Mark Boulton's Ford fascination (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Mark Boulton's Ford fascination

9:01am Tuesday 7th February 2012 in Behind the News By Sally Clifford

Mark Boulton is a Ford fanatic. The 42-year-old’s enthusiasm for all things Ford stems from his teens when he sat in the driving seat of his first car, a Granada 2.3 GL.

Mark’s earliest recollection was pushing his scooter alongside his father’s MKI Cortina. “I’ve loved them ever since,” he says.

Mark dabbled with other makes of car. He admits playing with Vauxhall Astra GTEs during his early motoring years, but his preference has always been for Ford.

His passion for sports cars was stoked spectating at night rallies. Watching the likes of rallying legend Bob Bean, from Gomersal – who Mark and his fellow Ford fan, Jon Gregson, now sponsor – and putting fast cars through their paces around rally routes fuelled an ambition he has since fulfilled to own his dream car – the Ford RS200.

One of only 200 ever made, the road-going RS200 was based on Ford’s Group B rally car and designed to comply with FIA homologation regulations which required the manufacture of 200 road legal versions.

Built by Ford in 1985 and designed by Ghia, the fibreglass body panels of the two-door four-wheel-drive, mid-engined coupe were manufactured by Reliant.

Mark, from Drighlington, found the car on online market place eBay. Despite its age, it had only done 6,700 miles after spending part of its life on display in a nightclub. He bought it from an investor who had purchased the car at Bonhams auctions without even seeing it!

Mark recalls seeing his dream car for the first time. “I couldn’t wait!” he smiles. “When he pulled the sheet off, I was gobsmacked. He said ‘you can touch it you know’, he was laughing his head off at me. I still have to pinch myself that I own one. There are 144 left in the world now.”

The car, bearing the registration plate C200RS, is concours condition and is predominantly used for showing along with Mark’s other iconic motors.

He bought his MKII Escort RS2000 as a shell. “I started off with a budget of £13,000. Now, £30,000 later, I’ve got a Group 4 Escort,” says Mark.

He adds: “You will not get a better rally car than a MK II Escort.”

Mark also has a MKI long-base Transit with an original two-litre V4 engine which he often uses as a service barge when rallying with his friend Bob.

The Transit, winner of the Best Classic trophy in the Driffield Truck Show, was originally used as a fire engine in Germany. Mark sourced it from eBay, where he bought all his retro motors, including a MKII Transit and a MKII Lotus Cortina he imported from a museum in Malta.

“They are the cars I always wanted but could never afford,” says Mark.

The styling and the drive of the vehicles are the draw for Mark. “Each one is different, but the one I like driving the most is the Transit. Because I drive wagons, it’s slow but it feels lovely to drive,” says Mark, who runs a haulage company.

Henry Ford’s philosophy was to create affordable and practical cars. Fun, stylish and cheap to maintain, Fords were the first choice for many young motorists who had just passed their tests.

“We used to swap engines for fun, me and my brother. If you had a 1300 engine, straight away it would have a 1600 cross flow in it just for the power!” laughs Mark.

He shares his Ford love affair with his friend Jon Gregson.

The pair have known each other since their schooldays. Jon is a mechanic, a welcome cost-saver when it comes to maintaining their iconic car collections.

Jon’s affection for Fords also stems from his youth. His collection comprises three MKII Escorts – a 1.1 and a 1.3 gear and a Mexico replica which he also bought off eBay.

Incidentally, Jon’s first car was a Ford Escort. “They say people go back to their first cars,” he says. “People can relate to them because everybody had one or knew somebody who had one.

“If you’re driving in a Ferrari, kids look at them, but if you’re driving these, all ages will look.”

Mark and Jon’s affection for Ford is enduring. “We grew up with them,” says Jon. “But when you were 17 they were really cheap. Now they are really expensive!”