1972 East African Safari Escort 1/24

[Rallychef]

Here is my Entry, I will be using the Belkits Ford Escort RS Mk1 along with the Motobits resin and decals to reproduce the 1972 East Africa Safari Rally winning car.



I hope to get some in box shots and history of the car later this evening

Regards Ian D

[Rallychef]

Here we go with the history bit and why I want to build this particular car. I have worked most of my adult life in and around the World Rally Circuit, (hence the username) Now in semi retirement I work part time for the M Sport World Rally Team at their Greystoke Forest Test Site, a few miles from my house. I don't have the need to go to the offices/workshops very often, but when I did, this car was on display in the foyer on my way in. When Motobitz brought out the decal set, I knew I had to have it.




My son with the car (he is now 25 !!)



Ex-Ford Motor Company, Hannu Mikkola/Gunnar Palm 1972 East African Safari Rally 1st overall
1972 Ford Escort RS1600 Rally Saloon
Registration no. RWC 455K
Chassis no. BBATMR59901
Engine no. MR 59901

In late 1967, the new and much lighter Escort was forecast to be the most suitable model in the Ford range to replace the ageing Cortina, which in Mk1 and Mk2 Lotus-badged guise had become the company’s main competition car, the later model initially even employing the same Twin Cam engine as the Lotus Cortinas. However, the ageing TC motor having only 8-valves and the potential of up to 140bhp were soon thought insufficient to stay ahead of the competition on the circuits and rally stages, so alternative power units such as the 2.3 V6 Granada engine were tried by the Boreham Competition Department and rejected by Ford management.
To withstand the long distances and high altitudes of the Andes during the 1970 London to Mexico Rally, a rugged but simple push-rod motor of 1850cc capacity was developed for the works Mexico Escort entries which went on to dominate the leader board of the South American Marathon. The marketing spin-off Mexicos in the local Ford showroom were duly fitted with 1600cc ‘Kent’ engines of similar design though lower cost.
For the other major rallies, where the special stages were shorter and very much more power was required, both the factory team Escorts and therefore the FIA-policed run of ‘Production’ cars built by Advanced Vehicles Operations at Aveley soon gained ‘Cosworth BDA’ Ford-based engines (produced by the Northamptonshire firm of former Lotus and Ford engineers Mike Costin and Keith Duckworth of FVA F2 and DFV F1 engine building fame, the new engine so called because of being a ‘Belt Driven version A’). These Cosworth 4-cylinder engines with belt-driven double overhead-camshafts and 16-valves powered the production Escort RS1600 between 1968 and 1972. During this period. BDAs in works cars went from being 1558cc and larger with a steel block to having a Brian Hart developed alloy-block of 1993cc capacity by mid-1972, whilst progressive modifications saw the power output increasing to 230bhp.
After a disastrous 1971 Safari Rally, when the works rally team had suffered many Twin Cam engine problems, a quintet of RS 1600s with Hart BDA big-bore engines were readied at Boreham for the 1972 event, among them works Escort chassis number BBATMR59901 which was first registered RWC 455K on the 6th of March. Co-ordinating the five competition cars and four support vehicles would be a Cessna 310, which was to spend 46 hours in the air during the event, the first time that a rally team had been controlled from the air.
The well over 3000 miles route, which started and finished at Easter in the Tanzanian capital Dar Es Salaam, took 83 of the best prepared rally cars in the world inland over the back roads to Nairobi in Kenya, then via the Ugandan capital Kampala to Mombasa on the coast in Kenya on a rock-strewn epic through the East African outback. So demanding were the terrain and conditions encountered, which included choking dust clouds, suspension crunching boulders, car swallowing potholes, rainy season downpours of car wash proportions, slithery red mud and brushes with unpredictable wildlife, that only 18 cars and crews survived what is generally reckoned not only to have been the toughest Safari motor rally ever staged.
Flagged away by Tanzanian President Julius Nyerere, Scandinavians Hannu Mikkola and Gunnar Palm in RWC 455K led from the off and were only really challenged by teammates Timo Makinen and Henry Liddon in RWC 456K, which although suffering mechanical problems eventually finished 8th. Flying Finn Mikkola’s winning margin in RWC 455K over the second placed Zazada/Bien Porsche 911 was an impressive 28 minutes, whilst the sister cars RWC 458K and REV 119K driven by locals Vic Preston and Robin Hillyer finished 3rd and 4th respectively. Joginder Singh in RWC 457K was among the 65 competitors who failed to make the Dar Es Salaam finish in time.
Mikkola’s victory in RWC 455K, well charted in Nick Brittan’s book and in a film record of the event introduced by World of Sport’s Dickie Davies as well as countless press reports at the time, also well and truly smashed the myth that had built up since the Coronation Rally in 1953, the start of this annual motoring adventure, that a European driver would never be able to win the African classic.
Following Ford Motor Company ownership, from 1975 the car belonged to City Speed of Gloucester from whom it was acquired by a Mr Sagoo in 1978. More recently, other owners have included Alan Anderson and then M-Sport chief and former Ford works driver Malcolm Wilson



