RS2 Online - Video and DVD Shop & Reviews

Ford Escort The Story - Star Of Rally, Road And Track

For almost half a century, one car stood above all others in Britain on road, rally and track - the Escort. If you've ever owned one or enjoyed rallysport, then this is the DVD for you. This comprehensive programme traces the design and development stages of the Escort through to the present day, with added interviews from owners and enthusiasts.

The car that managed to retain the title of second best-selling vehicle in Britain for the best part of four decades is uniquely celebrated here, from the first 1100 and 1300's in the sixties right the way through to the S2 RS Turbo of the nineties.

Originally hailed as a practical family vehicle, see how the Escort evolved from a strange little car to become the most popular brand in the history of Ford's production, and still remain a first choice for many rally drivers today.

Take a unique look at the Escort RS Cosworth and WRC cars, the hero models that won so many world class events back in the nineties. Unseen archive footage of these cars in action both on and off the road is not to be missed!

DVD extras include promotional body work film, 'Dressed for Success’, and two memorable commercials; one for the XR3i and the other starring Ronnie Corbett.

The Story Of The Mk I Escort

When first launched in 1968, no-one could have expected that the Mk1 Escort would have such a profound effect on motorsport world-wide but it proved to be an instant hit. From then on this nimble, popular car established itself as the most victorious British model in motorsport - across rallies, rallycross and races..from forest to desert, ice to tarmac. In this entertaining and highly informative video you can follow the Mk1 story through action footage gleaned from the Ford archives. Every major rally of the era is featured, from San Remo in 1968 to the RS1600’s RAC hat-trick in 1974. Surely no-one watching this can fail to be impressed by the Magic of the Mk1!

The Story Of The Mk II Escort

Fast action sequences set the scene for this thrilling story from the late Seventies which follows the outstanding career of one of the greatest rally cars of all time. A car which succeeded in the winning hands of memorable drivers such as Vatanen, Mikkola, Waldegard, Clark and Taylor, rewarding Ford with a stunning 8 consecutive RAC victories and many driver’s and manufacturer’s World Championships. Here you can follow the MkII’s exciting history through every major rally of the period with fast, furious action, top personalities, fascinating facts and authoritative commentary. There’s also plenty of nostalgic promotional footage and special events such as an entertaining duel on an ice-covered Swedish lake!

The Story Of The Escort Cosworth

Everything Ford had hoped for - and more....the Escort Cosworth may have been the product of some self-confessed ‘crazy’ imaginations but as a rally car that allowed Ford to compete with the growing Japanese threat of the early 1990’s, it proved the one to beat. But what is the true story behind this memorable car? Was the prototype really a hacked-about Sierra? Was it really driven incognito up and down the A12? This fascinating contemporary expose holds all the answers as the men behind the project explain its development..and the men behind the wheel show us what it was made of!

Ford Cortina Story - Family Favourite and Race Winner

This programme follows one of Ford’s greatest success stories, the Cortina. Over 4 million were sold between 1962-1982, making it the most popular British car of the 1960s and 1970s. Using previously unseen archive footage, alongside interviews and original advertising, we discover how it has retained the public’s affection for over forty years!

Includes footage from the UK Cortina Rally as well as interviews with owners and enthusiasts.

The Story Of The RS200

Ford's own supercar - the RS200 - was destined to be the most successful of all the supercars if the FIA hadn't banned Group B, but it continued anyway as a super successful rally car. Where did it come from? How was it built? Who designed it? What was it like to drive? Find all the answers plus action from rallies and rallycross events around the world right from the first rally to the last.

The Story Of The Sierra Cosworth

A vibrant visual history of the awesome Ford Sierra Cosworth, related in one action-packed video - from design, manufacturing and testing footage and out onto some of the world’s most exciting racetracks. By 1987 the RS500 was storming through the World Touring Car championship and then the BTCC. In rallying, with Auriol at the wheel, the Sierra Cosworth gained its first World Championship rally victory and also helped the career of an aspiring young Scottish driver called Colin McRae. By ‘89, Sierras were dominating the Group N Autoglass Tour of Britain. If ever there was a case for action speaking louder than words, it has to be The Story of the Sierra Cosworth.

