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Old 19 Nov 2013, 16:51 (Ref:3333708)   #1
bigdick1977
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30th Anniversary of the original Escort XTrac

With the traditional date of the Grand Prix nearly on us I thought I'd start a thread on the birth of the original Xtrac - 30 years old! - your thoughts and memories please?
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Old 19 Nov 2013, 19:33 (Ref:3333808)   #2
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Not about Xtrac #1, but worth reading.

http://www.racecar-engineering.com/a...versions-1984/
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Old 19 Nov 2013, 19:36 (Ref:3333811)   #3
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My pic of Martin Schanche and Erich Zakowski (Mister Zakspeed) with Xtrac #1 in Wikipedia:

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/F...GBRXGP1983.jpg
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Old 19 Nov 2013, 22:50 (Ref:3333938)   #4
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That car was a clever bit of kit when it came out well done to those men who made it happen many 4x4 systems all came from that car .
is there any other xtrac's still about.
It was great to see and hear them ,so much more exciting to watch in them days .
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Old 20 Nov 2013, 15:30 (Ref:3334325)   #5
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Okay here we go again with the record of who owned which one etc!

Schanche sold his to john Smith in the UK at the end of 86, who used it for a bit before it was sold to Barry Squibb. Squibby converted it to run on larger wheels etc as Martin could only run 14's. I think it later was bought by Endean and run as a demo car, probably now in a museum or with him somewhere

John's was subtley different, always ran bigger wheels. Was sold to Kjetil Bolneset who ran it for years, widening the wheel arches. I think it was later broken for parts, not sure. Maybe 4wd system as used by someone cant remember.

Then the interesting bit. I recall there were two more but Eddi always disagrees.

Seppo Nittymaki had one, big rear wing, ran on 14's, won a ERC round at Lydden in 86. I am sure initially it was used by a guy called Palmo Laine, before Vidar Sauthon got hold of it. Vidar used it for a few years, converted it to run on 15's real late on, then it was bought by Sven Lestander, painted red and was used at the IN Cup in 1990, no idea where it went.

The car that always confuses me is Terje Schie. It was an Xtrac always sounded like it used a Zakker, he used it in 86 when it was blue and white and 87 when it had Seppo's wing on the back and was sponsored by Dunlop.

In 88 a guy called Ragnar Forsberg ran an Xtrac in a Scandy ERC round, and also a guy called Frank Jensen ran one, but they both ran in Sweden, so it cant be the same car and it wasn't Schies! I don't know what happened to Terje's car. This might have been the car Sauthon used before he bought it from Laine.

Similar cars were run by Orjan Wahlund, his was a lovely car but BDT powered. ANd Terje Morstad ran a 4wd Escort in the IN Cup in Germany 92, not sure of that cars origin.
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Old 21 Nov 2013, 00:02 (Ref:3334552)   #6
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Martin Schanche sold his Xtrac #1 to John Smith, who sold it to Barry Squibb, who sold it to Mike Endean, who still owns it.
Seppo Niittymäki sold his Xtrac to Ragnar Forsberg, who sold it to Vidar Sauthon. Over its remains there is some darkness. Some claimed it was destroyed in a barn fire, others claimed it went to Michael Jernberg or Sven Lestander, while I once heard it could be still with Vidar...
I think John Welch had two. If I remember correctly (cannot find the event docs in my files) they both run in the 1987 Grand Prix at Brands Hatch under John and Jonathan Palmer. One went to Kjetil Bolneset.
Don't know if the 1987 Mk3 of Terje Schie was with Xtrac 4WD and Zakspeed engine. Same with the 4WD Mk3 Norwegian Frank Jensen used in the 1987 Swedish ERC round (rent-a-car maybe).
Don't know about the 1988 Mk3 of Gunnar Kittilsen, maybe the 1987 one of Terje Schie...
Don't know if the 1989 Mk3 of Örjan Wahlund was with Xtrac 4WD, but don't think so. Its engine was defo from an RS200, with 1803cc.
Don't know what kind of Mk3 (the red one) Sven Lestander was driving. Maybe he got it from Vidar Sauthon and later Vidar took it back...
Another one missing?
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Old 21 Nov 2013, 12:16 (Ref:3334748)   #7
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Ok Edd, I can see the confusion. John was running the Opel in 87, he debuted at Cadwell a few weeks before and used it at the IN Cup we won!!! Am sure John only had one Xtrac.

