TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson’s old Ford Escort which featured on Top Gear is up for sale.
He used the mallard green 1992 Cosworth as a test car for 12 months before it was given away in the first issue of Top Gear magazine in 1993.
In Clarkson’s Car Years he drove it on the Buttertubs Pass in North Yorkshire, saying: “One of my all-time favourite roads meets one of my all-time favourite cars, the Cossie.”
The Clarkson’s Farm star, 64, was reunited with the motor in 2000.
It has had a brake and suspension overhaul, a set of new old-stock wheels and centre caps.
It is being sold with a guide price of £75,000 at Silverstone race circuit.
Charles Smalley, car specialist at Iconic Auctions, said: “With very minor mechanical enhancements the Escort RS is now ready to be enjoyed once again and ready for its next journey over that North Yorkshire Pass.
“This particular Ford Escort RS Cosworth is extremely well-known within Blue Oval circles, not just because it was once Jeremy Clarkson’s daily steed, but more importantly because it is one of just three Prototype pre-production, hand-built examples that, at the time, were rumoured to have cost in excess of £250,000 to produce.”
The car had success in the World Rally Championship between 1993 and 1998, but road cars were very rare, with just 2,500 ‘homologation special’ versions made.
It can reach 150mph and is easily identifiable by its Whale Tail rear spoiler.
The underside still has its original factory sealant in place and clearly shows that no rectification work has taken place.
Ford offered it to Clarkson for a 12-month period for evaluation purposes and it featured in many reports at the time.
