The Ford Escort is a small family car that was manufactured by Ford of Europe from 1968 until 2004. In total, the six generations were spread across three basic platforms: the original, rear-wheel-drive Mk.1/Mk.2 (1968–1980), the "Erika" front-wheel-drive Mk.3/Mk.4 (1980–1992), and the final CE-14 Mk.5/Mk.6 (1990–2002) version. Its successor, the Ford Focus, was released in 1998, but the final generation of Escort was phased out gradually, with the panel van version ending production in 2002 in favour of the Ford Transit Connect.
The Escort was frequently the best-selling car in Britain during the 1980s and 1990s. More than 4.1 million Escorts of all generations were sold there over a period of 33 years.
In 2014, Ford revived the Escort name for a car based on the second-generation Ford Focus, sold in the Chinese market.
Ford Escort 100E (1955)
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The first use of the "Ford Escort" name was for a reduced-specification version of the Ford Squire, a 1950s estate-car version of the British Ford Anglia 100E.
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File:Ford Escort 100E.jpg|Ford Escort 100E
File:Ford Escort (1957) (28915000433).jpg|Ford Escort 100E
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First generation (1967)
The Mark I Ford Escort was introduced in Ireland and the United Kingdom at the end of 1967, making its show debut at the Brussels Motor Show in January 1968. It replaced the successful, long-running Anglia. The Escort was also presented in Europe as the first passenger car to be developed by the merged Ford of Europe (the Transit van having been the first product of this collaboration). Escort production commenced at the Halewood plant in England during the closing months of 1967, and for left-hand-drive markets during September 1968 at the Ford plant in Genk.
Initially, the continental Escorts differed slightly under the skin from the UK-built ones. The front suspension and steering gear were configured differently and the brakes were fitted with dual hydraulic circuits; also, the wheels fitted on the Genk-built Escorts had wider rims. At the beginning of 1970, continental European production transferred to a new plant on the edge of Saarlouis, West Germany.
The Escort was a commercial success in several parts of Western Europe, but nowhere more so than in the UK, where the national bestseller of the 1960s, BMC's Austin/Morris 1100 was beginning to show its age, while Ford's own Cortina had grown, both in dimensions and in price, beyond the market niche at which it had originally been pitched. It competed with the Vauxhall Viva, and from early 1970, the Rootes Group's Hillman Avenger.
In June 1974, six years after the car's UK introduction, Ford announced the completion of the two-millionth Ford Escort, a milestone hitherto unmatched by any Ford model outside the US. Ford also stated that 60% of the two million Escorts had been built in Britain. In West Germany, cars were built at a slower rate of around 150,000 cars per year, slumping to 78,604 in 1974, which was the last year for the Escort Mk1. Many of the German built Escorts were exported, notably to Benelux and Italy; from the perspective of the West German domestic market, the car was cramped and uncomfortable when compared with the well-established and comparably priced Opel Kadett, and it was technically primitive when set against the successful imported Fiat 128 and Renault 12. Subsequent generations of the Escort closed the gap somewhat, but in Europe's largest auto market, Escort sales volumes always came in significantly behind those of the General Motors Kadett and its Astra successor.
thumb|left|Just over two months after the launch of the saloon/sedan, Ford announced a three-door station wagon / estate version of their new Escort. The Escort had conventional rear-wheel drive and a four-speed manual gearbox or three-speed automatic transmission. The suspension consisted of MacPherson strut front suspension and a simple live axle mounted on leaf springs. The Escort was the first small Ford to use rack-and-pinion steering. The Mark I featured contemporary styling cues in tune with its time: a subtle Detroit-inspired "Coke bottle" waistline and the "dogbone" shaped front grille – perhaps the car's main stylistic feature. Similar Coke bottle styling featured in the larger Cortina Mark III, launched in 1970 (a visually similar reskinned version of the Cortina was built in West Germany as the Taunus).
thumb|left|Less than two years after launch, Ford offered a four-door version of the Escort.
