But what\u2019s the model like? It\u2019s time for an in-depth review and track test. Plus a look at a non-magnet set-up for the Escort.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t forget you can buy the Andy Pipe Racing Escort Mk1 here: https:\/\/www.jadlamracingmodels.com\/scalextric-slot-car-c4237-ford-escort-mk1-andy-pipe-racing\/<\/a> and there’s a digital version here: https:\/\/www.jadlamracingmodels.com\/scalextric-digital-slot-car-c4237-ford-escort-mk1-andy-pipe-racing\/<\/a><\/p>\n To me, the Escort is the<\/i> British saloon car. A best-selling family car, a top circuit racer and a legendary rally car \u2013 well over four million Escorts were sold in the UK between 1968 and 2004, most of them made at the Halewood plant on Merseyside.<\/p>\n Andy Pipe\u2019s race car started out life as a standard two-door 1100cc model. These made up the bulk of the two million Mk1 Escorts made across Europe in the first six years of production. Of course, Andy has turned the basic shell into a magnificent racing machine \u2013 but there were some highly sought-after performance versions available at the time…<\/p>\n Although designed for rallying, Alan Mann’s Twin Cams excited crowds in the British Saloon Car Championship \u2013 Frank Gardner winning the 1968 title. The RS1600 replaced the Twin Cam and was developed at the new Advanced Vehicle Operations (AVO) facility in Essex \u2013 which spawned the Escort Mexico, the BDA engine and the RS2000. This line of Escorts saw plenty of competitive success and also created a new market for \u2018hot\u2019 road cars.<\/p>\n Today, Mark 1 Escorts are extremely desirable. Whether restored as classic road cars, entered in historic rallies or raced on circuits, they fetch hefty prices. That says something about how much the Escort is revered in British car culture.<\/p>\n This Escort mould first appeared in the Scalextric catalogue back in 2006. There have been a couple of dozen road, rally and track versions since then. Of course, there was also a very nice Escort Mexico produced in the 1970s. They all sell well and go for high prices on the collectors\u2019 market.<\/p>\n The Scalextric Mk1 shape \u2013 with the bubble arches \u2013 is perfect to recreate Andy Pipe\u2019s Modified Ford racer. Front and rear bumpers are removed, although there should be a front spoiler. Andy\u2019s car only has one big windscreen wiper, instead of two smaller ones \u2013 plus we don\u2019t get any wing mirrors on the Scalextric model.<\/p>\n However, the overall look of the car is sensational \u2013 from the gold Minilite wheels to an incredibly sharp 1:32 scale rendition of the superb black, cream and gold paint job created by Unique Classics. The details on the decoration are perfect and require a magnifying glass to appreciate fully. It is a top-rate Scalextric Escort and definitely one of the best-looking models in the 2021 catalogue.<\/p>\n Underneath, there\u2019s the updated Digital Plug Ready (DPR) version of the Escort \u2013 making it easy to convert to Scalextric digital using the C8515 digital plug<\/a>. The tyres are 8mm wide and treaded \u2013 which looks a recipe for a decent amount of grip on Scalextric Sport track. On my set-up block, the front tyres are just about sitting on the surface, which means the guide is nice and deep in the slot.<\/p>\n There are six screws to remove \u2013 a pair each front and back to hold the body, plus two more midships to anchor the full-depth interior. This is an old-style layout \u2013 and the interior screws aren\u2019t necessary and can twist the chassis.<\/p>\n Having removed the screws, the body fits very tightly to the underpan \u2013 no chance of any of the nice \u2018body float\u2019 that would improve handling. The front valance is part of the underpan and the front light board has traditional LED \u2018bulbs\u2019 rather than the more up-to-date surface mount version \u2013 although these are on the rear board. The motor is the \u2018slim-can\u2019 FF-050, which is used because it\u2019s all that will fit with the deep interior and narrow underpan. The gearing is the standard 9:27 inline ratio.<\/p>\n If designed today, I suspect the Scalextric Escort would have a tray interior and the bigger Mabuchi S-can motor underneath. The FF-050 motor is quite different from the usual S-can. It is more powerful \u2013 and much of that power comes in very quickly. That\u2019s one reason why there\u2019s a really strong neodymium magnet fitted underneath the motor \u2013 measuring 75g of downforce in the car on my DIY magnet gauge. Most recent cars come in around 45 to 50g. The extra downforce tames the power.<\/p>\n Another reason for that whopping magnet is because the Escort is narrow and top-heavy. The magnet dramatically lowers the centre of gravity to prevent the car from tipping over. However, the extra downforce will also heat up the motor quite quickly \u2013 so best to keep to short sprint races. I\u2019ve seen people mention their new Escorts have \u2018burnt out\u2019 or stopped after 15 minutes \u2013 this is probably why. If you prefer to run without magnets, heat won\u2019t be an issue \u2013 but the Escort will be a challenge to tune.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s see how the car performs on our Jadlam SL6 Test Track<\/a>…<\/p>\n The standard set-up gives a quick and well-planted car, which brakes nicely when I lift off the throttle. That magnet certainly tames the slim-can motor and allows the Escort to carry some good speed through the corners. Push too hard and the car tips onto its roof or side \u2013 there is no warning and no rear end slide to control. The only place I managed anything approaching a slide was through a fast left-right section just before the end of the lap.