Hi All,
Thought it was about time I started something on the car I have spent the last 10 years researching and restoring so it can be enjoyed again.
I will start with a brief overview of the history of the car.
Chassis Number (ZAK E23/75) started life as a Gp 2 Zakspeed Escort in early 1975 in Castrol Livery. Piloted for part of that season by Heyer who won the DRM, division 2 Championship that year.
For 1976 Heyer was given a new Chassis and 23/75 was taken over by young gun Armin Hahne, carried Europa/Mobel Livery. He was to finish second to Heyer that year.
For the 1977 season Gp5 regulations come into play. These were loosely based around the Original Body Shell but allowed a large amount of Poetic License, Kevlar was just starting to be used, for Division 2 weight was down to 735kg.
Early in 1977 23/75 and the sister car were therefor converted by Zakspeed to meet the new Gp 5 regs. Heyer and Hahne were again the Drivers.
Zakspeed did not compete for the whole of the DRM that year as Erich Zakowski was having some disagreement with the Officials. When the cars did race they were very quick indeed.
For the 1978 season 2 new Space frame cars were built and 23/75 was used as the customer car, at the end of this season a few Non Championship races were competed in. One being the Macau Guia Rare in Asia. Zakspeed were now concentrating there efforts on the new Zakspeed Capri. So after this race 23/75 was sold away to Ford of Malaysia to be campaigned in Asia for the coming years with great success. Local Hero Harvey Yap won many races throughout Asia in the following years. Ian Grey of Australia also competed in this car.
23/75 then passed through a few different owners. One being a Leif Norberg who was a Sweed living in KL, he restored the car and used it for several years using it to win the South East Asia Super Car Championship in 1991, in 1992 a very young Alex Yoong drove the car. Leif left Malaysia and moved back home and sold the car away, it again moved through a number of owners. The BDG was removed at some time in this period and a Rotary was fitted with little regard for the car!!
While living and working in Singapore I was told about this "Old Z Speed Escort" in Malaysia. After some question asking and some calls I was taken to see what was the remains of a very important but now a very well used up 23/75 in a small workshop in Johor Malaysia in 1999, soon after purchase it and sent it home to NZ in 2000.
Restoration started proper in 2001 when we returned from Singapore back to Christchurch.
