F.A.O Mr 2 Laps aka Doug L8ECU

[lee2cossies]

DO IT Leigh

Dont temp me! I almost bought one years ago,well thought it was one.It was a mk4 with a 2.9efi in it but when i went to look at it knew something wasnt quite right,then realised it was a genesis rwd conversion not a gartrac.

[lee2cossies]

Doug,didnt yours end up with a 3.2 turbo v6 in it? Then later a yb? Sure iv got a feature of it or a very similar car in max power years ago.There was another the same colour as yours but with revoultion rfx's and a 4.5 rover v8,built by the rover centre,and a white one that was used in the original features Q???cpe,that ended up with a 24v and auto box and yellow blue and white colour scheme,ruined it.

[COZZFATHER]

yeh loads of people think rally designs genesis conversion is a gartrac,if you looked at the 2 side by side the gartrac is in another league.

[lee2cossies]

Thats what i thought,at first was really disapointed,bad welds and just very poor in general,then it came too me that the seller was lying and it was a genesis.

[COZZFATHER]

its not just the welds etc the shape of the inner wings on a gartrac are diffrent to a genesis.

thats how i could tell straight off,some people think any rwd mk3 or 4 escort is a gatrac and they are most certainly not

[L8 ECU]

Doug,didnt yours end up with a 3.2 turbo v6 in it? Then later a yb? Sure iv got a feature of it or a very similar car in max power years ago

No, the other Gartrac I had was a brand new build.

It was 2.8 V6 Cologne but with a turbo and it was 4WD. I bought a brand new Mk4 Escort shell from Dagenham motors and they delivered straight to Gartrac in Godalming Surrey.

Gartrac did all of the bodyshell conversion to 4WD and bonded the 4 x Kevlar wings on. It was then painted in in Fleet by John Welch and sent to Turbo Technics in Aldershot. TT did the full build up, using mostly used XR 4x4 running gear. They strengthened the gearbox and built a fresh 2.8 engine with all of their TT 250 BHP Turbo conversion package. Graham Hathaway later tieded up the inter-cooler pipes and fitted new suspension - LEDA plus later spec ARB's.

Important thing is that this was a 4WD turbo'd Ford Escort built and used on the road 2 years before Ford released their Es Cos!

The car was sold to Duncan (on here) waaay before the internet and forums (1993 IIRC). Dunc converted it to YB power. I would not have seen the car again if it was'nt for some pics I saw (with reg number) on PassionFord in about 2003.

It was a Fast Ford feature car:

[COZZFATHER]

i have that very magazine in my private collection

was talking to Dan @ rapid ford and he said his mate ownerd your old gartrac,i dunno now which one he meant.

i really like the mk3 as in would love one but the mk4 in the azure blue is somthing else,tbh i need a mk4 escort gartrac with a g3 number plate and my initials

[dunccoss]

Wish I still had that car but sold it about 11 years ago to help fund the escort I have now and since selling it I haven't seen it again

[mallard man]

the problem with the genesis kit was that you could buy the kit fron ears, get yourself a shell and convert it. i did one msyelf wich iv'e just sold. the gartrac cars are in another league. don't know the cost of a gartrac conversion. you could buy a converted genesis comlpletly done for £3500 of £1500 for just the kit.

[COZZFATHER]

You could purchase a genesis from rally design too cocker,why ears don't push escort mk1 and 2's i dunno,its not like people are into them anymore

[lee2cossies]

Interesting read.Wonder how many gartracs were converted all together??

[Auto Restoration]

Interesting read.Wonder how many gartracs were converted all together??

Around 30 examples were produced by Gartrac/XR Centre.

I have one of the last Mk3 cars - build number 029 registered July 1986, in Sunburst Red.

[FOCUS RS]

I have build number 31 registered 1 april 1986 in azure blue. Mines possibly the only surviving cabriolet, gartrac converted.

[L8 ECU]

I have build number 31 registered 1 april 1986 in azure blue. Mines the only cabriolet, gartrac converted.

Are you sure it's the only cabriolet?

I ask because the Reynolds brothers (Enfield) deffo had one built.

IIRC it was RED and had a Turbo Systems 500 BHP + engine fitted. It was a magazine featured car too.

EDITED to add that the Gartrac website says they made "a few cabriolet versions"....link:

http://www.gartrac.com/company/gartracG6.htm

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[COZZFATHER]

Are you sure it's the only cabriolet?

I ask because the Reynolds brothers (Enfield) deffo had one built.

IIRC it was RED and had a Turbo Systems 500 BHP + engine fitted. It was a magazine featured car too.

EDITED to add that the Gartrac website says they made "a few cabriolet versions"....link:

http://www.gartrac.com/company/gartracG6.htm

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MR 2 LAPS------------ YOU KNOW IT !!!!!!!!!!!!! AND I KNOW IT-------------!!!!!!!!!!!

but the bloke above doesn't know it

Gartrac did a iffy orion too aswell as cabriolets,the one i have seen in real life was mag featured in performance ford on the front cover and ran rs500 firepower. it was a new build car that got registered on a g reg. a few years later it was stolen and rec and a geezer in runcorn cheshire bought it !!!!!!!!!!! how do i know ??????? well i saw it in a ford magazine again rebuilt stating it was a former mag car that was rebuilt and the guy had a gartrac rally car too, i responded to a advert for a gartrac escort it turned out he was selling and he mentioned he owned the cabriolet gartrac,i got put off because the gartrac car he was selling did not have the arches. basically it killed my interest instantly.