Ford Escort 1968 - 2000 - History of cars

Ford Escort

At the end of 1967, Ford United Kingdom and Ford Germany merged into Ford Europe. The first model to catch the light of day in the collaboration of both divisions was the Ford Escort, which over the years became a Ford legend and today holds the record as the best-selling Ford car of all time.

Ford Escort Mk 1 (1968 - 1975) 
Escort was introduced to the audience in late 1967 as a 1968 model and as a replacement for the famous, but very outdated, Anglia model. Production began in England, Germany and Israel, and Escort became a big hit overnight. This was especially noticeable in England, where Escort broke out in first place in sales, and great success was recorded throughout Europe where the only Opel Kadett was a better seller. After just six years on the market, Ford has sold two million Escorts, a record in Europe to this day, and it is estimated that the UK accounted for about 60% of that number. The buyer was given a choice of two- and four-door sedans, a caravan and a small van. All models came with rear traction and power was transmitted to the rear wheels via four manual or three speed automatic transmissions. On the design side, it is believed that the Escort was inspired by a bottle of Coca-Cola that American designers insisted on, and this design proved so popular that by 1970, similar designs were seen on two other Ford models, the Cortina and the Taunus. The choice of engine came down to gasoline only, with the most popular options being the 1.1L and 1.3L. The tiny 940cc was available in some markets, but very few were sold. The model was named 1300GT and, as its name implies, it was powered by a 1.3L Kent engine. This model also had a modified suspension and more equipment, and was marketed as Escort Sport in some markets. Earlier on offer was an Escort Twin Cam with a 1.5L engine that was being developed by Lotus, but left no significant mark. Probably the most significant Escort a generation ago was the RS1600. Under its hood was a 1.6L engine made by Cosworth, and in addition to more power and better equipment, these models were also lighter than the rest of the series. The Escort Mk 1 has also had a lot of success in the rally. The RS1600 was one of the most successful rally cars from the late 1960s to the early 1970s, with the biggest victory coming in 1970 when the RS1600 beat London to Mexico a world rally with driver Hannu Mikkola. It is worth mentioning that Ford also briefly produced the RS2000, which featured a 2.0L Pinto engine. The RS2000 has had many sports successes and is considered one of the most deserving cars for something that will become known as the hot hatch revolution in the future.

Ford Escort Mk 2 (1975 - 1980)
Unlike the Escort Mk 1, which was mostly developed by the British, the Escort Mk 2 was a joint project of British and German Ford. Known as the Brand during development, the Mk 2 has not changed technically significantly compared to the Mk 1. The poorly sold 950cc engine was still on offer, but now only in the Italian market while most buyers opted for 1.1L and 1.3L engines. Just like the previous ones, the buyer still got a choice of two- and four-door sedans, a station wagon and a small van, and in addition to Britain and Germany, production now also existed in Ireland. The Mk 2 continued to be popular where the Mk 1 left off and was still the best-selling car in Britain and one of the best-selling cars in Europe. On the design side, the Escort still looked like its predecessor, but provided more modern lines. The Mk 2 also continued a very successful series in the rally, and the model that attracted the most attention was the RS1800. This model had a 1.8L engine with 270 hp, and it is believed that Ford made only 50 of the requested 400 copies for homologation. The RS1800 is also the only Ford in history to win a driver’s championship in the same season (Bjorn Waldegard, 1979) and a constructor’s title while another Escort driver, Hanna Mikkola, came in second. The Escort Mk 2 was also used in the rally and in the 1981 season when Ari Vatanen won the last title for Ford. Also very famous Escort in that period was RS2000 which was produced in England and Britain. This model had a 2.0L engine with 110 hp and acceleration to 100 km / h in 8.9 seconds. This model is most easily recognized by a special body kit and rims. The Escort Mk 2 was a great success for Ford, which was also tested in foreign markets. From 1975 to 1980, the Escort was also produced and sold in Australia and New Zealand, but it did not leave a significant impression and in 1981 it was replaced by the Ford Laser, which was made in collaboration with Mazda.