Initially, the Escort was sold as a two-door saloon (with circular front headlights and rubber flooring on the "De Luxe" model). The "Super" model featured rectangular headlights, carpets, a cigar lighter, and a water temperature gauge. A two-door estate was introduced at the end of March 1968, which, with the back seat folded down, provided a 40% increase in maximum load space over the old Anglia 105E estate, according to the manufacturer. The estate featured the same engine options as the saloon, but it also included a larger, clutch, stiffer rear springs, and in most configurations, slightly larger brake drums or discs than the saloon.
thumb|[[Roger Clark (rally driver)|Roger Clark's 1972 RAC Rally-winning Escort RS1600]]
A 1300GT performance version was fitted with a tuned 1.3 L crossflow (OHV) engine with a Weber carburetor and uprated suspension. This version featured additional instrumentation with a tachometer, battery charge indicator, and oil pressure gauge. The same tuned 1.3 L engine was also used in a variation sold as the Escort Sport, that used the flared front wings from the AVO range of cars, but featured trim from the more basic models. Later, an "executive" version of the Escort was produced known as the "1300E". This featured the same 13-inch road wheels and flared wings of the Sport, but was trimmed in an upmarket fashion for the time, with wood trim on the dashboard and door cappings.
A higher-performance version for rallies and racing was available, the Escort Twin Cam, built for Group 2 international rallying. It had an engine with a Lotus-made, eight-valve, twin camshaft head fitted to the 1.5 L non-crossflow block, which had a bigger bore than usual to give a capacity of 1,558 cc. This engine had originally been developed for the Lotus Elan. Production of the Twin Cam, which was originally produced at Halewood, was phased out as the Cosworth-engined RS1600 (RS denoting Rallye Sport) production began. The most famous edition of the Twin Cam was raced on behalf of Ford by Alan Mann Racing in the British Saloon Car Championship in 1968 and 1969, sporting a full Formula 2 Ford FVA 16-valve engine, producing over 200 hp. The Escort, driven by Australian driver Frank Gardner, went on to comfortably win the 1968 championship.
The Mark I Escort became one of the most successful rally cars of all time. The Ford works team was practically unbeatable in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Perhaps the Escort's greatest victory was in the 1970 London to Mexico World Cup Rally, driven by Finland's Hannu Mikkola and Swedish co-driver Gunnar Palm. This gave rise to the Escort Mexico ( crossflow-engined) special-edition road versions in honour of the rally car. Introduced in November 1970, 10,352 Mexico Mark Is were built using bodyshells with additional strengthening panels in high-stress areas, making them more suitable for competition.
In addition to the Mexico, the RS1600 was developed with a 1601 cc Cosworth BDA, which used a crossflow block with a 16-valve Cosworth cylinder head, named "Belt Drive A Series". Both the Mexico and RS1600 were built at Ford's Advanced Vehicle Operations facility located at the Aveley Plant in South Essex. With higher-performance engines and sports suspension, like the Mexico, these models featured the strengthened bodyshell.
Ford also produced an RS2000 model as an alternative to the somewhat temperamental RS1600, featuring a 2.0 L Pinto (OHC) engine. This also clocked up some rally and racing victories and pre-empted the hot hatch market as a desirable but affordable performance road car. Like the Mexico and RS1600, this car was produced at the Aveley plant using the strengthened bodyshell.
The Escort was built in Germany and Britain, as well as in Australia and New Zealand.
Model range
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Model !! Year !! Capacity !! Compression !! Head !! Power/rpm !! Torque/rpm
|-
| Escort 1100 Low Compression || 1968–1970 || 1098 cc || 8:1 || OHV (8V) || at 5300 || at 3000 rpm
|-
| Escort 1100 and Deluxe and Super || 1968–1970 || 1098 cc || 9:1|| OHV (8V) || at 5300 || at 2800 rpm
|-
| Escort 1300 Low Compression || 1968–1970 || 1298 cc || 8:1 || OHV (8V) || at 5000 || at 2400 rpm
|-
| Escort 1300 and Deluxe and Super, Manual and Automatic || 1968–1970 || 1298 cc || 9:1 || OHV (8V) || at 5000 || at 2500 rpm
|-
| Escort 1300 GT || 1968–1970 || 1298 cc || 9.2:1 || OHV (8V) || at 5800 ||
|-
| Escort Twin Cam || 1968–1971 || 1558 cc || 9.4:1 || DOHC (8V) || at 5500 || at 4000 rpm
|-
| Escort 1100 L Low Compression || 1970–1974 || 1098 cc || 8:1 || OHV (8V) || at 6000 || at 3000 rpm
|-
| Escort 1100 L/XL, Manual and Automatic || 1970–1974 || 1098 cc || 9:1 || OHV (8V) || at 6000 || at 3000 rpm
|-
| Escort 1300 L/XL Manual and Automatic|| 1970–1974 || 1298 cc || 9:1 || OHV (8V) || at 5500 || at 3000 rpm
|-
| Escort 1300 GT and Sport || 1970–1974 || 1298 cc || 9.2:1 || OHV (8V) || at 6000 || at 4000 rpm
|-
| Escort 1300E || 1973–1974 || 1298 cc || 9.2:1 || OHV (8V) || at 6000 || at 4000 rpm
|-
| Escort Mexico || 1970–1974 || 1598 cc || 9:1 || OHV (8V) || at 5500 || at 4000 rpm
|-
| Escort RS 1600 || 1970–1974 || 1601 cc || 10:1 || DOHC (16V) || at 6500 || at 4000 rpm
|-
| Escort RS 2000 || 1972–1974 || 1993 cc || 9.2:1 || SOHC (8V) || at 5700 || at 4000 rpm
|}
All models 1100 and 1300 were offered in two-door Saloon, four-door Saloon, and three-door Estate versions.
