mk1 escort
August 2019 77hrough the ’60s and ’70s the pedigree of
the Mk1 Escort was unrivalled both on
and off the asphalt of race tracks around
the world. The Escort is well known as a
giant-killer, and is synonymous with names such
as Zakspeed, Alan Mann, and Broadspeed. It
was an era full of colourful drivers, knife-edge
driving, and iconic liveries, which for many are
now a long passed memory glinting in the
rose-tinted glasses of days gone by — until now.
New Zealand motorsport has always had a
fond love for the Escort. The late ’60s through
and the ’70s saw David and Goliath battles
between the nimble Escorts and the big
V8-powered Camaros and Mustangs in the New
Zealand Saloon Car Championship. For many
Kiwi race fans, this era of racing would provide
some of the most memorable cars, drivers and
on-track action that we have ever seen. While the
glory days of that era have long passed, theT
fondness for the Escort remains strong, and Paul
McCarthy is making sure those fond memories
are rekindled for the next generation of fans.
Paul is no stranger to classic cars, his first car
was a Mini Cooper at 14 years old. That was
soon replaced by a 1275 Cooper S and then an
Escort Mexico all before he was 18. It was at this
stage — in the early ’90s — that a 1970 RS1600
came along. It was sourced from the UK in
pieces and it had been left neglected making it a
perfect starting point for a race car. It seemed
that Paul’s family had an affinity with Fords as
his older brother was racing at the same time,
albeit in a Lotus Cortina. Paul first ran the
pre-AVO RS1600 utilising a multi-link rear end
and period brakes. Up front was a Lotus
twin-cam borrowed from his father as Paul’s
pockets weren’t deep enough for a BDA at the
time, although after two years racing with the
twin-cam, it then made way for the keenly