Our Cars: Henry’s Escort

Driving a VW Golf GTI Clubsport Edition 40 across to the Bill Gwynne Rally School about four years ago on a cold, grey morning, I remember thinking, ‘I should sell the Escort’. In the six or so years that I’d owned my 1979 Escort Mk2 rally car, I’d driven it very little. One rally through the forests near Ludlow was the extent of its competitive outings and I’d hardly ventured out in it on the road at all.

Yes, I loved just knowing that I owned it. Being able to wander to the garage and simply sit in it, feel the hip-hugging Cobra seats, sense the lightness in the metallic clank of the door shutting, even just seeing the Stilo headsets hung from the roll cage; it all made me happy. But was that enough? All cars should be driven, let alone rally cars.