New Zealand
thumb|right|Ford Escort MK I van
Ford New Zealand's Seaview plant in Lower Hutt built 1.1- and 1.3-litre versions, initially as Deluxe (1.1) and Super (1.3) two-door sedans plus panel vans. The four-door sedan was added in 1970. Trim levels were revised after the 1972 UK facelift with just one run of 1.3XLs (with the GT instrument pack) before these were downgraded to L trim. Base and L trims were offered to the end of the Mk I run. Some 1.6 Mexicos were imported in 1973–74 after the government temporarily freed up import licensing owing to a shortage of new cars. Estate versions were mostly imported.
Australia
The Mk I was produced by Ford Australia from 1970 to 1975 as a two- or four-door saloon and as a two-door panel van. 1100 cc and 1300 cc engines were offered, as was the 1558 cc twin cam unit., Some 67,146 examples of the Mk I were built in Australia,
Israel
Assembly of the Mk I Escort was undertaken by Automotive Industries in Upper Nazareth, in conjunction with the local distributor, Israeli Automotive Corp. Assembly from UK-sourced kits started in April 1968. The last Mk I, a light green 1100 cc two-door, was produced on 14 November 1975. A total of 14,905 units was<!-- total is singular --> assembled in Israel, including 105 Escort 400 vans.
Japan
The Mk I Escort was sold in Japan, imported from the United Kingdom by Kintetsu Motors and was available with the 1.3 L engine in GT trim, and was sold alongside the Ford Cortina and the Ford Capri. Sales were helped by the fact that this generation Escort complied with Japanese government dimension regulations concerning vehicle dimensions and engine displacement. Only the four-door saloon was offered, and this was the only generation available to Japanese buyers. The engine displacement contributed to a lower annual road tax obligation to Japanese buyers, which helped sales.
South Africa
About 100 Mk 1 Escort RS1600s were sent to South Africa as knock-down kits (CKDs) in 1970/1 and were assembled in the Ford Port Elizabeth plant. They were sold through the Ford dealer network, but some of the initial cars suffered oil-feed problems, which was later rectified by Ford in collaboration with Cosworth.
A batch of 60 RS1600s was<!-- batch is singular --> sold by Ford SA to Basil Green Motors in Edenvale, Johannesburg, which replaced the twin-cam BDA engines with the 2000 cc SOHC Pinto engine, and the car was renamed the Escort Perana.
Around 40 of the original cars retained the twin-cam BDA engine, and these cars were sold as RS1600s by Ford dealers throughout South Africa. These cars had an identification tag under the driver’s seat in addition to the Ford SA VIN tag in the engine compartment.
South African RS1600s had various detailed differences from the Ford UK cars. They were painted yellow with a black stripe to the rear panel and to the sills. They also had black blocks painted on the bonnet. The front seats were from the Capri V4.
Second generation (1974)
| body_style =
| layout = Front-engine, front-wheel-drive
| platform =
| engine =
| transmission =
| wheelbase =
| length = Hatchback: yet Ford claimed was stiffer than the outgoing car. Ford however, was conscious that loyal customers of the previous generation Escorts may be deterred by the Mk III's advanced design, and hence the car was marketed in the United Kingdom with the strapline "Simple is Efficient". The major changes to the Escort mirrored that of its General Motors contemporary launched just months before – the Opel Kadett D (Vauxhall Astra Mk I) – which had also changed to an advanced front wheel drive hatchback from the rear wheel drive sedan architecture of its predecessor.
