£20,000 - £25,000
1980 Ford Escort XR3 - Believed to be the Only Surviving 'Press Launch' Car in Original Condition
United Kingdom • 8 Nov 2025 • Lot 338
Vehicle Details
AI Listing Summary
This is a very rare, unrestored 1980 Ford Escort XR3, one of the original press launch cars. It features its original Sunburst Red paint, unique press-launch features, and has been well-preserved with a documented history and recent engine rebuild.
Condition
8
Concours and excellent ratings by XR Owners Club.
/ 10
Manual
Transmission:
GCABAY000800
Chassis No:
Odometer:
67,175 miles
TTW 83W
Reg Number:
RHD/LHD:
RHD
Unveiled to the world’s press on 24th November 1980, the Escort XR3 signalled a pivotal moment for Ford.
It was the first front-wheel drive performance Escort, the birth of the now legendary XR range and Ford’s direct reply to the Volkswagen Golf GTi.
On that crisp day in South Wales, journalists were taken to an unfinished section of the M4 near Bridgend to drive rows of bright Sunburst Red XR3s, we believe around 400 cars were involved, fresh from the Bridgend plant – a defining moment in Ford history.
Only a handful of those very earliest press and pre-production cars survive, and remarkably, the example offered here is believed to be the sole unrestored car from that original batch still in existence.
Registered on 21st November 1980, just three days before the press launch, this car wears its original registration TTW 83W, part of the famous TTW sequence reserved by Ford exclusively for the initial batch of XR3 pre-production, demonstration and launch cars.
These TTW cars were...
Points of note
£2,600
Lowest Price (Since 2020)
£8,613
Median Price (Since 2020)
£21,840
Highest Price (Since 2020)
World Record
If this vehicle sells at the mid-point estimate it will set a new record for the Ford Escort XR3
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Previous Sales
Gallery
MOT Information
Expired
Expired on Feb 19 2022
Latest MOT Mileage
66,870 miles
Registration Date
1980-11-21
MOT History
Passed
On Feb 20 2021 with 66,870 miles
Passed
On May 04 2019 with 66,765 miles
Passed
On May 05 2018 with 66,621 miles
Passed
On Apr 10 2017 with 66,555 miles
Passed
On Aug 18 2015 with 66,515 miles
Passed
On Jun 07 2014 with 66,420 miles
Passed
On May 11 2013 with 66,336 miles
Passed
On Jul 02 2011 with 66,289 miles
Passed
On Jun 12 2010 with 66,089 miles
Passed
On Apr 18 2009 with 66,017 miles
There was 1 defect noted.
Advisory:
- Rear Exhaust has part of the system slightly deteriorated (7.1.1a)
Passed
On Feb 09 2008 with 65,922 miles
MOT Mileage Trend
