Description
UTAC | Millbrook, Bedford
Viewing: Tues 24th June from 12pm
Auction: Wed 25th June from 9am
Location: Millbrook Proving Ground, Station Lane, Bedford MK45 2JQ
1982 Ford Escort XR3
Estimate
£9, 000 - £11, 000
Registration No: ARH 90X
Chassis No: WF0BXXGCABCY39773
MOT: July 2025
Believed to be 1 of just 168 UK registered XR3s left on the road today
Supplied with rare and desirable 5 speed manual transmission
Offered with a collection of invoices
Finished in attractive Titan Blue
To compete with Volkswagen's Golf GTI, a hot hatch version of the MkIII Escort was developed – the XR3. Initially, this featured a tuned version of the 1. 6L CVH engine fitted with a twin-choke Weber carburettor, uprated suspension and numerous cosmetic alterations. It lacked a five-speed transmission and fuel injection. Fuel injection finally arrived in October 1982 creating the XR3i, eight months behind the limited edition (8, 659 examples) race-track-influenced RS 1600i. The Cologne-developed RS received a more powerful engine with 115 PS (85 kW), thanks to computerized ignition and a modified head as well as the fuel injection. Built in Germany but developed with the aid of computers in Essex, Michigan and Cologne, the XR3 was an instant hit, and represented one in 10 Escort sales. The mix of iconic ‘cloverleaf’ alloy wheels, chin spoiler and Porsche 928 inspired sports seats, captured the public’s imagination. It wasn’t perfect, however, despite Bilstein being drafted in at the last minute to tweak the suspension, the ride was firm, so Ford’s UK Special Vehicle Engineering arm, headed by Rod Mansfield, stepped in to change that.
Believed to be one of some 168 UK registered XR3s left on the road today, this XR3, a non-injection iteration of the model, was first registered on 20th April 1982, with the rare and desirable 5-speed manual transmission. Finished in the attractive and rarely seen Titan Blue with dealer decals still in place, this is a very early XR3 that the vendor purchased for his daughter in March 2022, after ‘a long search for a ‘good one’’, but it sits in a garage and has seen little use. With 4 former keepers recorded, the vendor says the car had once been owned by an auntie, then her niece and had been in storage for sometime.
Even with Historic Vehicle status, the vendor has still put the XR3 through an MOT test at 86, 798 miles, which will expire in July 2025. The single advisory has been remedied. The body is amazingly original with some minor marks as you would expect from such originality. The interior is equally very good. 'ARH’ had a cam-belt fitted along with a full service when purchased. In the last two years, the XR3 has also benefitted from a new carburettor, cam-belt and water pump, new tyres, new brake components, battery and battery tray, head gasket, thermostat, oil and filter. Additionally, it's worth pointing out its cloverleaf spare wheel and a Blue top-tint windscreen. Offered with a collection of invoices, sundry paperwork and a current V5C on file.
** Bidding will take place live at the venue, online via our H&H website, by telephone and commission - T&Cs apply**
Parking and entry into the auction is free for auction attendees with a catalogue, available at the door.
