Boy racers start your engines - a 1979 Ford Escort could fetch £170k at auction.

The iconic model won the Isle of Man Manx Rally and is described as "like no other Ford Escort we’ve ever seen" by Silverstone Auctions.

The auctioneers say the car is a "a very famous and well documented ‘Works’ Escort with an unquestionable history that would grace any serious Ford competition car collection."

The right-hand drive model comes with 99,983 miles on the clock and was one of the fastest tarmac-spec Escorts ever built at Ford's motorsport centre in Boreham.

Echo: It was one of the fastest tarmac-spec Escorts ever built at the Essex centreIt was one of the fastest tarmac-spec Escorts ever built at the Essex centre (Image: SWNS / Silverstone Auctions)

British rally legend Russell Brookes won the RACMSA British Open Rally Championship in 1979 in the car.

One of three ‘Monte Tarmac Specials’ built by Ford Motorsport in 1979, and the only right-hand drive version, it was driven by Brookes in the contest.

The Mopar Manx International Trophy Rally was the fifth round in the home international rally championship series and was held on 270 miles of closed public roads in and around the TT course.

Echo: The iconic model won the Isle of Man Manx Rally The iconic model won the Isle of Man Manx Rally (Image: SWNS / Silverstone Auctions)

The 1979 rally was the latest in a line dating from 1963 and had a top class entry from Ford, Saab, Dealer Team Vauxhall, Talbot Sunbeam and Leyland ST.

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Subsequently, the car moved to Ireland in the hands of, reputedly, Ireland's finest rally driver, Billy Coleman, and was later driven by other rallying luminaries such as Bertie Fisher and Vincent Bonner.

Echo: It now bears Billy Coleman's racing coloursIt now bears Billy Coleman's racing colours (Image: SWNS / Silverstone Auctions)

In 2003, it arrived at Montgomery Motorsport where a rebuild and a thorough refresh were deemed necessary while retaining the original shell. It now bears Billy Coleman's racing colours.

The vehicle is being offered with a guide price of £150,000 - £170,000, and will be sold at the Silverstone Auctions Sale of Iconic, Classic and Supercars at Supercar Fest on 20 May at Sywell Aerodrome, Northamptonshire.