There are times in everyone’s life when the desire to own the vehicles that were out of reach as a youth, whether their initial cost was prohibitively expensive or the sky high insurance premiums proved a bridge too far, becomes a reality due to the changing fortunes that aging brings. And it’s this position that fans of the Ford Scorpio, of which there are many, will have found themselves in recently when browsing the latest sales brochure offered by the rather marvelous folk down at Classic Car Auctions (CCA). As it’s here that a pre-production 1991 Ford Granada Scorpio, used exclusively by Ford for training purposes, was offered at auction on 3rd December at the Warwickshire Exhibition Centre.
As most fans of Fords from the early nineties will already know, this Scorpio is an incredibly rare find, build quality not being what it is today. This particular car, MotorMartin has been told, was saved from destruction by its current owner with just 1,325 miles on the clock and has spent almost all of its life in dry, heated storage having never been road registered. Incredible.
Ford have explained to MotorMartin that the right-hand drive, automatic 24V example had been donated to a technical college in Belfast, Northern Ireland, to be used for the training of technicians before the production model was launched to the open market and that after a stint in Belfast, the car then visited numerous colleges across Country Antrim as it continued its career as a test vehicle. However, once training phases were completed, the car was put into a storage facility.
Training cars were usually scrapped at this stage, but this car, with its demanding technical specification, remained in storage for a number of years. However, when the current owner, a lecturer at the college, heard that it had been scheduled for disposal, he stepped in to take ownership of the car and save it from being destroyed.
“When I heard the car was going to be destroyed I just couldn’t let it happen,” explained the car’s owner to MotorMartin. “It’s in stunning condition and has barely been used. I planned to keep the car forever, but a change in my circumstances means that, sadly, I have to let it go. I’m hoping another Ford fanatic, like myself, will give the car a good home.”
Classic Car Auctions have shared with MotorMartin that today, after years of careful preservation, the car appears to be in incredible ‘time-warp’ condition. An inspection of the car reveals that all electrical items are fully functioning, with the interior and exterior looking ‘as new’, commensurate with its tiny mileage.
Presented in stunning black with a black leather interior, this unique Ford will be offered at ‘No Reserve’ when it goes to auction.
“This car has spent almost all of its life preserved in heated, dry storage and has an unbelievably low mileage for a car that’s 25 years old,” commented Guy-Lees Milne, auctions manager at CCA to MotorMartin. “Ford fans and collectors won’t find another pre-production, training car out there in this condition on the market.”
To find out more about the 1991 Ford Granada Scorpio and CCA’s December Sale, please visit http://www.classiccarauctions.co.uk/1991-ford-granada-scorpio-24v, as even if you are not in a position to make a bid, there are many more superb classics to view, all whilst lamenting that car, 30 years ago, that you really should have kept hold of if funds and circumstances had allowed.
Where will you go?