Calling all Ford fans
The Classic Motor Show is Britain’s largest indoor classic car gathering and it’s back at the NEC in Birmingham, UK, from 7-9 November 2025.
There will be lots to see, but here we are focusing on the cars that will cross the block in Iconic Auctioneers’ Iconic Sale on 8 November and Classic Sale on 9 November.
What’s more, we’ve decided to focus on one marque: Ford. Whether you’re a Blue Oval devotee or you’ve only a passing interest in the 122-year-old car maker, you might be surprised by the variety on offer.
Our picks are presented in chronological order and range from a pre-war icon to a World Rally Championship star, plus an Escort that’s expected to sell for £200,000-plus. Intrigued? Let’s find out more.
Prices are given in GBP£ and US$; all conversions were correct at the time of writing
1. 1926 Ford Model T (est: £8-10,000/$10,500-13,000)
If you’re an admirer of vintage motoring, then how about this Ford Model T from the Classic Sale catalogue?
All four-door Touring models left the factory with black paintwork, so old Ford fanatics might be wondering why this example is finished in white and red.
Well, it was bought by two friends in the 1990s who spent 25 years restoring it. The pair likely repainted it during their long-term project.
2. 1950 Ford F-1 (est: £18-22,000/$24-29,000)
The Ford F-Series was the pick-up that started it all. The dependable workhorse was introduced after WW2 and quickly became a mainstay in the Blue Oval’s line-up.
This F-1 came to the UK in 2019 following a fastidious restoration in the USA.
The previous owner used it to promote a coffee business based in West Sussex, but now it’s been consigned to the Classic Sale on 9 November. What’s next for this V8-powered classic?
3. 1956 Ford Thunderbird (est: £25-30,000/$33-39,500)
This bright-blue Ford Thunderbird will definitely turn heads at the NEC, Birmingham, this November.
It will be up for grabs in Saturday’s Iconic Sale – and you’ll struggle to miss it crossing the block.
This 1956 example has a 312cu in engine and a three-speed manual gearbox. It was restored in Italy in 2009 and it has covered just 4000 miles since.
Plus, it has been presented with a Gold Plate from the Automotoclub Storico Italiano, in recognition of the restoration’s focus on authenticity.
4. 1959 Edsel Ranger (est: £8-10,000/$10,500-13,000)
This isn’t strictly a Ford, however the Edsel Ranger represents an interesting chapter in the Blue Oval’s history, so it caught our eye in the Classic Sale catalogue.
Edsel was a short-lived marque created by Ford to compete against the likes of Buick, Oldsmobile and Pontiac. But it haemorrhaged money and was quietly axed in 1960.
This car was once owned by the CEO of the Edsel Owners’ Club of America before it was registered in the UK in 1997. Film buffs might recognise it from its appearance in 2023’s Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.
5. 1964 Ford Cortina 1500 Super (est: £20-25,000/$26,500-33,000)
In 2017, this Ford Cortina was no more than a stripped-out shell and boxes of spare parts in a barn in Lancashire, UK.
When the current owner bought it, they decided the car deserved to be restored to concours condition.
Since it re-emerged in 2021, the Cortina has won the overall award at the Mk1 Cortina Owners’ Club National Show on two occasions, Car of the Show at the Clwyd Practical Classics show and starred in a six-page story in RetroFord magazine.
It will go under the hammer in the Iconic Sale.
6. 1966 Lotus Cortina (est: £45-55,000/$59,500-72,500)
If you’re after a Cortina with a bit more go, maybe this restored classic car will pique your interest in the Iconic Sale.
It comes with a letter from the general secretary of the Lotus Cortina Register to confirm it’s an original example.
This car was restored between 2012 and 2016 by marque specialist Colin Ginn, after it had been in storage for 24 years.
The engine, gearbox, suspension, brakes and much more were rebuilt, and it’s only done 1500 miles since.
7. 1971 Ford Escort RS 1600 (est: £65-75,000/$85,500-99,000)
This Escort RS 1600 has an ‘LVX’ numberplate, which is significant in Ford circles because it indicates that this was one of the marque’s press cars. And the ‘Show Unit’ stamp on the car’s build plate provides further proof.
Meanwhile, a document from the owners’ club suggests it might also have been one of Ford’s development cars.
This Escort RS 1600 has been restored, but not in a conventional way: the current owner decided to embrace the character of a barn-find car, while restoring all of the mechanical components.
It will be offered in the Iconic Sale on 8 November.
8. 1973 Ford Escort Mexico (est: £10-15,000/$13-20,000)
In contrast, this Ford Escort Mexico definitely hasn’t been restored.
The seller bought it in 1975 and used it regularly until 1981, at which point they stored it outside for a few years before moving it into a garage in the mid-’80s.
It’s not been used for more than four decades, so it will need lots of work (as the photograph above shows) but the engine still turns freely, according to Iconic Auctioneers.
