Totally original Ford Escort Ghia 1.6 from 1979 is expected to fetch up to $NZ23,500
An immaculate but unrestored 1979 Ford Escort Ghia with less than 4,000 miles on the clock is expected to sell for between $NZ19,000 and $NZ23,471 when it appears at auction later this month.
The Escort Ghia was the top-of-the-range model in its day, with wood-effect facia trim and sumptuous velour upholstery.
Offered with a fresh MoT and suitably recommissioned, the Escort is being sold with a history file and the original dealer handbook folder.
Looking as immaculate as the day it left the factory 37 years ago, the Escort was supplied to its first owner by Ford dealer Garrings of Newbury in 1979 to be used on trips to his holiday cottage. As the owner lived in London he rarely drove the car, keeping it safely in storage.
Several years later, while enquiring at a local garage about replacing a windscreen wiper, the workshop took such an interest in car and its exceptional condition that they bought it.
The car was acquired by its current owner in 2013, still in immaculate, preserved condition, and has been stored as part of a private collection since. The odometer now reads 3,745 miles.
Guy Lees-Milne, general manager of Classic Car Auctions, said: “With this car it takes very little imagination to believe you are sitting in a new Ford in a dealer's showroom in 1979.
“Fords of this era are big news in today's classic car market, and this must be the one of the lowest mileage examples left in existence.”
The Escort is being sold by Classic Car Auctions, which specialises in “everyday” classics, at the Warwickshire Exhibition Centre near Leamington Spa on June 18.
-Daily Telegraph