A Little Bit Sideways

‘A Little Bit Sideways’ tells the story of the 1978 Sedan Products British Open Rally Championship in which Ford works drivers Hannu Mikkola, Russell Brookes and Roger Clark took first, second and third places respectively. The camera follows the top works cars through the special stages of the Circuit of Ireland, Welsh, Scottish, Burmah and Manx rallies and captures Ford’s seventh consecutive win on the Lombard RAC Rally. Also on this video‘Coup de Grace’ features the 1979 World Rally Championship. Ford pulled out of international rallying at the end of 1979, with their two top works drivers Bjorn Waldegaard and Hannu Mikkola taking first and second positions respectively in the World Championship.

Greatest Years Of Rallying - 70s

International rallying has always stood out as an area of motorsport which allows the fans to view the action at exhilaratingly close-quarters. In this fast-moving programme, Steve Rider looks back on the development of rallying in the 1970s - the decade when it truly came of age, metamorphosing from a sport with a genteel clubman's image to the days of glamorous superstars and huge manufacturer investment. Illustrated with terrific footage of all the great cars and personalities, you can relive the legendary form of memorable drivers Clark, Blomqvist, Makinen and Mikkola and once again enjoy the glory days of manufacturers like Saab, Ford, Lancia and Fiat.

Greatest Years Of Rallying - 80s

After a major transitional period for international rallying during the 1970s, the scene was set for an era during which this highly competitive area of motorsport would become high tech, high profile and very, very fast. This era was the 1980s. Join Steve Rider as he looks back on a decade when international rallying began to command huge budgets, with manufacturers pushing forward into the four-wheel drive age. Turbo charging and four-wheel drive spawned the Group B years and now you can relive the sort of no-holds-barred competition that produced a host of memorable champions.

Avon Motor Tours Of Great Britain 1974 And 1975

Features footage from the 1974 and 1975 Avon Motor Tours. Features interviews with drivers such as Roger Clark, Gerry Marshall, James Hunt, Tony Pond, Colin Vandervell, and many others. Watch Roger Clark battle with Gerry Marshall to win the 1974 event in an Escort RS2000 (PVX445M), whilst Tony Pond won the 1975 event, also in an Escort RS2000.

First Time Out / RS: Capri Victory At Jarama

Zandvoort 1967 was the scene of the debut for the Lotus D.F.V.- Fords driven by Jim Clark and Graham Hill. ‘First Time Out’ follows their fortunes at this event which Jim Clark won. The engine, designed and built for the start of the 1967 season, was an immediate success and victory was sweet. In October 1971 the works Ford Capris and Escorts went to Jarama with the chance of winning the European Championship for both manufacturers and drivers. This film follows the progress of the cars driven by, amongst others, Dieter Glemser, John Fitzpatrick, Jochen Mass and David Matthews.

Year Of The Cortina, The / Cortina Conquest (1964)

1964 was a fast and fantastic year for saloon car racing. One car, the Ford Cortina, driven by Jim Clark and Sir John Whitmore, took so many chequered flags that it became a natural subject for a film. The story of that year is compressed into 30 thrill-packed minutes, from the opening Spring season at Snetterton to the RAC rally in November. The focus of the other fifty-five minutes on this nostalgic video is the East African Safari - ranked for years as the toughest event in the world. ‘Cortina Conquest’ recalls the Cortina’s stunning victory in the 1964 Safari Rally as it raced against Saabs and Mercedes.

Bits And Pieces - Vol. 1

A veritable hotch-potch of Ford’s rallying history starting with ‘THE DAVIDS DAY’, a 15 minute look at the MkI Cortina on the 1964 Circuit of Ireland Rally. We follow this with 11 minutes from the Seventies with the ‘RAC RALLY 1976’ and ‘VINTA TEST 1978’ which is a special demonstration of ice driving from several of the world's top drivers in their MkII Escorts. Into the 1980s with an RS2OO presentation film which shows the car’s initial testing at Boreham and early rally outings then we finish with the ‘1986 SECURICOR SIERRA CHALLENGE’ giving us a total film of approximately forty action-packed and thoroughly enjoyable minutes.