Malcolm has since sold the car, it has been replaced by a tribute to the Late Colin McRae, his Safari winning Focus (another kit in the stash to build)



Regards Ian D

[Rallychef]

The Kit itself


Bodyshell








Chrome & Clear parts


Photo etch, Rubber & Belts


Motobitz Decals & Resin


Instruction sheets

Cheeers Ian D

[exmoor]

i know ian you will do a great job so be waiting for the build pics

[Rallychef]

Thanks Paul, I need to clear the bench first, I have a truck project to finish, but it needs to be installed in the offices of its new owner by the end of the month, so I need to get my finger out, Then I can concentrate fully on it.



Regards Ian

[Rallychef]

While on lunch break from testing just before Christmas, Matt (Wilson) our test driver (and Malcolm's Son), was chatting and asked what I was working on, when I said I was planning the Safari Car, he said his dad had just been given book all about the car, and would bring it along the next day. It is excellent and has some superb reading in it, I have photographed what I needed and returned the book but thank Malcolm for the loan























Some great reference pictures, My thanks to Matt & Malcolm. I have now sent it back (it retails for £75.00, I was afraid it got damaged !)

[gaz45]

Great reference material mate looking forward to the build

[pourquoi61]

I like a nice escort.

[Rallychef]

Finally manages to get the Scania finished, so its time to get a start on the Escort. Got the bodyshell prepped and into primer tonight





Hope to get it well underway before more trucks come along, looks like I have another couple on order. This one is due for delivery in the morning



Time I had a look at the other builds on the GB not had a chance to get at the forum for a while

Cheers Ian D

[DrSprue]

Great History and sprue layout, looks cool, count me in to view.

[Rallychef]

Finally making some progress this week, Body painted in Ford Diamond white, decanted from the can and sprayed with a cheap Chinese airbrush (I am saving up for an Apex, honest Paul !!), Bonnet and window rubbers then masked off and painted matt black.



and today, I spent the afternoon applying the decals, I love this part of the build, always makes a rally car model come to life.





I hope to get a coat of clear lacquer on before the weekend and start on the interior tomorrow.

Thanks for following
regards Ian D

[Tomcat64]

Cracking work on the body mate - that looks fantastic (as does the Scania! - Awesome build!)

[Rallychef]

B*gg*r we have had a decaling disaster, the fine red stripes seem to have shrunk and split overnight, seems weird as the yellow and red stripes are all the same decal, so not sure what has gone on there. Only used Micro set and sol.





Really disappointed as they went on well, I have another set on the way which I hope to overlay the originals to sort the breaks in the stripe and not have to strip the whole car body.

Lets see if we can get the rest of the car done as we wait for the replacements