Description
My dad purchased the car new from the Ford dealership in Limassol Cyprus in August 1983 as a gift for my 21st birthday so it's 40 years old and 1 owner from new.
The car was never crashed so the body is all solid and original with the original chassis No. printed on the driver's side floor.
In January 2000 the car was garaged until today with very little use.
From 2006 I started buying all kind of new and used parts from UK importing them to Cyprus as locally nothing was available.
By mid 2020 I managed to have all the needed parts so in May 2020 the restoration had began by striping the whole car.
Every part was removed and every part that needed to be replaced it was replaced using at least 90% of new genuine Ford parts. Every part that did not need to be replaced it was just refurbished.
The whole restoration took about a year and a lalf to finish so by the end of September 2021 the car was back on the road with the result to be beyond my expectations. Everything and I really mean everything on the car works as it should.
Driving the car you only get the feeling of pleasure, joy and uniqueness as there are only just few MK3s XR3i left on the road.
Engine:
Although the engine was running without any problems except of tapets being a bit noisy a common problem of the cvh engines the engine was totally striped and rebuilt.
1. The cylinder block, the crankshaft and the rare criscross cylinder head were all striped professionally cleaned and polished.
2. The original pistons were reused as they were in great condition.
3. New original Ford camshaft was installed.
4. New original Ford hydraulic lifters installed.
5. New Mahle piston rings installed
6. New AE inlet and exhaust valves installed.
7. New AE piston bearings installed.
8. New original Ford thrust washers installed.
9. New original Ford water pump installed.
10. New original Ford timing belt and tensioner installed.
11. New Gates V belt installed.
12. New Elring seals and gaskets
Believe me the engine runs and sounds like new with all it's original power and torque being there to enjoy to the max.
Gearbox:
The original gearbox has been replaced by an RS turbo S1 lsd one and a 220mm refurbished flywheel and new LUK clutch so please consider this as an upgrade as the car has a much better road holding behaviour.
The clutch cable was replaced by a new genuine Ford one.
The gearchange mechanism was removed striped and all it's parts were replaced.
Bodywork:
The original bodywork was in a fairly good condition without any serious rust problems. In Cyprus due to the dry hot climate cars don't really rust but to be 100% sure the whole floor inside the car and underneath was sand blasted. After doing that, we discovered some small rust problem on the driver's side floar which was repaired without affecting the area where the original chassis number is stamped.
The battery tray was in bad condition as on all of these cars and it was replaced. The passenger doar had a small bable at the bottom corner near the front left wing and the whole doar was replaced with a used but in good condition one. After these small repairs the whole underneath floar and inner wings were professionaly antirust treated withh epoxy primers to last for another 40 years.
So the whole body is totally original and all solid.
Paintwork:
The paintwork was in a bad condition, the paint was burnt from the hot Cyprus sun with parts of the lacquer peeling off and there were a few dents and scratches that needed to be repaired.
After fixing every dent the whole car was professionaly resprayed in it's original Caspian blue metallic paint so paintwork today is two years old and is in great condition with a deep mirror shine.
Suspension:
The front suspension is the later type one with the single bolt set up. The the original steering mechanism, wishbones, springs and antiroll bar were reused but all of them refurbished.
The front and rear shocks were replaced. Front ones are the original Ford ones the rear ones are Koni sport (yellow) internaly adjustable. Every suspension, steering, antiroll bar and shock absorber bushes were replaced by Ford original ones. All wheel bearings were replaced. All engine, gearbox and exhaust mountings were replaced.
Brake system:
On the brake system the servo, the main brake pump, the front discs and pads were replaced. On the rear brakes the shoes and brake cylinders were replaced. All brake hoses were replaced. All the metal brake pipes are the original ones refurbished.
Fuel system:
New fuel pump installed.
4 new fuel bosch injectors installed.
New fuel injection relay installed.
Some fuel injection wiring plugs were replaced.
New genuine Ford accelerator cable installed.
Fuel tank and fuel pipes were refurbished.
Cooling system:
On the cooling system the radiator, the thermostat and all the hoses were replaced.
The fun was refurbished by changing a noisy bearing in it.
Electrics:
All the electrical installation was professionally checked by a highly qualified car electrician who repaired everything that neededed to be repaired to be 100% safe.
A new bosch coil was installed.
The original bosch distributer, starter and alternator were refurbished.
A new Hankook battery installed in November 2022.
The interior:
The interior is in great condition. The dashboard was replaced by a refurbished one without any cracks. The seats and door cards are nice and clean and the rear parcel shelf is uncut. The headlining was replaced.
Body seals/ windows/ sunroof:
All door and window rubbers were replaced. New door locks installed all working with one key.
Sunroof was replaced by an mk4 one and it's working perfectly. The sunroof is the only part on the car which is not an original mk3 part. I have the original mk3 complete sunroof but is not in good condition.
Wheels/ tyres/ spoilers:
The wheels are the 15" from the RS turbo S1 refurbished which are an upgrade. I have the 4 original cloverleaf wheels but need to be refurbished.
The front spoiler is from the RS 1600i which is also an upgrade but I have the original front spoiler of the XR3i.
All 4 tyres are new 195-50-15 by Hankook.
The sound system:
A new Alpine radio/ cd player with 2 original Ford front speakers installed. I have the original Ford radio/ cassette player but the button which searches for radio stations is not working properly.
The work done on the car is too big to mention everything here in detail and most of it is supported with big file full of receipts. The one owner ownership is proved by a document issued from the Cyprus department of transport which will be given to the new owner.
Today the car is in a good as new condition.
In my opinion is probably one of the best examples of an MK3 XR3i if not the best.
For someone who wants to enjoy this beutyful hot hatch of the 80s I don't think you can find anything better than this one .
The new owner will not need to spend a penny for the first 6000 miles when the first routine service will be due.
I have done less than 1000 miles since restoration. I only drive it during weekends for my own pleasure as it makes me feel 21 again getting a lot of attention and admiration everywhere I go.
The cost of shipping the car from Cyprus to Europe or the UK will be about £1, 000 and you will have all my free assistance for doing that.
On the 25th of May 2023 I have reduced the price by £1000 bringing it down to £13, 000 which is much less than what it cost me to bring the car to the excellent condition it is today.
The only reason I am selling the car is because I am moving to Denmark and I don't want to take it with me.
Don't forget that this car is probably the only one owner from new Escort MK3 XR3i in the world fully restored by professional people maintaining it's 100% originality.
