The Classic Sale At Silverstone Festival 25th - 27th August 2023

+ buyers premium of 12.5% plus VAT (15% incl VAT) on the first £300,000 of the hammer and 10% plus VAT (12% incl VAT) thereafter 39 Here at Iconic Auctioneers, we feel truly privileged to have been entrusted by the McRae family with the sale of three of Colin’s favourite cars. They are significant cars in the history of rallying and will be available to view prior to our auction on Friday, August 25th. For some time, Colin had been thinking about building a really special Mk II Ford Escort, the fastest rally Escort ever built. In Colin’s own words, ‘The Mk II is the rally car of all time. When my father started rallying, these were the type of rear-wheel drive cars that were at the top level of the sport. I remember watching in the forests and they always sounded the best and looked the most spectacular - sideways. Ever since then, they have stuck in my mind’. So, in 2002, Colin made the decision to start the project and recruited Dave Plant of DJM race prep in Newark to build it. In Dave’s own words, ’In late 2002 we were asked by colleague and friend Gordon Birtwistle of Proflex UK Ltd. if we could convert a Mk II Escort into independent rear suspension instead of the conventional live axle, for a rather special customer, this being the late great Colin McRae and of course, we were only too pleased to take up the challenge. The donor car was supplied to us in early 2003 and after numerous telephone conversations with Colin, the project commenced. The original specification was to be an ultra-long wheel travel, gravel rally car. With fully independent front and rear suspension to our own design and using our own aluminium uprights, finished off with a T45 roll cage to support the modifications. Colin first visited our workshop in April 2003 to see how his ‘toy’ was shaping up. He took a particular shine to our brand new, 4WD tarmac-spec KA rally car and it became apparent to him that we were a ‘one-stop shop’ and were able to bring WRC attributes to any vehicle. This led to us doing more work than was initially intended and it was decided on that day that the project was now to be a turn-key rally car designed to be as lightweight, compliant and agile as we could make it.’ The full story of this unique car’s build and subsequent testing is well-documented elsewhere but the final build-spec can be found on our website. Over the next couple of years many hundreds of miles were covered in testing and on rallies, and the car may have played a small part in rekindling a well-known partnership between Colin and Nicky Grist, who shared the car on the Scottish and the Pirelli. Lots of magazine articles about this amazing car can be found online and there are also several YouTube clips, including one of Colin tackling the famous ‘Molls Gap’ stage on the Killarney rally in Southern Ireland. In common with all of Colin’s famous cars, the Escort has been modelled in 1/43rd scale by Trofeu Models and Corgi as part of their Vanguard Tribute Collection. Accompanied by its 2005 RAC Logbook, ONM 804V has been prepared to the highest standards and presents superbly. It runs and drives well but is not event- ready and the safety equipment, seats, belts, extinguishers etc. are no longer current so consequently the car will need complete preparation before being run in anger. It has, however, been fitted with new front discs and pads as well as a new clutch master cylinder and new brake master cylinders and, in addition, it’s been looked over and checked by Ian Gwynne of BGM Sport in Brackley. The car is being stored by him until our sale at the Silverstone Classic on the 26th/27th August. He is a friend of the McRae family and seriously interested parties are welcome to speak directly to Ian and view the car prior to the sale if they wish. The Talbot Sunbeam Ti from the 1986 season, which we are also offering, and this remarkable Escort last used by Colin in 2007 effectively ‘bookend’ his career and make these cars so special, particularly as they are for sale for the first time and directly from the McRae family. With a semi-spaceframe rear end, sequential six-speed box and a 330bhp 2.5-litre Millington engine, this must be the ultimate Mk II Escort. It was to be Colin McRae’s final rally car and is on offer directly from the McRae family. Lot 324 2005 Ford Escort MkII McRae - Ex-Colin McRae Registration: ONM 804V Chassis No.: GCATWT70680 Estimate: £125,000 - £150,000 Specialist: Nick Whale Telephone No: 07831 440158 More Details Lot 324 Bid On Lot 324