If you’re heading to the Classic Motor Show, you’ll see this Ford Escort Mexico in the Classic Sale on 9 November.
9. 1974 Ford Capri RS 3100 (est: £50-60,000/$66-79,000)
The homologation-special Ford Capri RS 3100 is powered by a 3091cc version of the Essex V6.
Around 250 were built, including this restored Stardust Silver example which has 95,228 miles on the clock. It’s been part of a private collection for the last eight years.
In July it was serviced by specialist QPrep, so it’s ready for the road if it finds a buyer in the Iconic Sale at the Classic Motor Show on 8 November.
10. 1975 Ford Escort RS 1800 (est: £200-250,000/$263-329,000)
In total, around 109 Mk2 Ford Escort RS 1800s were built, and this was probably the first, according to marque specialists.
Since it was restored in the 2010s (it was rebuilt with a new, unused bodyshell), it has been honoured with more than 200 awards, including Car of the Show at the Ford RS Owners’ Club (RSOC) National Day in 2022.
Corgi has even built a 1:43-scale model of ‘KPR 111P’.
It’s estimated to sell for £200-250,000 in the Iconic Sale, which isn’t far off the record-breaking £278,848 achieved by an RS 1800 in a Historics Auctioneers sale earlier this year.
11. 1980 Ford Escort XR3 (est: £20-25,000/$26-33,000)
If your budget is around a 10th of that required to secure the Ford Escort RS 1800 on the previous slide, then take a look at this highly original XR3 in the Iconic Sale.
When the Escort XR3 was launched, Ford invited hundreds of journalists to an unfinished stretch of the M4, where there were around 400 Sunburst Red examples waiting for them to test – and this was one of them.
This unrestored, five-owner example is one of only a handful of those original press cars that are still on the road.
12. 1982 Ford Fiesta XR2 (est: £20-25,000/$26-33,000)
Or you could have this Sunburst Red Fiesta XR2, which has the same pre-sale estimate. It’s also being offered in the Iconic Sale.
The hot hatchback has been restored over a period of 15 years. It’s got some subtle modifications, like a 1.7-litre ‘Crossflow’ engine built by Harris Performance with uprated pistons, camshaft, cylinder head, carburettors and more.
Plus, it’s been fitted with Spax adjustable shocks and bigger brake discs.
The current owner has only tested it on private land, so whoever buys it will be the first to drive the rebuilt car on the road.
13. 1986 Ford Escort RS Turbo (est: £50-60,000/$66-79,000)
This Escort RS Turbo – one of the last Series 1 models built – will go under the hammer in the Iconic Sale on 8 November.
It’s finished in Diamond White (all but one were finished in this colour scheme) and is one of 8604 produced.
It has been fully restored but retains many of its original components, including the factory-fitted SRT32P stereo, RS steering wheel and rear parcel shelf with speakers.
14. 1987 Ford Sierra RS 500 (est: £75-95,000/$99-125,000)
This Sierra RS 500, chassis number 224, was purchased in 2020 by a Ford mechanic, who started restoring the car as a personal project.
They sold the car before it was finished, but the next owner paid for the job to be completed.
It’s now powered by a new engine from Tremona Garage in Hampshire and has covered just 600 miles since it was installed.
It will be sold with the numberplate ‘500 RSK’ in the Iconic Sale on 8 November.
15. 1990 Ford RS 200 S (est: £280-340,000/$368,500-447,500)
It’s not everyday you see a Ford RS 200. But this one is exceptionally rare: it’s one of just 20 S-spec cars and one of two finished in Rosso Red – and it’s had one owner since it was new.
In fact, if you search for ‘Ford RS 200 – taking delivery of new RS 200 at Ford Motorsport – October 1990’ on YouTube, you’ll find the video they recorded at Ford’s motorsport centre in Boreham, Essex, on the day they collected it.
It will be offered in the Iconic Sale.
16. 2000 Ford Focus WRC (est: £380-420,000/$500-553,000)
The Iconic Sale on 8 November will also present a rare opportunity to buy a genuine Ford WRC competitor.
This very car won the Rally of Cyprus in 2000, with Carlos Sainz Snr and Luis Moya in the cockpit.
That year, the pair also came third in Rallye Catalunya and second in the Acropolis Rally, both in this car.
In 2001, Colin McRae and Nicky Grist finished an impressive ninth in this car in Rally Sweden, despite an excursion into the snow and battling with a gearbox that was stuck in sixth gear.
Surprisingly, these aren’t all the Fords available in the Iconic Auctioneers sale at the Classic Motor Show from 7-9 November 2025.
If you’d like to view the full catalogues, or find out more about any of the cars featured in this slideshow, click here to see the cars in the Iconic Sale, or here to browse all the lots in the Classic Sale.
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