Professionals RS 2000

[bizbaz]

does any body know what happened to the rs2000 that was used in the show, i know that some of the capris still exist, but never heard about the escort.

[bizbaz]

i have just found out that this car has been found in a pretty poor state,
but restoration is being started this year,

[topaz]

anyone know about the lock stock car?

i seen it advertised a while back, wish id bought it

[RS2000CUSTOM]

Here you go TOPAZ

[topaz]

yep, i heard it had holes on the bonnet from camera mountings

dunno where its gone, it was in the auto trader

[Frosticles]

http://www.personal.u-net.com/~carnf...s/profcars.htm Copy and paste this into your browser and have a look. Very interesting

[RS2000CUSTOM]

Car: Ford Escort Mark II RS2000
Colour: Diamond White
License Plate: PNO 641T (False) / PNO 672R (Genuine)
Main Driver: Doyle
Episodes: 1978 and 1979 episodes
Comments: Even today this particular model of Escort remains a cult classic and commands four figure values - the ordinary ones are worth less than a few hundred quid!

Despite the post-July 1978 registration, Doyle's car was actually of 1976 vintage: the FORD lettering on the rear (rather than the blue oval badge) being the biggest give-away, plus a few other subtle decal designs such as the wide waistline stripes. The car's genuine number was PNO 672R.

Jason Mitchell, a member of the RS Owners club, and John O'Connell tell me there were rumours that the Doylemobile was stolen (!) just prior to commencement of shooting on the 1980 episodes, which led to the production team supplying both lads with Capris. However it's far more likely that the car was simply returned to Ford after shooting the 1979 episodes, particularly as LWT were on the brink of axing the series anyway. When the show was reprieved in March 1980, the official line is that as Ford were about to launch a radical new version of the Escort range, they were concerned that Martin Shaw would be seen driving an "old" model and so supplied Mark 1 with another Capri (it would be some time before they would launch a sports version of the Mark III Escort).

The tilt-slide sunroof appears to be a unique factory-fit add-on but if you take a careful look at 'Rogue' - the first ep to be actually filmed for the second season - you'll see the car doesn't have this highly desirable extra at that point. However by the time the next segment was filmed, 'Hunter/Hunted', it has been fitted. If you consider that the car is not seen until towards the end of this ep, I'm guessing that it was away having the sunroof fitted while Doyle chased about in the Jag. The reason for adding the sunroof was that the dark interior of the car made filming from inside it problematic. (Thanks to Ash George and Classic Ford magazine.)

Of all the famous vehicles seen in the show, the RS has proved the most sought-after and elusive. Frustratingly neither Mark 1 nor LWT retained useful documentation on the series which would have revealed the car's true identity. But the sunroof should have made it easy to track down were it still around. Efforts by fans proved fruitless and many of us suspected it had been scrapped many years ago. Yet from 1979 to 1995 the car actually passed through the hands of many people - most of them oblivious to its history...

Then in November 2003 a local newspaper carried a "for sale" advert for an RS2000 of 1976 vintage. Not too unusual, except that the then-owner happened to mention the sunroof. By happy accident a Professionals fan - who subsequently became the new owner - discovered that the car was indeed the very same one used in the show...

Close inspection revealed that the sunroof appears to be unique, being an extra-large custom-made job (not, as previously thought, the same design used on Granadas of the time). Most surprisingly it is electrically powered. The other giveaway was the loudspeaker mounted in its sun-visor - still there today!

So why did the car disappear for all these years? What appears to have happened is that a specialist RS dealer acquired the car once it left the show in late 1979. Advertising it as "The Professionals" car it was sold to a private buyer for almost the same amount of money as a brand new model, despite it being three years old by this time! A few years later the car was sold on again and this is where it slipped into obscurity. The new owner, although aware of the car's history, does not appear to have mentioned this when he sold it on himself in the mid-1980s. For this reason the string of owners over the next ten years were oblivious to its Professionals connection - not too surprising given that no Professionals fans knew the car's genuine registration number.

Over the years the car naturally deteriorated and was taken off the road in 1995, the owner at that time intending to restore it. For whatever reason this didn't happen and the chap decided to sell the car "as is" in 2003.

At the time of this update (December 2003), the car needs extensive restoration work which the present owner will not be able to commence until well into 2004. I hope to be able to publish news and pictures of the project in progress!

The entire Escort range was replaced in 1980 with the useful Mark III hatchbacks but a slide into mediocrity and questionable quality for the UK-built car which Ford have only just started to turn round. After numerous revamps and relaunches, the Escort name was abandoned in 1998 and replaced with the Focus: a car whose startling appearance and improved build quality is helping to re-establish Ford's mid-range credibility.

[Frosticles]

I couldn't do that!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH

[RS2000CUSTOM]

I couldn't do that!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH

lol - thats why I is the webmaster !!

[Robb]

professionals

Wow Top bloke Top site

[KL]

Professionals RS2000

[Frosticles]

he he, superb. Just got the DVD off Amazon of all the 57 episodes Cool price of £42 as well. Might just give me an excuse to stay in for once!!!!

[Robb]

pro

Are there any more? or how about making some back up copies

[Frosticles]

Think they surface from time to time. You could also try www.cdwow.co.uk