Schies I remember might have gone to Gunnar you are right, he had a Zakker Mk2 aswell, so might have had spares etc, and it had the same tall rear wing Terje's used.

Not sure if as you say it was an original Xtrac, bvut it was certainly Zakspeed powered, maybe not Xtrac transmission, but I believe so.

Orjan's car was deffo not an Xtrac, clever though and as you say used an RS200 1.8 engine.

Not sure about Trevor's car, was that a turbo BDA or a Zakspeed?
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Old 21 Nov 2013, 12:22 (Ref:3334751)   #8
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Trevor Hopkins had a 1.8 RS200 engine in his Mk3.
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Old 21 Nov 2013, 12:57 (Ref:3334762)   #9
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Oh did he, it was a special Ford thing wasn't it, sounded really weird from what I recall! and it never really worked too well! Shame as it looked awesome.
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Old 21 Nov 2013, 13:29 (Ref:3334769)   #10
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http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fb...type=3&theater

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fb...type=3&theater

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Old 21 Nov 2013, 14:20 (Ref:3334790)   #11
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Aha

Interesting stuff, Ford maybe doing a bit of post RS1700T work and also trying to prove the BDT engine still further in competition.

Also, they used a fairly simple diff and torque split system, Sierra rear diff, all much simple than the Xtrac obviously. Two diffs at the front, v weird! No centre

Transverse gearbox, too, very similar to an RS Turbo unit I bet, that's probably why they needed two diffs at front, this was before Schanches concentric shaft design obviously.

Was quite a bit of cool stuff here then, and not a lot of it was seemingly carried forward, as the RS200 engine was north south so didn't use this box.
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Old 21 Nov 2013, 14:48 (Ref:3334798)   #12
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When the Escort went to John Smith , i seem to remember Monten drove it once at Maasmechelen (as a test since John had some trouble?)
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Old 21 Nov 2013, 14:49 (Ref:3334800)   #13
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Irish 1991 ERC round at Mondello, there was a British (Ulster?) driver by the name of David Francis with a Ford Escort Mk3 4WD, who scored the last point (for 16th place) in Division 2. Anyone having info about him and the car?
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Old 21 Nov 2013, 17:00 (Ref:3334836)   #14
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Edd

I am not so sure it was 4wd? The car I remember was in sort of Boreham RS200 stripes and it was only 2wd but running quite a powerful YB turbo engine, there was a guy called Davy Aitken Aiken also ran a turbo Escort. Francis car had a biggish wing on the back?

Franz Monten also drove the Xtrac at the IN Cu in 87, and presumably was looking at buying it, but maybe Squibby came up with a better offer?
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Old 21 Nov 2013, 18:26 (Ref:3334862)   #15
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The Competitors List for 1991 Mondello reads D. Francis Ford Escort Turbo only, but for some reason I don't remember he went with T16 4WD into my own lists...
Yep, Monten was invited by Smith to drive Xtrac #1 at Croft, but do not remember that he was interested to buy it...
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Old 22 Nov 2013, 12:30 (Ref:3335176)   #16
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I know both Davy's, dont remember Davy F ever having 4WD. He is very much a clubman and uses a self built/prepared car, RWD with a cossie turbo. I think he still has it and does sprints/hillclimbs in NI.

Dont remember Davy A having an Escort.. could be wrong.

I actually raced against John Welch in Mondello in what may have been the first outing for his Xtrac. It was plain white at the time, cant remember year, but was early 80's
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Old 22 Nov 2013, 14:47 (Ref:3335225)   #17
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Checked my own files now rather than the 1991 Final ERC Standings (based on my lists) on rallycross.com to find out that it must have been a typing error by my Belgian colleague who put the stuff up there. My results read: David Francis (GB) Ford Escort XR3 Turbo RWD instead of 4WD...
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Old 23 Nov 2013, 11:15 (Ref:3335620)   #18
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That sounds about right Ed

He raced a few times in the British chgampionship rounds in Ireland aswell.

A lot of Irish guys used to sprint and hillclimb too, Rob Moffatt certainly did and Lawrence used to now and then too!
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