Shared by @grunty_diecast (Instagram)
This is a '78 Ford Escort RS 1800 Rally Car. Jointly developed by both Ford of Germany and Ford of Britain, the Mark II Escort featured a revised underbody compared to the earlier Mark I but featured the same mechanical components, floorpan and core structure as its predecessor. The RS1800 was a performance oriented version of the Escort, featuring a 1.8L Cosworth BDE inline-4; the RS1800s in particular gained a cult following for their use in rally competition. These RS1800s were used to great success by drivers such as Björn Waldegård, Hannu Mikkola and Ari Vatanen. One of the most successful Escorts was Waldegård's British Airways No. 5 Escort, competing in Group 4 competition, an immediate predecessor to Group B, in which he won numerous rallies; another was Vatanen's Rothmans Escort, built by Rothmans mechanics and one of the most successful Rothmans Escorts. Production of the Escort Mark II ended in the UK in August 1980, with other countries following shortly after. 109 were produced.
Now this casting was designed by Mark Jones and introduced in the Ford Race Team collector set in 2021. This casting has seen two known releases, the last being this one in the Hot Wheels Boulevard series.
