Twink of an Eye

When spiralling Escort values put a genuine Twin Cam out of reach, one enterprising owner simply made his own.

- Martyn Morgan Jones

Conceived and developed by Ford’s talented motorsports team at Boreham and lighter, faster and more nimble than the legendary Lotus Cortina, the effervescent Escort Twin Cam (often affectionately referred to as the ‘Twink’) burst onto the scene in February 1968.

With its intoxicating blend of mechanicals... including the lusty Lotus Cortina Twin Cam engine, which was slotted into a suitably-strengthened Escort GT bodyshell (subsequently known as a Type 49), the Twin Cam proved to be even greater than the sum of its well-chosen parts.

It was raw rallying talent and paved the way for over two decades of rear-wheel-drive Escort domination. Not only was Ford’s motorsport future bright, but Ford’s motorsport future would be Escort-shaped... for quite some time!

The seminal Twin Cam remained in production until June 1971, ultimately handing the mantle of rallying responsibility to the even more potent BDA-engined Escort RS1600. Aside from several prototypes and a proof of concept car, the records held by the AVO Owners Club show that just 1263 Twin Cams were built.

Understandably, given that most were used in motorsport, the rate of attrition was rather high. Just 330 have survived worldwide, with 66 being registered within the UK. Should you wish to buy a Twin Cam, the model’s rarity and heritage will require you to dig deep. You are unlikely to find a good one for less than £40,000, with concours examples often fetching in excess of £60,000. Considerably more if there’s a ‘Works’ provenance.

And, it’s such eye-watering prices which have placed this car beyond the fiscal reach of many enthusiasts. Enthusiasts such as Antony Pateman. Unable to fund a genuine Twin Cam, but with the ability to restore cars to a fabulous level, Antony decided to pay homage to Ford’s rallying and racing glories by building himself a Twin Cam recreation.