This week we have a legendary car which spanned over 4 decades and 6 different guises. I would imagine that the majority of our fans will have had some sort of experience with the Ford Escort during their life and that led us to do this short recap on the car's wonderful history.
The Escort was introduced in 1967 by Ford as a replacement for the Anglia. The car was rear wheel drive and was powered by one of three engines most commonly; 1.1 litre, 1.3 litre or 1.6 litre. The distinctive design became immensely popular and was equally successful off-road. The Mk1 Escort saw great success under the control of Hannu Mikkola, the famous Finn, winning the 1970 London-Mexico rally.
The second version of the Escort saw Ford of Britain and Germany collaborating on design. The popular 2.0 litre RS2000 was powerful for the time and became popular with enthusiasts who installed the block into the Mk1 and took it racing off road.
1980 saw the third version of the Escort and it brought some monumental changes most notably the movement to front-wheel drive. Ford wanted to tackle the Volkswagen Golf head on with this model and offered a sporty engine, the XR3, from the outset. The first few years were troublesome for Ford and the car's suspension attracted criticism for how rough it was on country roads due to the opposing camber in place.
The next Escort was a facelift but is commonly called the MkIV by modifiers and enthusiasts. It hit the road in 1986 and featured an updated interior and the possibility of having a heated windscreen. Something that was not expected of a car at that price!
The MkV was brought into showrooms in 1990 but did not please the public initially. The engines lacked refinement and the interior was dated due to being borrowed from older models. The famous Sierra Cosworth set tongues wagging with 220bhp and four wheel drive. It soon became the car of choice for professional footballers (imagine Messi or Ronaldo lusting after a Ford these days!) and stood out from the crowd with the huge whale tail spoiler. The Cosworth was effectively a Sierra with Escort body panels however.
As the middle of the 90's came around we saw the MkVI but it was soon replaced by the equally popular Ford Focus. Another home run for Ford. Here at MicksGarage we salute the Ford Escort!