It was Ford of Europe's third front-wheel drive model launch, the second being the smaller Fiesta in 1976, and the first being the 1962 German Taunus 12M (P4). The car used Ford's contemporary design language of the period with the black louvred radiator grille and straked rear lamp clusters, as well as introducing the aerodynamic "bustle-back" bootlid stump (trademarked by Ford as Aeroback) which would be further developed in the forthcoming Sierra and Scorpio; the stump was proven to reduce the car's aerodynamic drag co-efficient significantly, which was a class-leading 0.38 at launch.
New were the overhead camshaft CVH engines in 1.3 L and 1.6 L formats, with the older Ford Kent-based "Valencia" engine from the Fiesta powering the 1.1 L derivative, although there was a short-lived 1.1 version of the CVH engine sold in certain markets before it was discontinued in 1982.
The Escort Mark III was voted European Car of the Year in 1981, fighting off stiff competition from Italy's Fiat Panda and British Leyland's Austin Metro.
From launch, the car was available in base (Popular), L, GL, Ghia and XR3 trim. As was common for Ford during this period, there were different dashboard mouldings for "high" and "low" series trim levels. GL and above models had a slush-moulded dashboard with 'soft feel' covering, and faux chrome embellishment. Base and L specification models had a 'hard feel' injection moulded dashboard with fewer holes for switches – the base dashboard was a sub-variation of this which omitted the centre air vents, glovebox, side demister vents and speaker grille and only a two-position blower fan switch. These lead-in models were extremely basic even for their time; in addition to the aforementioned dashboard, they came with just partial door cards with no armrests, vinyl seats (cloth was an optional extra), and no rear parcel tray or push button tailgate release. Consequently, these models sold very poorly and most buyers opted for at least the L specification.
From mid-1982, a five-speed manual gearbox was introduced across the range. This was now standard on the 1.6 L versions and could be specified as an option on most 1.3 L engines. A selection of features was available, either as standard fitment or optional extras depending on model, including a tilt-and-slide sunroof, central locking, and electric windows. All models except for base and L were fitted with a check-light system for low fuel, low oil, low coolant, low screenwash, and worn out brake pads. Power steering was not available on European Escorts although it was available on the US Escort. The 1983 model year saw the Ford ATX three-speed automatic transmission (developed primarily for the US version) becoming available on the 1.6 L engine, and the base models now had cloth seat trim as standard.
The Escort estate was initially only available with three doors, but a five-door version was introduced in 1983. In the same year, a saloon version of the Escort, the Orion, was launched. It used the same mechanicals as the hatchback, but had a more upmarket image and was not available with the smaller 1.1 L engine. It was also directed at buyers of the earlier Cortina, which had ceased production in 1982, with its Sierra successor not available as a saloon at the time.
However, the car attracted criticism from the motoring press at launch due to its suspension, with positive camber on the front wheels and negative camber at the rear, giving rise to the Mark III's infamous "knock-kneed" stance. The Mark III soon had a reputation for a harsh, unforgiving ride. In September 1983, the revised suspension mounts from the Escort-based Orion and the larger Sierra steering rack were introduced as running changes for the 1984 model year which also coincided with other minor upgrades across the range, which included revised trim and steering wheels, new style badging and improved sound systems across the range, whilst the austere base models were finally given the "L" specification dashboard and improved seat trim.
Another engine, introduced in August 1983, was the diesel engine. Developed in Dagenham, it was remarkably economical for its time, and still is to this day, managing over 70 mpg. It was available on the L and GL models. However, the performance was worse than the 1.1 L petrol version, with only and a top speed of barely – which prompted Ford to eventually enlarge the engine to 1.8 L some years later in the MK4 Escort.
The Mk III Escort (1980–1986), was the most common type of car on British roads in December 1989, with almost 1,500,000 examples registered.
A convertible version, made by coachbuilder Karmann, appeared the same year as the five-door estate (1983). It was the first drop-top car produced by Ford Europe since the Corsair of the 1960s. The Escort Cabriolet was initially available in both XR3i and Ghia specification, badged as 1.6i and 1.6 respectively (XR3i and Ghia badging would not appear on convertibles until after 1986), but the Ghia variant was later dropped.
