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Rally Pack 2000

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Having started a thread yesterday regarding some dash trim improvements it came to my attention the wooden wheel on my old Twincam needs replacement after more than 20 years.

 

Finding something period but sporty for a Mk1 Escort Capri or Anglia seems to be somewhat difficult. There isnt much that suits. In my online search I found a site for Alfas and they posted dozens of pages of every variant of steering wheel used on their cars and thought maybe we could do something similar. (We have a thread for RS wheel variants) So please post what wheels original and non original that you use on your old school Ford. (If you know the name of it give that too in case someone else would like one too)

 

The only wheels I can seem to find are the Prototipo look ones. They are nice but they seem more for the Italian classics, Alfas, Ferraris etc

 

post-12481-0-05129600-1487509553_thumb.jpgpost-12481-0-76271400-1487509636_thumb.jpg

 

or the wood version

 

post-12481-0-72529600-1487509526.jpg

 

Some wheels look magnificent online but when try try them you find they really were meant for modern cars. Got this one with a combination of wood and leather thinking it would be a success but it tanked.

 

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I can see why many stick to standard steering wheels as a result. For me they often lack a decent grip and can be a bit thin at times.

 

Vista likes the original though

 

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There has to be some other variety of wheel for old classic Fords? Please show us what you use, standard or otherwise!

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My Anglia has a rather modern wheel - a Momo from a Mitsubishi Galant VR-4.

 

2016-02-27-18.01.24.jpg

 

 

I've also got one with some red accents, which came from the actual donor (a Super Galant VR-4, which yes, did have this garish red interior from the factory!):

 

2E7mdZV.jpg

 

Or a part-wooden one, but this is a slightly larger diameter, and I'm already struggling with clearance to my knees:

(Yes, they also came with this horrible beige interior, too!)

 

bGjANpJ.jpg

 

 

This is probably of no use to you whatsoever, because I've also got the Mitsubishi steering column, so none of these will bolt up to a Ford column anyway!!

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This is probably of no use to you whatsoever, because I've also got the Mitsubishi steering column, so none of these will bolt up to a Ford column anyway!!

 

Actually this  sort of unusual, unexpected and innovative combinations are exactly what I was hoping to see. In your Anglia it looks pretty good too, such a modern wheel in an older car who would have guessed? I think your choice of door trims and other interior finishings go a long way to achieve a harmonious old and new look. Very useful information that such a Mitsubishi column can be made to fit also. Thanks

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Actually this  sort of unusual, unexpected and innovative combinations are exactly what I was hoping to see. In your Anglia it looks pretty good too, such a modern wheel in an older car who would have guessed? I think your choice of door trims and other interior finishings go a long way to achieve a harmonious old and new look. Very useful information that such a Mitsubishi column can be made to fit also. Thanks

I've had a few comments that I should change it for a "period" looking wheel - but I quite like it! Thanks for your comments - now that you say about the rest of the styling on the interior, it highlights why it doesn't look out of place!

 

To fit a different wheel I'd also need to fit a boss, which won't look as nice.

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Standard 3 spoke RS wheel in mine, though have a 4 spoke RS motor sport wheel in the van that I had Re trimmed in brown leather to match the interior.

 

The 3 spoke wheel was standard on our Mk2 Rally Packs and RS2000s. It wasnt offered on any Mk1s. I would have to seek one out in the UK. But is certainly an option.

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Be aware (if you do) that a mk2 wheel won't fit a mk1.

 

Doesn't the spoiler guy offer these? Or does he need an old wheel to start with?

 

What did the mk1 RS2000's that were exported to Australia come with then?

 

Yes I noted the Mk1 column is thinner than the Mk2.

 

I believe he recovers old wheels and has an exchange arrangement. I have never asked if he has any for Mk1s, I will have to do that.

 

We never had any Mk1 RS2000s through Ford in Australia. I have seen two genuine Mk1 RS2000s in my lifetime but they were both private imports so they would be equipped the same as yours since they were actual UK cars.

 

I have often said I would prefer a Mk1 RS2000 to my Twincam, but we never had them so the Twincam and a GT 1300 were the only sporty Mk1s we ever got. We didnt even have a 1600 GT along the lines of the Mexico. It was either full on with the Twincam or full off with a 1300 car. Those were the choices. The Capri was your sporty British choice in the early 70s with alot of 3Lt V6s made and the rest a respectable 1600 GT using the Mexico engine arrangement.  Only when the MK2 came out did Ford consider the Escorts sporting nature as a more widespread offering to the public rather than a few niche Lotus engined cars. I think it was due to them discontinuing the Capri as we only ever had Mk1 Capris and the MK2 was never introduced. I really wish we had Mk1 RS2000s.