Bits And Pieces - Vol. 2

A rare chance to see the Ford V8 Group 6 in action. When the car made its debut at the BOAC 500 at Brands Hatch in 1968, it was thrown in at the deep end against the Ford GT 40s, the Porsche 907s and of course, the Howmet Turbine. This isn't a race report - just a series of action shots. In the early 80s the Ford C100 was doing it's best at sportscar racing - we see it in action at the Spa 1000 kms. 1963 and Jim Clark was racing the Lotus-Ford at the Indianapolis 500 and shocking the establishment to some extent. This is really incredible footage combined with the 1963 Daytona 500 as seen through a mechanic's eyes!

Bits And Pieces - Vol. 3

The main feature in this video is the 1972 RAC Rally film entitled ‘Our Man Clark’, a look at Roger Clark's successful attempt at the RAC Rally in a MkI Escort. Added to this are several other short clips featuring Roger in various European rallies plus a short Rallycross feature from the early Seventies. Most of the action features MkI Escorts, and Minis.

The programme is completed with a look at the 1960 Safari Rally, ‘Safari to Success’, in the days when people used to rally Ford Zephyrs and Mercedes Benz.

Bits And Pieces - Vol. 4

As the title suggests this video is full of entertaining motorsport ‘nuggets’ from Ford’s archive - each tremendously enjoyable.

Firstly, watch the Ford GT7O, developed to be the ultimate rally car, being put through its paces on a short test run. What a beautiful car!

In ‘Jim Clark drives the Corsair’ we see Jim Clark driving the car in a non-competitive mode! ‘Seven days at Monza’ features two diesel Transit Vans put through a rigorous long distance high speed test at Monza using the banked circuit on which they set a series of records. ‘Escort promotion’ stars Jackie Stewart , who drives a Mk 2 Rally Escort, Nick Whiting's all-car Equipe Escort and a Standard Escort on a series of high speed runs at Snetterton in Norfolk. Lastly we have included a stunning short Ford Sierra RS Cosworth advert - now this is good...

Scottish Rally 1973 / 1975 RAC Rally

A full length video featuring Mark I and Mark II Escorts with two events on one tape. The first is the 1973 Scottish Rally in which Roger Clark entered by ‘The Scotsman’ takes victory from Hannu Mikkola and secondly, a report from the 1975 RAC Rally - which relays the excitement and tension of what was a battle royal between Ford, Toyota, SAAB, Lancia and Fiat with the MKII Escort taking five out of the top six places and Timo Makinen with a hat trick of wins.

The Year Of The Sierra - The 1987 Competition Season

A classic rally action video covering both the 1987 World Rally and World Touring Car competition seasons. The Sierra Cosworth (with assistance from the Sierra 4x4) had an outstanding season in ‘87 with worldwide success in both rallying and racing. This film concentrates mainly on the rallying successes with footage from events in Europe, the UK and elsewhere, following the efforts of McRae, Lovell, Auriol, Sainz, Blomqvist and Vatanen.

Sierra Conquest - The 1988 Competition Season

Another film from the Ford Motorsport Video Collection, 'Sierra Conquest" follows on from ‘The Year of the Sierra’ and looks at the 1988 competition season of currently the world's most successful production saloon car. Not only was the Sierra Cosworth winning virtually every saloon car race and rally in Europe, but the Works Ford Sierra actually took on the mighty Lancias in Corsica and came away with a victory. It's packed full of action from Rallying, Rallycross and Saloon Car Racing and once again produced by B.H.P. It's yet another great addition to the collection.

Five For Fiesta / RAC Rally 1977

The biggest motor rally event of all time was undoubtedly the 1970 London to Mexico World Cup Rally. ‘Five For Fiesta’ compresses the route through 25 countries and 16,000 miles into 23 minutes of drama and action, ending on a triumphant note for Hannu Mikkola and Gunnar Palm as they led four other Ford Escorts to the winner's rostrum in Mexico City. The second film on this tape charts one of the greatest victories for the Ford works team - the 1977 RAC Rally - in which Escorts finished 1-3-4-5-6. The film has no commentary but is packed with exceptional action and lets the Escorts do the talking!