Ford Escort Mk 3 (1980 - 1986)
The third-generation Escort was introduced to the audience as a global product, and for the first time, North America received its version. Ford's plan is for the two models to share design but different mechanics. The biggest difference from its predecessors was the traction, which was now being carried to the front wheels, and Ford opted for the move after the great success of Volkswagen Golf. Another major change was the lack of a sedan so the customer was now given a choice of three- and five-door hatchbacks, convertibles and station wagons. A little later, the model also came with an Orion model, which was identical to the Escort, but came only in the sedan version. This hatchback style proved so good that in the future it served as a base for other successful Ford's, such as the Sierra and Scorpio. Much attention was drawn to the convertible, made in collaboration with the famous German house Karmann, which was also the first Ford convertible in Europe since the early 1960s. The choice of engine again fell to petrol, this time 1.1L, 1.3L and 1.6L while most vehicles were equipped with a five-speed manual transmission (three-speed automatic was an option). Although criticism came at the expense of a suspension that did not perform well on the difficult British roads, the audience received a great deal of this car, which was named the Car of the Year in Europe in 1981. Looking to fight the Volkswagen GTI in a hot hatch class, Ford introduced the Escort XR3. This model was powered by a 1.3L engine and quickly gained popularity, and the same engine was later offered in the turbo version. The sporty RS1600 was still an option, and in 1983 the Escort got its first diesel engine, which, although it only developed 54 hp and had a top speed of 144 km / h, was quite economical and averaged only 3.2 liters per 100 kilometers. Sales in the UK were still high, but Ford had even more reason to celebrate in America, where the Escort became the best-selling car.

Ford Escort Mk 4 (1986 - 1990)
With minimal design changes, the fourth-generation Escort was introduced as a 1986 model and its main feature was aerodynamics. Although much like its predecessor, the Escort was largely new and provided equipment available mainly on more expensive models. A more luxurious Ghia version was also on sale, and the choice of engine was down to 1.1L, 1.3L, 1.4L and 1.6L gasoline and 1.6L and 1.8L diesel. The sporty XR3 model provided a 1.6L 105hp engine while the identical turbocharged 132hp engine was under the hood of the RS model. The customer was still getting a choice of hatchbacks and caravans while the Orion model was the sedan version. And the Mk 4 was a very successful model and retained the top spot of the best selling models in the UK. Across the ocean in North America, Escort has moved to a new formula with a specific design for the US market. For the first time in its history, the Escort has excelled in Brazil, where it provided 1.8L and 2.0L engines in collaboration with Volkswagen.

Ford Escort Mk 5 (1990-1995)
The fifth-generation escort is one of the models for which the audience had the highest expectations and eagerly awaited its presentation. However, after the presentation, the audience was very disappointed. Not only did the Escort lose the charm it once had, but many customers were very disappointed with the quality of the interior. Despite all the flaws, Escort was quite popular among the audience and by 1992, it had broken out in first place in terms of sales in Britain. The Orion twin was less popular and dropped from the list of the ten best-selling vehicles in Britain. The situation improved in 1991 with the introduction of new engines and the return of the sporty XR3 version, but the biggest news came in 1992. In that year, Ford introduced the RS Cosworth, which provided a 2.0L engine with 227 hp and a top speed of 225 km / h. as well as traction on all four wheels. The easiest way to recognize the RS Cosworth is high beets, and Ford’s original plan was to produce just 2,500 units for rally homologation. However, as the popularity of this model was great, Ford continued its production, and some of the biggest names in the WRC, such as Tommy Makinen and Carlos Sainz, drove the Escort. Successful production continued in Brazil in cooperation with Volkswagen, so it was possible to get an Escort with a 2.0L engine from Volkswagen Golf. The first major changes followed in 1992, which Ford began working on in 1990 after criticism for the new model. All models now had direct fuel injection as well as disc brakes, and all-wheel drive was also optional on some models. Also new to 1993 were the 1.3L and 1.4L petrol engines as well as the 1.8L diesel. The Orion was phased out after 1993, and the sedan was added to the Escort line.

Ford Escort Mk 6 (1995-2000)
Although still based on its predecessor, the sophisticated Escort Mk 6 was introduced to the public in 1995. The design was changed to the extent that customers noticed the new model while the interior was refined and provided the highest quality materials. The suspension was also improved and the Escort represented one of the main cars in the class. The RS2000 finished production in 1996 and was the last RS Ford until 2002 when the Focus RS was introduced. 1998 was also the last year for the Ghia model, also the first Ford compact in the European market with a standard climate. That same year, Ford introduced a new model, the Focus, and the Escort series was reduced only to sedans and outwards, with 1.6L petrol and 1.8L diesel engines as options. When Focus, with its more modern design, broke out in first place in sales in Britain and in third place in sales in Europe (with the European Car of the Year Award), Ford quietly shut down the Escort at the end of 2000. In its 32 years of production, Ford produced approximately 20 million Escorts, making it the best-selling Ford car and, after the F-Series, the second best-selling vehicle ever to leave Ford's factories.

Author: Talladega
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Mladen

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