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We never had any Mk1 RS2000s through Ford in Australia. I have seen two genuine Mk1 RS2000s in my lifetime but they were both private imports so they would be equipped the same as yours since they were actual UK cars.

 

 

I always understood Ford Australia did bring some in, as described here?

 

http://www.rs2.co.uk/ausirs2.htm

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I always understood Ford Australia did bring some in, as described here?

 

http://www.rs2.co.uk/ausirs2.htm

 

Thats an interesting article. I think it gives a false impression to the availability of the cars and their distribution and purpose. There were a small batch of them brought in for competition purposes no doubt ( I saw them at Bathurst) but I was always led to believe this was initiated through a small bunch of enthusiasts and privateer racers (of which one happened to be a dealer) , they were definitely not widely spread through Australian dealers to the general public as the author of the article states.  Such a small number would have been pre-sold and most never saw the road. ( I have always questioned if there were even 25 my reasons why later) There is an amalgamation of back stories here that in part belongs to a small batch of Mk2 Euro RS2000s that Ford Australia brought in at the same time. Its well documented Ford brought in 25 Euro RS2000s in 1976. But they were Mk2s and many of them still exist today. The 25 Mk2 RS2000s were brought in to assess the viability and durability of 2Lt Pinto engined Escorts as road cars to see if they would make them themselves. There would be no need for that if Ford has already done road evaluations of a batch of road going Mk1s.

 

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Comparing the 25 Mk1s and coincidentally 25 Mk2s as well yet we know all about the Mk2s how they were distributed through dealers. There are several magazine articles and road tests of the Mk2s but not a single one for the Mk1s. Even he admits that his was a converted race car. I consider the Mk1s were effectively private pre-ordered imports facilitated by Ford for racing purposes. (They did the same to a few Cosworth Sierras over the years too and Mustangs for that matter and neither actually  marketed by Ford Australia). I think one of this batch of Mk1s was one of the two I mentioned I had seen in my lifetime and that owner bought a naturally aspirated YB engine off me that I built with a friend. (which seemed a waste to me for one of only a few genuine Mk1 RS2000s in the country)

 

Whats interesting about that article is he specifies the colours in detail which is extraordinarily precise for Ford Australia and suggests that information was garnered in the UK not here. Nor are they Australian colours. I have never seen that stated anywhere else. But my take on the whole Mk1 RS2000 notion is that they were brought in to be race cars and not readily available to the public and that the few of those that became road cars were left over ones that were never raced because the Mk2 had already been released here in Australia months before the timeline he says these things were imported. (or converted to road cars after surviving the track) Ford Australia would really not be interested in road cars and magazine road tests on a car shape it was no longer selling or building unless it had a pre-order sale lined up and also had ordered a batch of 25 Mk2s for the purpose to test the waters of their own 2lt model. The culmination of which was to ditch the nose and have their premier sports model with a flat Mexico front and marketed as the GS Rally Pack.

 

The other Mk1 RS2000 I saw in the mid 1980s was just parked in front of where I was working at the time and showed no signs of being one of that batch. It didnt have Australian mirrors so could well have been a private import.

 

In the case of the well documented 25 Mk2 German RS2000s I have seen at least 10 of them in my lifetime and appear in shows and displays all the time yet only one of the Mk1 batch. Thats why Im convinced that the MK1s should effectively be considered private imports on request for a few race enthusiasts facilitated by Ford Competitions division while the Mk2s were sold and issued to magazine reviewers as an available road car by Ford Australia sales and Marketing and their dealers. I think the history of the "25 RS2000s" has blended into one lot. This is evident that at least a dozen of the Mk2s still exist today but I would argue there are less than half of that of the Mk1s are here including other private imports. As a comparison there are well over 100 Australian Twincams that still exist of which if my memory calculations are correct I have driven 15 of them. That makes Mk1 RS2000s to us far rarer than any Twincam or most exotic supercars for that matter. I have seen more RS1600s here than 2000s. I would certainly consider the swap if there were any out there.

 

Sorry for the long winded history discussion.

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