Urban explorer uncovers ultra-rare Ford Escort in a car graveyard
- An urban explorer visited a car graveyard
- A rare Ford Escort Mark 2 van was found rotting away
- An even older Ford Escort was discovered just outside
Published on Sep 19, 2024 at 2:53 AM (UTC+4)
by Claire Reid
Last updated on Sep 20, 2024 at 2:13 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
An urban explorer discovered an abandoned car graveyard that was home to a super-rare Ford Escort Mark 2 van.
The Ford Escort was launched all the way back in 1968 and was an extremely popular model for the marque.
The second generation – or Mk 2 – was produced between 1974 and 1980.
Ford Escort cars were hugely popular – regularly topping the UK best-seller list throughout the 80s and 90s – but the vans were a little less common.
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The Ford Escort Mark 2 van had clearly seen better days
But urban explorer Stuart Stokes – better known as IMSTOKZE – discovered one example rotting away in a UK barn.
Stokes is no stranger to cool and unusual barn finds – he previously checked out a breathtaking collection of classic Range Rovers and unearthed a rare, one-of-1000 Maserati in a junkyard.
On a recent adventure, he was invited out to a car graveyard that was strewn with abandoned vehicles including a couple of Ford Escorts.
A barn on the property contained a rusting and rare Ford Escort Mk2 van – which had sadly seen better days.
“Wow this is unreal,” Stokes said.
“I’d love an Escort, I would.
“It looks pretty good and is quite clean.”
Rust, dirt and grime coated the van’s bodywork, while its interiors had been almost entirely stripped out.
Stokes explained that the van had been in the process of being restored but things hadn’t quite gone to plan and it was ‘evicted’ from where it had previously been stored and was now kept at the barn.
There was another classic Escort outside
“This has been off the road for a very long time as you can imagine,” he said.
“It’s got good bones and some of it is still really clean.
“Hopefully this one will be back on the road soon.”
Outside, Stokes spots a Mark 1 Ford Escort parked on the grass.
Sadly, much like the van in the barn, this Ford Escort is a pretty bad state.
Giving the car a once-over, Stokes commented that it had become a ‘plant pot’ with greenery growing up through holes in the car’s underside. Not ideal.
It’s glasswork had all gone, while the interiors – now fully exposed to the elements – had more than the average wear and tear.
Still, the two Ford Escorts could make an interesting little project for someone with the right expertise.
Claire Reid is a journalist who hails from the UK but is now living in New Zealand. She began her career after graduating with a degree in Journalism from Liverpool John Moore’s University and has more than a decade of experience, writing for both local newspapers and national news sites. Across her career she's covered a wide variety of topics, including celebrity, cryptocurrency, politics, true crime and just about everything in between.
