to see the
clock being turned back with this full-on
Tarmac weapon. Escort RS Turbos were well
represented too and there was a fi ne selection
of beautifully restored and pampered Series 2s
both standard and tastefully modifi ed.
Mark Kowalski’s Mk2 Escort certainly
raised a few eyebrows when it rolled in with
its bright yellow paintwork, huge arches and
17 inch Image wheels. He openly admits this
isn’t a car for the purists, especially with that
Honda S2000 VTEC lurking under the
bonnet, but he’s built this car to enjoy and
with a rev happy 240 bhp on tap, we’re sure
he’s not short of smiles! It would be another
lairy Escort that took the show winner’s
prize which went to Martin Woods and his
bubble arched RS2000-striped Mk1 Estate.
The pre-show camping seems to have
become increasingly popular and a live band
played to keep the campers entertained on
the Saturday night. Hopefully the hangovers
weren’t too severe, and they were able to
take fi rst dibs at the 20-plus trade stands that
opened up early on show day! The end-of-
season Fordmeet at Squires has already been
confi rmed to be on September 29 and will
no doubt prove to be equally as popular.A
CLUB MEET SQUIRES
Words and Photos Jon CassHomebuilt ‘80s and ’90s Fords are becoming
more and more common at classic Ford
events, with plenty fl ying the fl ag at the
recent Squires Fordmeet.
Squires
Fordmeet
52 September 2019