It’s doubtful whether either Roger Clark or Tony Mason fully appreciated the importance of their success as they clambered atop the roof of their Escort RS1600 at the conclusion of the 1972 RAC Rally. Certainly both felt justifiably proud of their achievement, becoming the first native crew to win Britain’s premier international rally in a generation, and in the process breaking the hitherto unyielding grip held on the RAC by revolving door of Scandinavian rally talent.
But the true significance of their success would only become fully apparent with the passage of time and the addition of perspective. Viewed with the benefit of hindsight, Clark and Mason’s victory was nothing less than one of the foundation stones of the legend of the Escort rally car, a legend which would only grow in stature as the 1970s progressed and Boreham’s trophy cabinet began to groan under the weight of its success.
Now, a full 50 years removed from the events of that most famous of RAC rallies, the position of both Clark and Mason as bone fide rallying legends from the golden era of the sport is both unassailable and indisputable, especially now that the former is now, sadly, no longer with us.
Escort archaeology
It also goes without saying that the same applies to the Escort they used to win all those years ago, LVX 942J, an Escort with a history as varied and tumultuous as its most notable occupant. Lucky, then, that Classic Ford was able to call upon the assistance of one of the true titans of the ex-Boreham-Escort world
