This lot will be auctioned via Iconic Auctioneers, The Iconic Sale at Silverstone Festival 2025 - Collectors Cars on Saturday the 23rd of August, The Wing, Silverstone Circuit, NN12 8TN. By the time the Escort first came out in 1968, Ford were already firmly wedded to the marketing strategy of 'Win on Sunday, sell on Monday' and were keenly aware that they would need a race/rally version to take over from where the mighty Lotus Cortina had left off. To this end, Ford’s Boreham-based Competition Department had been quietly beavering away on a Lotus-powered Escort that was ready to roll as soon as the standard models hit the showrooms. Called the Twin-Cam, the hot new Escort immediately excelled on the international race and rally circuits, winning countless events and securing Ford the coveted World Rally Championship manufacturer’s trophy in its first year of production, a feat which it also repeated the following year. Externally, there was very little difference between the Twin-Cam and its tamer two-door sibling, the Escort GT, but the reinforced Type 49 bodyshell had wider wheel arches, quarter bumpers, uprated suspension and front disc brakes as standard. It was powered by basically the same engine as the Lotus Cortina with a Lotus-designed 8-valve twin-camshaft head mated to Ford’s 1.5-litre, pre-crossflow block bored out to 1,558cc. Producing 110bhp and driving through a 2000E gearbox, it had a top speed of 115mph. Only 883 Twin Cam models were made before production ended in 1970 to make way for the BDA-powered RS1600. On offer here is a right-hand drive example finished in Onyx Green Metallic that has formed part of the private owners stable since 2015 and it is therefore fresh to market. The seller informs us that the car is one of the very rare Twin Cams built by Ford Australia using the Type 49 bodyshell with a 1558cc Lotus twin-cam engine. The seller also confirms that it was shipped from Australia to Germany in 2009 where it stayed until 2015, when our vendor purchased the car from its German owner, imported it to the UK, and added the rare Ford to his Collection where it has remained ever since. During that time, it has always been dry stored and has only really been used to obtain its yearly MOT, with the current one valid until 10th March 2026. Registered with the AVO Club, it’s now time for the Twin-Cam's next lucky owner. Offered at, what we feel, is a very competitive estimate when you consider previous sales, this is an intriguing opportunity that will reward a closer inspection.