<\/p>\n Cranking up the ARC app for a 2-minute timed run, I managed 24 laps<\/strong> and a best of 4:44 seconds<\/strong> \u2013 but the car was twitchy and I rolled it three times. One thing I noticed was the motor was getting very hot after just those two minutes of running.<\/p>\n There are a few things I like to do to a new car to improve handling<\/strong> \u2013 loosen the screws, re-profile the pick-up braids and scuff up the rear tyres. You can read more about these tweaks here<\/a>. First, I loosened the four body screws and completely removed the two that anchor the cockpit. That allowed the body to rattle just a little on the underpan \u2013 but was it enough to make the car more stable going into corners? Another 2-minute test run gave me a clean run of 26 laps<\/strong> and a best time of 4:30 seconds<\/strong>. The car felt much better, although the motor was still getting hot.<\/p>\n Next, I re-profiled the braids by unhooking the bottom flap and bending it backwards. This reduces the thickness of the braid and gets the guide deeper in the slot \u2013 a big deal for cars that understeer. A 2-minute run gave 26 laps<\/strong> and a best of 4:28 seconds<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Finally, I scuffed up the tyres on my DIY tyre truer. The Escort\u2019s tyres are treaded, so this isn\u2019t such a big deal as with slick tyres \u2013 but it will remove the worst of any moulding imperfections. I then gave the tyres a good clean on some masking tape. In another 2-minute run, the Escort completed 27 laps<\/strong> \u2013 almost 28 \u2013 with a best time of 4:11 seconds<\/strong>. That will put Andy Pipe\u2019s Escort high up on the SL6 leaderboard<\/a>, so those three simple tweaks are worth doing to get your Escorts handling better and going faster. They won’t sort out the heat issue though.<\/p>\n I love this Escort and I want to have maximum fun with it on the track. I\u2019m sure Andy is delighted his car beats some of the latest Scalextric GT3 cars \u2013 but I\u2019m not 100% sure that\u2019s realistic\u2026 My preference is for it to be less stuck down and much more \u2018loose\u2019 in the corners. That means running with no traction magnet \u2013 which should also avoid the motor overheating so quickly.<\/p>\n I started by simply taking out the traction magnet \u2013 it comes out easily once the rear axle and motor are removed. That gave a wildly tail-out car with non-stop power slides. Using the ARC App, I reduced the Max Power setting (via Driver Set-up) to 75% and made sure the Throttle Curve was set to \u2018Profile A\u2019. That meant the car was more controllable and more fun. A 2-minute run gave just 15 laps<\/strong> and best time of 7:07 seconds<\/strong>. But it was good fun – and the motor was barely warm.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.jadlamracingmodels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Mk1.1-1.jpg\")
<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\nThe Real Ford Escort<\/h4>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.jadlamracingmodels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Mk2.1.jpg\")
<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.jadlamracingmodels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Mk2.2.jpg\")
<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\nThe Scalextric Model<\/h4>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.jadlamracingmodels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Mk3.2.jpg\")
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<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\nThe Mechanical Stuff<\/h4>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.jadlamracingmodels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Mk4.1.jpg\")
<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.jadlamracingmodels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Mk4.2.jpg\")
<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.jadlamracingmodels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Mk5.1.jpg\")
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<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\nTrack Performance<\/h4>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.jadlamracingmodels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Mk6.2.jpg\")
<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.jadlamracingmodels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Mk6.1.jpg\")
<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.jadlamracingmodels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Mk7.3.jpg\")
<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.jadlamracingmodels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Mk7.2.jpg\")
<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.jadlamracingmodels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Mk8.1.jpg\")
<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.jadlamracingmodels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Mk8.2.jpg\")
<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\nMag-less Escort<\/h4>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.jadlamracingmodels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Mk9.3.jpg\")
<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.jadlamracingmodels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Mk9.2.jpg\")
<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blog.jadlamracingmodels.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Mk10.jpg\")
<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n