Rise of the forgotten Ford hot-hatch

Increases in the value of fast Fords come with all the surprise factor of Manchester City victories, but we still get caught out and occasionally don’t see one coming. As we have been with the RS2000 version of the front-wheel-drive MKV Escort. But then this was a car that when new was greeted with all the enthusiasm of a visit by the in-laws. It was, after all, fairly dull looking, but most of all, not an Escort RS Cosworth, which came out at roughly the same time, flashed a bit of whale tail and vacuumed up all the attention.

However, RS2000S have started shooting up recently. Prices are now similar to those of the MKIII XR3I, which means you need £5000£7000 for the best examples, and it might be even more by next month.

But the real humdinger is the rare and to many unknown 4x4 version (below). Maybe 500 were made (the exact number is disputed) and they now change hands for £13-£15k at the top end and even projects command over £5000. A classic market star is born.