Ford Escort

FORD ESCORT MARK 1: Mike is on the hunt for a Ford Escort Mark 1 but prices for rust-free originals are high. He spots a contender online but has to travel 300 miles to see it. When he arrives he finds out from Ben, the young owner, that he has been using the Escort to learn to drive...in a field! This car needs rescuing!

RUMBLE IN THE JUMBLE: Mike leaves Edd in the workshop to make a start on the mechanical issues while he pops over to the British Classic Motor Show. He heads straight to the Auto Jumble where he picks up some authentic parts.

WHAT IS THIS PART CALLED AGAIN? The Auto Jumble turns out to be the perfect hunting ground for parts and finds an original steering wheel for the restoration.

COLOUR CLASH: Mike is really excited about restoring the car sympathetically to attract fans of the original Ford Escort Mark 1. The metallic brown colour is also making him feel nostalgic and he wants to keep it as it is. Edd might need convincing about the original colour.

MELLOW YELLOW: How will Mike react when he sees his lovely brown Escort Mark 1 sprayed in a bright yellow? Edd is right to be nervous.

PULL UP TO THE BUMPER: The Ford Escort Mark 1 was launched in 1967 with a 1.1 litre or 1.3 litre engine. The original price tag was £600.

RALLY AROUND: In 1970, Hannu Mikkola won the London to Mexico World Cup Rally in a MK1 Escort. This event gave rise to the Escort Mexico special edition 1.6 litre road car in honour of the rally car.

TAKE A SEAT: The Escort gets a new steering wheel, dashboard, door cards, carpets & new front seats.

EDD IS EXHAUSTED: Mike thinks he got a good deal with the price of this car but Edd has to do some hard grafting and the cost of the parts needed for the job mount up. Will Mike be able to get a profit after all this work?

RARE VIEW: Edd has a few major jobs to tackle including changing the 1970s drum brakes for disc brakes from a Ford Capri for safer stopping power.

ENGINE TROUBLE: Owner Ben and his dad had already upgraded the engine from a 1.3 litre to a 1.6 litre but Edd fits a limited slip differential (LSD) to improve the control and responsiveness.

GIVE A DOG A BONE: Edd fits the new spotlamps with brackets rather than onto the bumper. He also resprays the dog bone shaped grille to smarten it up.

TIPS & TRICKS: Not only does the new paint job -- courtesy of Edd -- look fabulous, the Escort also has a mechanical upgrade and new 13" wheels.