Gartrac made the first friend with David Sutton who had been brand new movie director out of Clark & Simpson who had been Ford investors for the Sloane Square, London area. The vehicles have been mostly standard and no move cages, although not Gartrac given uprated suspension and powering equipment parts towards the skills.
Just prior to the start of the fresh rally Dave Bignold try questioned because of the Ford to travel as much as Clark & Simpson and you may fit rear shock absorber turrets to your Rauno Aaltonen’s Ford Escort 1850 GT. The installation are completed easily more than a week-end and Aaltonen’s automobile was ready to vie on rally.
From the very early seventies, Gartrac altered Escort Mk1 bodyshells for Clark & Simpson inside London
Brand new London – Mexico World Glass rally started at the Wembley Stadium within the London to the April 19th 1970 layer around sixteen,000 kilometers because of European countries and you may South america and you may finishing within the Mexico City on may 27th 1970. Case is most winning having Ford with Hannu Mikola and you can Gunnar Palm successful the newest rally and you will Rauno Aaltonen and you can https://escortlook.de/en/category/zurich-canton/thai-in-zurich Henry Liddon completing third.
Gartrac continued developing bits towards Escort Mk1 rally automobiles. In early 70s some other greatest win try Hannnu Mikkola and you will Gunnar Palm’s 1972 Safari Rally win on Escort RS 1600. The pair carry out simply take an early on direct that they never destroyed and you will turned the initial low-African staff in order to win the new East African Safari Rally.
seventies – The brand new Really works Escort Mk2
This type of variations have been generally fitted wonder absorber turrets, metal bubble arches and you can reworking axle’s. Gartrac carry out modify dos-step three bodyshells per week for a lot of many years.
Gartrac is actually growing inside reputation plus the pure amount of performs meant that they must go from its small working area from inside the Farnham, Surrey. It quickly discovered a unique big workshop within the Godalming, Surrey, permitting these to deal with a great deal more personnel, and thus its output became dramatically.
Ford got simply introduced the fresh Escort Mk2 and realized Gartrac’s rapid increases. Ford needed a manufacturing company that’ll establish Escort Mk2 bodyshells and you will bits because of their performs rally group.
It wished this new Mk2 bodyshells as identical which have an equipment of pieces one to suitable most of the vehicles; this was not true towards the Mk1. For each and every drivers’ mechanic will have their own concept of an educated cure for generate a vehicle, meaning no a couple of trucks will be same. So it caused problems when servicing the vehicles with the occurrences, since the pieces did not match universally.
Brand new works Escort Mk1 bodyshells was indeed fabricated by Gomm Material Improvements. This type of shells was indeed fuel welded or nickel bronzed and therefore place great heat and worry into the issue, and therefore lead to deformation and you may electricity dilemmas. Ford wanted the brand new Escort Mk2 becoming welded making use of the new mig welding techniques. Gartrac was using mig welders for some time and this aided safe an initial acquisition for 5 bodyshells to-be lead on the accurate specification.
Gartrac duly accomplished the order and you may Ford was therefore pleased with the quality of the workmanship it immediately developed Gartrac so you can only build Escort Mk2 bodyshells into works group.
Ford including commissioned Gartrac which will make bits which may standardise the newest mechanic’s generate techniques. It fabricated an enormous gang of bits particularly axle’s, radius rods, pedalboxes, power tanks and you will petroleum tanks and suspension system areas.
Gartrac gotten a free of charge reign at the time to give suggestions on how Ford could make the cars top and they adopted their suggestions somewhat readily due to the fact vehicles had been become smaller, healthier plus reputable.
The brand new designs was in fact changing non-stop. Gartrac will make improvement on axle to change grip, Ford do after that revision illustrations to provide the alterations. They would then produce various other variations to possess Tarmac and you can Forest apps. An equivalent procedure was applied to grow the rest such as for instance this new system crossmembers, sump secure kits, pedalboxes and you will suspension parts.
