A classic 1992 Ford Escort RS Cosworth once tested by Jeremy Clarkson over the course of a year is expected to go under the hammer and fetch an impressive value.
It is just one of three “pre-production prototypes”, which was evaluated by the TV presenter and featured in Top Gear Magazine and Clarkson’s Car Years.
According to Iconic Auctioneers, because only three models were ever manufactured, they were rumoured to cost in excess of £250,000 to produce.
The Mallard Green Cosworth comes equipped with a Raven Hide interior, with experts noting its “superb condition” with no rectification work taking place.
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The interior is Raven Hide and has seen very few modifications since it was produced
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The Cosworth has a guide price of between £65,000 and £75,000, alongside a buyer premium of 12.5 per cent plus VAT on the first £300,000 of the hammer.
While he tested the car in 1992, The Grand Tour star was back behind the wheel in 2000 when it was featured on his own TV programme, Clarkson’s Car Years.
He filmed the Ford Escort driving over “Buttertubs Pass” in North Yorkshire when Clarkson said: “One of my all time favourite roads meets one of my all time favourite cars, the Cossie.”
The Escort RS Cosworth remains one of the brand’s most popular and sought-after models, despite it being designed to handle the track of the World Rally Championship.
The 1992 Ford Escort RS Cosworth could fetch £75,000 at auction
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Only 2,500 of the “homologation special” models – which Clarkson tested – were ever produced, making the vehicles even more popular among petrolheads and classic car enthusiasts.
Commenting during his testing in 1992, Jeremy Clarkson noted that this was one of the rare exceptions on Top Gear where they tested the car for more than a few hundred miles.
Over the course of the first six months, Clarkson said he had used 357 gallons of super unleaded fuel, resulting in 21mpg, a figure he said was good for a 140mph sports car operating in London.
The price of the Escort Cosworth would have set him back £19,500, with the car only depreciating to £15,000 after 14,000 miles 12 months later. This equates to 32p per mile.
The auction will take place at the end of August at Silverstone
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He said: “Even now, a year after it has launched, people still stop and point. Not once has it failed to attract a crowd. People just love it.
“It’s not like they want to damage it. It’s not an unrequited dream. At the end of the day, it’s just an Escort.”
However, he noted that there were three issues with the Cosworth, namely a squeaking suspension, the gear knob had a tendency to come off and an engine management fault which he said was the “most serious of them all”.
The car, that he named “Gary”, did have another issue. Clarkson stated that one car insurance company quoted him – a 33-year-old journalist living in central London with the Cosworth – a staggering £20,000.
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Only 2,500 of the “homologation special” models were ever produced
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The lot will be auctioned on Saturday, August 24, as part of Iconic Auctioneers’ Iconic Sale at Silverstone Festival 2024 – Collectors’ Car Sale event.