Origin of the "Erika" codename
The origins of the codename "Erika" for the Escort Mk III is now subject to dispute – the most likely being Ford of Europe policy in the late 1970s for using female names for new projects such as "Brenda" (Escort Mk II), "Gloria" (Granada MkII), "Carla" (Capri MkIII), "Teresa" (Taunus TC3/Cortina Mk5) and "Toni" (Sierra). It was known that Henry Ford II's secretary's name during his tenure as CEO of Ford Europe was Erika, and it has been suggested in some sources that the name came from here. Other theories being that the Escort was originally meant to be called the "Ford Erika", but ended up retaining the Escort name. Some say this was due to British consumers' reluctance to let go of the "Escort" badge (as the first two generations of Escort had been among Britain's most popular cars, with the Mk II being Britain's best selling car in 1976), and some say that the Germans were concerned with the song Erika, which was a famous battlemarch of the German armed forces during World War II.
Sporting models
thumb|left|Ford Escort RS 1600i
To compete with Volkswagen's Golf GTI, a hot hatch version of the Mark III was developed – the XR3. Initially this featured a tuned version of the 1.6 L CVH engine fitted with a twin-choke Weber carburettor, uprated suspension and numerous cosmetic alterations. It lacked a five-speed transmission and fuel injection. Fuel injection finally arrived in October 1982 (creating the XR3i), eight months behind the limited edition (8,659 examples), racetrack-influenced RS 1600i. The Cologne-developed RS received a more powerful engine with , thanks to computerized ignition and a modified head as well as the fuel injection.
thumb|right|Ford Escort RS Turbo Series 1
The final performance update arrived in the form of the turbocharged RS Turbo model in October 1984. The RS Turbo was somewhat of a disappointment; it had been delayed several times and when it went on sale in early 1985, the chassis came in for severe criticism. Ford initially planned to build 5,000 RS Turbos, the minimum number required for homologation in Group A. However a total of 8,604 were built due to increased demand, almost all in Diamond White. Produced in both LHD and RHD, it was only marketed in a few European nations with 5,000 examples for the UK, and was only sold through official Rallye Sport dealers. They were well equipped, with the alloy wheels from the limited production RS 1600i, Recaro seats, and a viscous-coupling limited slip differential. The Series 2 RS Turbo continued with the 1986 MKIV model.
RS 1700T
thumb|RS 1700T at 2014 NEC Classic Motor Show
Ford were initially keen that the Escort Mk III continued the strong rallying heritage of its two predecessors. The Ford Escort RS 1700T was a prototype RWD car designed by Ford Motor Company in 1980 to compete in Group B rallying. Prototypes were based on the Mk III Escort bodyshell, but other than this had almost no engineering commonality with the regular production version, being rear wheel drive and featuring a Cosworth developed 1.8-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine that produced over maximum power. Also a prototype with a 2.4 litre Hart engine (derived from a Formula Two unit) was tested in 1982.
Persistent problems during the vehicle's development, coupled with unease within the marketing department that a Mk III Escort with rear wheel drive would be perceived as a retrograde step and prompted Ford to drop plans for its production and instead begin work on a bespoke all-wheel-drive model to beat the Audi Quattro, designed and built from scratch, resulting in the RS200.
Commercial models
The two-door Escort Van was first sold in February 1981, a slightly delayed introduction caused by large remaining stocks of the Mark II Escort Van. The Van has twin rear doors and unusual small side windows behind the front doors, necessary to provide more over-the-shoulder visibility which would otherwise be limited by the use of the short front doors from the five-door Escort. It was originally available in base (Popular), L or GL trim levels, with four- or five-speed manual transmissions. In October 1983, the luxurious Ghia version was added.
This model was exported to Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Norway from 1983 until 1986, as the Escort LX, where it replaced the low priced German-built Escort L. The car had a bad reputation in Scandinavia, with severe rust problems and issues with the wet liners of the Renault-designed engine. The engines were also designed to run on petrol containing some ethanol (10–20%), leading to troubles when using straight petrol. That problem could be avoided by adding ethanol in the petrol manually. The Brazilian Escort LX was also available in Switzerland, only with the larger engine option.
Brazil also received an XR3 version towards the very end of 1983, only available with a tuned version of the 1.6-liter engine running on alcohol. Aside from interior and exterior enhancements including spoilers and 14-inch alloy wheels, the XR3's engine produced , a bit more than the regular versions but not quite enough to be considered a sporting car. In April 1985, the Escort Cabriolet was introduced. It was built in Brazil in collaboration between Ford and Karmann, with the top imported from Germany.
South Africa
The Escort was also available in South Africa, as hatchback only, from March 1981, with the 1.3 and 1.6 litre engines. The South African Escorts differ only slightly from European ones, as a result of local parts content regulations. The XR3 was also sold, known simply as the Ford XR3 and later XR3i, rather than the Ford Escort XR3.