channel 4 program

[herb capri]

A really good program I think, my sisters watched it and being in their forties and ex escort drivers they all said that they had forgot the fun of owning one. They even said they envied me for still having one! that is something that I didn't expect, I should think it will push values up a bit, Also the "nickability" rating may increase as wannabee boy racers want to try them cheaply.

 It was refreshing that the priority of originality was kind of kept to, And the  engine choice that most shy away from was made for the xflow. Its a way I think more resto's will go, mods are nice,dont get me wrong, I know power to pound ratio just doesn't make sense to most , when a good zetec is a £400 fit and run, and with mates help a pinto can be cheaper. I priced a X flow re-bore / decking / bigger valves and new guides with a crank grind and bearings , it came to £1200 without gaskets and assembly hours, that is staggering ! god knows what a fully built H.P.E. motor runs to!!

 

no it was entertaining and a nice view of our passion ,maybe not to our own personal view, but fun family viewing.

[5tox]

Overall i enjoyed the program but had to laugh when the guy said the shell would be worth £500, my missus looked at me and said... i thought you said yours was a bargain at £1500 lol

[mk2 mike]

when a good zetec is a £400 fit and run

 

You can come and do one for me at that price. The fitting kit is £1700 alone!

[Rally Pack 2000]

I thought it made great viewing....

 

Was more about the scene and less about the resto, just saying

 

Yes a bit more of the restoration would have been good, a bit of welding and a lick of paint and pop the engine in and away you go. Dont you wish it was that easy! I suppose they had to balance the restoration with a bit of history and a bit of contemporary ownership and cram it into a one hour program. Probably watching the intricacy's of a thorough restoration would have had the average family viewer bored to tears. It was fun to see the scene in the UK though. Here in Australia it was never boyracers and burnouts with Escorts. Back then when they were readily available a burnout  meant one of the smaller gears in the diff let go as LSDs were not an off the shelf item here and only as a special import from the UK and as such were very expensive in comparison to a whole car. It was off to the wreckers to find whatever diff you could. The burnouts were left to the V8 and rotary yobbos while we more prided ourselves being able to get away off the line while they were smoking up their wheels. I think my only niggle really as I mentioned before was the statement was that the Mexico was the finest Escort to come out of the Ford Factory implying a 17 sec quarter was as fast as it got. As a Twincam owner I always thought of trading it for Mk1 RS2000 as it was a more desirable touring car for me and the RS1600 was really the exotic one.

[stuartp]

I thought it was alright - good to see some escorts and faces I recognised

 

The presenter has a strange accent though

[nik_plant]

I thought it was a good watch, better then I was expecting, and I see my car in the background at the greyhound

[Muzzman]

Is £8k the right sort of money for a car in that condition?

[Stiggy]

Is £8k the right sort of money for a car in that condition?

 

Probably not.

 

But as long as people will pay it won't come down.

[dalmarshall]

Word on the street is.......... The owner wanted £5k

[mikehunt]

Word on the street is.......... The owner wanted £5k

no 8k firm he said

[Vista]

Oops, sausage fingers here just pressed delete instead of quote! Sorry to who ever it was I just deleted their post, in answer to the question though, the suggestion of after dark clandestine meets makes for better TV.

[SmokeEm]

^^^ pmsl. I did that once

[Stiggy]

dalmarshall

 

 

 

That's what he said on telly. The bloke who sourced the car for the production company said the owner was after 5.
It was the same with the wheeler dealers xr2. They said they gave £2k but the guy who sold it to them confirmed it was more. TV bullshit!!
Anyway I thought the programme made great viewing....although why they said the greyhound OSF meet was a secret underground affair I dont know??

 

Think that's what it was.

[mikehunt]

I thought 8 k sounded about right for a mex in that condition?

[dalmarshall]

Lol I thought it was me!

[dalmarshall]

Cheers skeeter BTW!

[JAY PS]

Not a bad way to loose an hour, wtf is a bass street racer, cock! " This cars mean" cock!

23 K is more than i thought it would make, prices leveling out now

[Rally Pack 2000]

Just resurrecting a semi old thread here but I watched this program again and was wondering the Harris engine they put in that Mexico, how much horsepower would that have had?

[SmokeEm]

IIRC is was around 140bhp as quite mild cam

[Rally Pack 2000]

IIRC is was around 140bhp as quite mild cam

 

Not bad in a 800kg car should have a bit of poke. A Ferrari beater though? Maybe the heavy 70's and 80s ones on a twisty road.

[texr2000]

Not bad in a 800kg car should have a bit of poke. A Ferrari beater though? Maybe the heavy 70's and 80s ones on a twisty road.

Im way to young to even remember much before the 90's, but have driven a few older cars like E types and 80's Ferrari's and a 911 and i reckon if the modded Escorts back in the 70's & 80's had the power they do now from pinto's and xflows they would leave sports cars of there day even with basic capri upgrade suspension. The main advantage to aid handling now days is better tyres.