3 Ford Escort RS1800

While the Escort had been a mainstay of rallying since the model’s introduction, the RS1800 was perhaps the ultimate iteration of the car and took it to World Rally Championship glory in 1981, just on the cusp of the onslaught from four-wheel drive and Group B changing the face of the WRC for half a decade.

The R1800 was designed with mixed-surface sport in mind and it was homologated with its aluminium block engine in April 1977. With legends such as Hannu Mikkola and Bjorn Waldegard behind the wheel, it was an instant success.