One person who’s determined to put the XR4Ti back on the map is Alan Strachen. A former Andy Rouse Engineering employee, Alan now runs AWS (www.aws-engineering. co.uk), a hugely-respected restoration and race car preparation business in the Midlands, responsible for sympathetically returning some iconic cars back to the race track — a huge number of them Fords. For the last five years though, in-between restoring original race cars and running his own Super Touring Mk1 Mondeo (see June 2019 issue), he’s also been toiling away on recreating a 1985-spec XR4Ti, which should be hitting the race tracks of the UK and mainland Europe next year. Turn the page to find out how and why.
Why build the car?
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Esta historia es de la edición January 2020 de Classic Ford.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
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RE:CREATION
Your projects: Pushed aside in the BTCC history books by the Cosworth and RS500, the 1985 championship-winning Merkur XR4Ti started the ball rolling for the Sierra’s success, and Alan Strachen is building a tribute to remind everyone why.
THE JUMP
It’s been 12 years in the making, but now Ashley Farazmand’s incredible Mk2 Harrier has raised the Escort show car game a level — or three.
Pop Rocks
The 100E was a humble and sensible thing when it launched back in the 1950s. But Rich Lakey’s radically-reworked 1959 example catapults the Pop into the 21st century — its 380 bhp turbo power ensuring that it rocks on every measurable scale…
OUT OF THIS WORLD
With outlandish wings and 460 bhp, 1.4-litre engines, the amazing Zakspeed Capris looked, sounded and drove like nothing else on earth.
FIESTA FINESSED
Aiden Powell always knew what his first car was going to be, and now this Mk1 Finesse is just the way he wants it.
Old Skool Ford Drag Challenge
Seeing out the race season in style, Round 6 saw some impressive Fords hit the strip. But who was crowned overall 2019 champion?
IT TAKES TWO
Reader’s restoration: How do you make a once-rotten Cortina GXL even better? Give it to two Ford fans to restore then refine, that’s how.
ESCORT 1300L
Original classic Fords: We all dream of finding an untouched, one-owner classic Ford, but for Allan Binns it’s a regular reality, with this Mk1 being his finest find yet— and now he’s made it even better.
BRITISH HISTORIC RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP
The final 2019 round, the Trackrod Stages, wasn’t without its dramas.
1945-2019 Russell Brookes
Double British Rally champion Russell Brookes, famous for driving his Andrews Heat For Hire Escorts, has passed away at the age of 74.