Hair Bear Posted March 16, 2023 Share Posted March 16, 2023 Just found this rather grainy photo of my much missed 1978 Escort. Bought Jan 84 from BCA at Farnborough for £750. It was unregistered and had the keytag '05 GX 38'. I believe it spent most of it's life at Thatcham. I've always wondered if anyone can explain the curious 3 mirror arrangement? This is as it came from the MOD, there wasn't a mirror on the left door. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
79x100 Posted March 16, 2023 Share Posted March 16, 2023 Door mirrors weren't universally popular when they first appeared, and they were quite often only on the driver's door on the base model. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruxy Posted March 17, 2023 Share Posted March 17, 2023 Those mirror to me do look very aftermarket bolt-ons. A VRM of GX - that's correct for manuf. 1977/78 , first civvy Reg. 1978 = Suffix S = correct under the new first registration rules. I had a new Escort about abt. 1973 , I remember the Reg. = BUP 325L , I had another new Escort that would be 1977 , can't recall that registration , both were basic 1.3 estate models. I don't recall either having external mirrors , but even now primary -I use internal. The colour seems Dark Green (common for Army purchase) larger cars (often Vauxhall) could be and most often were Dark Green or equally Black. If Green or Black - or even any Escort - I doubt if it were a NI surveilance vehicle. , any other standard Ford colour from civvy range possibly was and it could be that the operator needed extra mirrors and possibly they would choose such as a chrome Desmo to civilianize the appearance. I recall many cars being sold through such as BCA & CMA auction sites , it could be a Toyota or anything , no MOD or civvy plates , could be quite old and still unregistered - word would circulate they were ex-NI . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruxy Posted March 17, 2023 Share Posted March 17, 2023 btw - I have some photographs of BUP 325L & should be from all directions , but not the later Escort (I only kept it a few months) - give me time hunt them out & check for external mirrors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruxy Posted March 17, 2023 Share Posted March 17, 2023 Surprisingly - not as many Escort photographs taken. A good close-up of the nearside - no mirror at all. No good pic. of drivers side, I only have one front end photograph and it's from quite a distance - definately a chrome / polished aluminium wing mirror on offside but can't tell if it had a door mirror. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fv1609 Posted March 17, 2023 Share Posted March 17, 2023 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hair Bear Posted March 17, 2023 Author Share Posted March 17, 2023 05GX38 was factory black, one of a batch of 3 sold the same day, the other two identical apart from square headlights. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruxy Posted March 17, 2023 Share Posted March 17, 2023 Mk.1 & Mk. 2 Escort headlamp shape can get quite complex - date of manufature / spec. etc. Square does not always mean newer manufacture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
10FM68 Posted March 17, 2023 Share Posted March 17, 2023 As I recall most MkII Escorts were black. Green had been standard for Mk1s, for the Morris Traveller fleet and earlier, but that changed in the early 70s when the entire car fleet went to black, in line with the Grade 1 staff cars which had changed earlier. So Hillman Hunters were black (the Morris 1800s and Ford Zephyrs had been green), Ford Cortinas were black, Vauxhall Chevettes were black and so on until the end of direct MoD purchase of cars. Once they started being hired from fleet providers then colours varied as, I presume, they still do as the hired fleet is significantly larger now than it was. RMP in BAOR also used white saloon cars (though all RMP vehicles including Land Rovers were black in Berlin). In the late 60s and certainly into the late 70s, NI 'covert cars', as they were often called included standard issue cars, such as Minis, Hunters etc. Some were repainted in garish colours - my boss had an Ulsterbus blue Hunter, (which was useful as you could always spot him coming) while I, for a time, had a standard black Mini - all fitted with local plates, of course. Most were readily identifiable, however, by the Army fire extinguishers inside if you were to look carefully! But these were really only for reduced profile, rather than sneaking about. They were used for general military administration, their convenience was that they could travel independently with just one person in whereas using 'the green fleet' such as Land Rovers required movement in pairs with several people involved. When I was there in 77/78 'covert cars' were in such short supply that we were encouraged to take our own private cars from GB and received official duty rate of motor mileage allowance. They also retained the GB number plates which wasn't that much of an issue with older cars as there were plenty of GB plates around on older vehicles as the MoT rules in NI were more relaxed than in GB, so quite a few old bangers (like mine) were imported. I used my 1967 VW Beetle, my colleague his Morris Minor saloon. We weren't allowed to use them in South Armagh (below a certain line of latitude which I have since forgotten) except to the helipad at Bessbrook, though. Certain units with specialist roles were allocated a greater variety of covert cars of any make and style. There was also a shortage of Browning 9mm automatics, so we were issued .38 Enfields and horrible plastic shoulder holsters, but that's another story! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radiomike7 Posted March 17, 2023 Share Posted March 17, 2023 Still showing on the DVSA site: XPE 858S ✗ Untaxed Tax due: 1 March 1990 Incorrect tax status? MOT No results returned Incorrect MOT status? !WarningIf you've just bought this vehicle the tax or SORN doesn't come with it. You'll need to tax it before driving it. Vehicle Details Vehicle make FORD Date of first registration January 1984 Year of manufacture 1978 Cylinder capacity 1300 cc CO₂ emissions Not available Fuel type PETROL Euro status Not available Real Driving Emissions (RDE) Not available Export marker No Vehicle status Untaxed Vehicle colour BLACK Vehicle type approval Not available Wheelplan 2 AXLE RIGID BODY Revenue weight Not available Date of last V5C (logbook) issued 4 April 1989 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hair Bear Posted March 18, 2023 Author Share Posted March 18, 2023 It went through Wellers Auction in Guildford sometime in 1986, good to know it was still in use for a few more years. I'd like to think it's still around somewhere, stored in a barn ready for me to find although reality would suggest it probably disintegrated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ruxy Posted March 18, 2023 Share Posted March 18, 2023 9 hours ago, radiomike7 said: Still showing on the DVSA site: XPE 858S ✗ Untaxed Tax due: 1 March 1990 Incorrect tax status? MOT No results returned Incorrect MOT status? !WarningIf you've just bought this vehicle the tax or SORN doesn't come with it. You'll need to tax it before driving it. Vehicle Details Vehicle make FORD Date of first registration January 1984 Year of manufacture 1978 Cylinder capacity 1300 cc CO₂ emissions Not available Fuel type PETROL Euro status Not available Real Driving Emissions (RDE) Not available Export marker No Vehicle status Untaxed Vehicle colour BLACK Vehicle type approval Not available Wheelplan 2 AXLE RIGID BODY Revenue weight Not available Date of last V5C (logbook) issued 4 April 1989 It seems to be VOR long before introduction of SORN , so probably scrapped and there is no legal need to notify DVLA Swansea of status - gone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.