There are very expensive collectible scale models and there is scale model that costs more to make than any other scale model cars we have seen to date. The 1:25 scale Classic Ford Escort made by Russell Lord, a professional jeweler who has a burning passion for Ford Escort, is one the latter. Obviously, this ain’t your run-of-the-mill die-cast scale model.
Based on the works rally car driven by Ari Vatanen in the late 1970s, the Mk2 Escort, this particular model is more of a jewelry than a scale model car. The scale model has insane amount of details set in silver, gold and precious stones.
The car’s shiny body is made of silver, complemented by gold brakes and spoiler, and it has 18-carat gold wheels and hood hinges, 18-carat white gold front grille, 70 pointer (0.70-carat) diamond headlights, orange sapphire indicators and ruby rear brake lights, a Ford logo represented by a salon cabochon sapphire, a diamond topper on the gear stick, and it is embellished with no less than 600 fine Black Russian diamonds.
Other noteworthy details include spinning pulleys on the front of the engine, a moving diamond-encrusted platinum gear stick, and real glass windows that were sourced by sacrificing countless vases just to locate sections of glass with the exact right curve. Works on this one-off scale model began two and half decades ago as an on-and-off hobby, but it was not until three years ago that Lord decided that it was time to wrap it up.
All told, it took Lord 2,500 hours and costs £78,000 on the materials alone to create this one-of-a-kind example. What amazes us is, he did it without the need for any plan because, the details of the Escort are all in his head. Not surprisingly, Lord isn’t just any Ford Escort enthusiast; his love for this model of Ford can only be described as feverish. That also explains how he had, over the years, own 55 full-sized Ford Escort cars.
Despite having spent countless hours and money in this one-off creation, Lord isn’t looking for any monetary return. Instead, Russell Lord’s 1:25 Scale Silver Gold and Diamonds Ford Escort will go under the hammer on The Market on May 2 and the proceeds from the sale will be directed to SNAP (Special Needs And Parents), an Essex charity for families with children and young people who have any special need or disability. Way to go, Russell.
All images courtesy of The Market.
