Shannons to auction meticulous Escort RS1600

Ford's European race and rally winner from the 1970s, the Escort RS1600, is now hard to find and likely to fetch a pretty penny.

So the Daytona Yellow car up for grabs at Shannons' Melbourne Winter Auction on July 11 is certain to draw a crowd. According to Shannons the RS1600, built between 1970 and 1974 never numbered many more than 1100 cars, world-wide. Forty years later there are far fewer remaining, which is why the guiding estimate for this particular car ranges from $100,000 to $120,000.

Developed specifically to take Ford one step beyond the performance of its Lotus Twin-Cam Cortinas and Escorts, the RS1600 was light and nimble, and unlike the standard Escorts of the time, was built very solidly for the world's rally roads. The BDA ('Belt-Drive A') DOHC four-cylinder engine was the heart of the Escort's winning performances in the WRC during the 1970s and early 80s.

And weighing in at just 785kg, the RS1600 would reach 100km/h from a standing start in nine seconds, when new. That was a good time for a four-cylinder car – although it didn't stop Ford developing the larger-displacement RS1800 for the Mk II Escort that followed in 1975. The rest is history.

Delivered to its first owner in Belgium, the RS1600 going to auction is a left-hand drive vehicle that has undergone a full restoration.

The Escort is one of several Euros that will go to auction in July. Shannons will also take bids for a 1961 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia, a lightly modified Porsche 356B Cabriolet from 1960, a 'split-screen' 11-window Kombi Campervan, A 1977 Citroen GS Pallas, a 1960 Borgward Isabella TS and a 1961 Series I Volkswagen Karmann Ghia.

According to the auction house, the Porsche has been modified for daily driving. Changes to the 1.6-litre horizontally-opposed four-cylinder consist of custom-made ceramic-coated forged pistons, a counter-weighted crankshaft, extractors, a Digitronic fuel injection system and a stainless steel exhaust. As a guide, Shannons expects the Porsche to sell between $190,000 and $220,000.

Also powered by a 1.6-litre horizontally-opposed four-cylinder is the split-screen Kombi, which is believed to date back to 1959. A previous owner has changed over to electronic ignition and the vehicle has been fitted out with fridge, two-burner cooktop and a pop-up TV. It's anticipated to sell for between $85,000 and $110,000.

The current owner, who claims to have only take the car out on weekends, purchased the Borgward back in 2003. It has been restored and comes with plenty of spare parts. Shannons believe it should sell for between $16,000 and $20,000.

Likely to sell between $30,000 and $34,000, the Karmann Ghia has spent most of its life in Queensland, arriving in Victoria as recently as December of 2015. In 1998 the car was repainted in its original two-tone colour scheme of black and cream. The car was delivered in Australia as a factory right-hand drive model from new, in 1961.

There's no reserve for the Citroen GS Pallas, according to Shannons, but the guiding price range for it lies between $8000 and $12,000. A front-wheel drive with a horizontally-opposed four-cylinder under the bonnet, the GS feels like a modern car even in the 21st Century /citroen-legacy-on-display-at-le-conservatoire-54382.