Monday 2nd November 1970
Double World Champion Graham Hill drove the first Ford RS car (Escort RS 1600) from a purpose built production line within Ford Advanced Vehicle Operations (FAVO) of South Ockendon, Essex, England. RS originally stood for Rallye Sport and introduced a new breed of affordable sporting Fords. Based on the formidable international rally and race-winning Escort, with a pioneering Cosworth-crafted 16-valve engine, the RS1600 established a line of more than 20 Ford RS-badged derivatives that would sell over 100,000 examples . In production line trim, the RS1600 offered deft cornering capabilities of true RS products coupled to a detuned 120 hp engine in a light and simple layout which allowed a 113 mph maximum sped alongside a 0-60 mph of 8.9 seconds, but its main point was its sports potential.