Once in a while Bobby comes across what can only be called a showstopper. It doesn’t have to be the most expensive, or the latest, but it has to have that something that makes you look twice.
Ryno Hattingh’s 1967 MK1 1.3 Ford Escort Deluxe can veritably be said to be one of those rare birds. Just the green-to-purple paint flip accomplishes the head turning bit, and the gedropte style loosens those, erm, bolts.
This car has been competing in show and shine events for years and has gone through many changes, yet this latest makeover was completed last November, and Ryno, who is from Thornton, takes the opportunity to express his creative flair in doing most of the work himself.
Ryno says: “The job will never be complete, there is still lots I want to do but don’t want to reveal any plans yet. I will say it’s mostly upgrades and neatening up a bit more.”
As you can see, this MK1 has a fair share of mods. Joe Klein, who did the shoot and is a veteran judge at shows, says: “A part of building a show car is being able to do changes that the petrolheads and judges will notice straight away when they see the car at an event.
TOY FOR BOYS: A mini-me adorns a shelf in the boot of Ryno's cabbie
The exterior makes this grade. With a colour that flips from purple to green, this shade of what can only be called mystic violet was sprayed by the man himself. Up front you are greeted with a set of Golf Mk1crystal head lights and indicator flickers.
Nowadays any serious prepping for show and shine involves some sort of lowering. This particular ride is slammed to floor with the body nicely tucking a set of Autoquip wheels, wrapped in 185 by 35 R17 profile rubber.
After acquitting himself on the rather hard ride of eibach (snybach) springs, Ryno opted for the more fashionable, and comfortable, air suspension setup. Setting to work in his garage, Ryno installed the setup, consisting of a 10 litre Viair tank with a 444cc compressor and half inch solenoid valves. The front air bag struts were made to fit by Anwar from Outlaw Air-Wurx.
Inside the Ford everything is either trimmed or sprayed in white. A Momo steering wheel, pedals and number of aftermarket goodies were fitted giving the Deluxe an updated look.
DETAILED: Immaculate engine bay, tucked and tidied
You can’t miss the fact that there are two steering wheels, which would be decidedly odd if the left one were not connected to the Playstation that sends signal to a 19-inch screen set front and centre, two 7-inch screens located in the sun visors, two 7-inch screens in the boot and an additional 7-incher in the engine bay, nogal.
This last one, we presume, must be for extra entertainment while admiring the engine or, more practically, for those handy Youtube clips about fitting tappet covers. Joe jokes: “With a total of seven screens I hope his TV license is up to date.”
The engine bay, housing an original 1300 motor, is unbelievably clean, wire tucked, smoothed out and covered in a shade of candy pink. Note the attention to detail in the Steri Stumpie canister. The engine breathes easier thanks to the 40 Weber sides and a Powerflow exhaust setup.
The boot is a full customised job using a combination of MDF and fibreglass. The install is home to two Ice Power 12-inch woofers powered by XTC amps, the air tank and the aforementioned screens. Once again a shade of candy pink provides an unmistakeable backdrop.
HANDS ON: Ryno Hattingh does most of the work on his cabbie himself
Joe says: “Overall, the end result of this seven month project is flippin’ awesome. So far this Ford has bagged silverware at car show events, including a few Best of Show awards. A lot of time, money and sweat, maybe some swear words, went into creating a one-of-a-kind showstopper and I must admit, it’s a Flippen Steri Stumpielicious AirScort!”
Ryno says the public can next see his car at Grand Spring Auto hosted by Team Dub Auto Fest at Thornton Primary on 30 September. Oh, and by the way, he has another project due for launch there, an Escort station wagon.