Gartrac made their earliest acquaintance with David Sutton who was the director away from Clark & Simpson have been Ford buyers from inside the Sloane Square, London area. The vehicles were predominantly basic with no move cages, yet not Gartrac provided uprated suspension system and you can running hardware portion into experiences.
Just prior to the beginning of this new rally Dave Bignold is asked by Ford to visit as much as Clark & Simpson and you will complement butt treat absorber turrets on the Rauno Aaltonen’s Ford Escort 1850 GT. The installation was done rapidly more a week-end and Aaltonen’s auto was ready to participate on the rally.
From the early 70s, Gartrac changed Escort Mk1 bodyshells to possess Clark & Simpson for the London area
The newest London area – Mexico World Cup rally started at Wembley Stadium inside the London to the April nineteenth 1970 level around 16,000 miles by way of European countries and South america and completing into the Mexico Town on 27th 1970. The function are very winning to own Ford with Hannu Mikola and you may Gunnar Hand successful brand new rally and you may Rauno Aaltonen and you will Henry Liddon doing third.
Gartrac continued developing pieces into Escort Mk1 rally autos. In the early 70s some other popular profit was Hannnu Mikkola and you can Gunnar Palm’s 1972 Safari Rally win regarding Escort RS 1600. The Hamburg curvy escort pair manage need an earlier head that they never lost and you may turned the initial low-African crew so you’re able to win the latest Eastern African Safari Rally.
70s – The new Works Escort Mk2
These types of variations was mostly suitable surprise absorber turrets, steel ripple arches and you can reworking axle’s. Gartrac do tailor dos-step 3 bodyshells a week for a number of ages.
Gartrac is actually expanding within the character as well as the pure quantity of really works meant which they had a need to move from the short workshop within the Farnham, Surrey. It quickly located a special big workshop for the Godalming, Surrey, enabling them to undertake much more personnel, and thus its output grew drastically.
Ford had merely presented new Escort Mk2 and you may realized Gartrac’s fast development. Ford wanted a fabrication team that will develop Escort Mk2 bodyshells and bits due to their performs rally team.
It wanted the new Mk2 bodyshells getting identical with an equipment away from parts you to fitted all the vehicles; this is untrue toward Mk1. Per drivers’ auto mechanic will have their particular concept of an informed way to make a motor vehicle, definition zero several automobiles would be the same. Which caused dilemmas when servicing the cars towards the occurrences, just like the parts did not complement universally.
This new functions Escort Mk1 bodyshells was basically fabricated of the Gomm Steel Improvements. These shells were gasoline welded or nickel bronzed hence lay higher temperatures and you may fret toward matter, hence triggered deformation and fuel dilemmas. Ford wished new Escort Mk2 is welded utilizing the the fresh new mig welding process. Gartrac had been playing with mig welders for a while which aided safe a first order for five bodyshells are brought to their perfect requirements.
Gartrac duly done the order and you may Ford is actually so proud of the grade of the fresh new design it quickly developed Gartrac in order to entirely write Escort Mk2 bodyshells for the performs class.
Ford including accredited Gartrac in order to make parts which may standardise the mechanic’s make process. They fabricated a giant group of pieces including axle’s, distance rods, pedalboxes, energy tanks and petroleum tanks and you will suspension section.
Gartrac got a no cost leadership during the time supply suggestions on exactly how Ford makes the cars finest and so they observed its pointers a little readily because vehicles had been is faster, healthier and more reliable.
The fresh patterns was indeed modifying right through the day. Gartrac tends to make adjustment into the axle to improve traction, Ford would upcoming posting illustrations to add the alterations. They will upcoming develop some other variations to have Tarmac and you will Forest software. An identical procedure was utilized to develop other areas instance new engine crossmembers, sump protect kits, pedalboxes and you will suspension bits.
