Ford Escort (North America)

The North American version of the Ford Escort is a range of cars that were sold by Ford from the 1981 to 2003 model years. The direct successor of the Ford Pinto, the Escort also largely overtook the role of the European-imported Ford Fiesta as the smallest vehicle in the Ford model line in North America. Produced across three generations, the first generation was a subcompact car; the latter two generations were compact cars. Becoming highly successful in the marketplace, the Escort became the best-selling car in the United States after 1982, a position it would hold for much of the 1980s.

Produced across three generations, the Escort was the first world car developed by Ford, with the first-generation American Escort designed alongside Ford of Europe, who transitioned the Escort Mk III to front-wheel drive. During its production, the Escort also underwent a wide use of platform sharing and rebranding. The first generation served as the basis of the longer-wheelbase Ford Tempo/Mercury Topaz, the two-seat Ford EXP/Mercury LN7 and was rebranded as the Mercury Lynx. The second generation was introduced for 1991, growing into the compact segment. Moving away from a shared design with Ford of Europe, the Escort now shared a platform with the Mazda 323 and sharing a body with the Ford Laser (a model line sold in Asia and Oceania); the Mercury Lynx was replaced by the Mercury Tracer. For 1997, the third generation served as an extensive redesign of the previous-generation sedan; the Escort ZX2 two-door was introduced, with the Mercury Tracer adopting a similar redesign.

Ford introduced the Ford Focus in North America for 2000 as its third "world car", phasing it in as the successor of the Escort. After 2000, the four-door Escort was moved primarily to fleet sales (with the coupe remaining available); production ended entirely after the 2002 model year. In contrast to the first-generation American Escort and Escort Mk III of Ford of Europe (and the Mondeo/Contour and Mercury Mystique), the Focus adopted a much larger degree of commonality between its European and North American variants, in effect, becoming the original world car Ford had originally envisioned with the Escort.

During its entire production, the Escort was produced by Wayne Stamping & Assembly in (Wayne, Michigan) and the first generation was also produced by Edison Assembly in (Edison, New Jersey), San Jose Assembly Plant in (Milpitas, California), and Oakville Assembly in (Oakville, Ontario, Canada) while the second and third generations were also produced by Hermosillo Stamping and Assembly in (Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico).

Ford "world car"

left|thumb|American version: 1981 Ford Escort GLX (on display at [[The Henry Ford)]]

thumb|European version: 1981 Ford Escort Mk III 1.3L

The North American Ford Escort began as an intended "world car" project by Ford in North America and Ford of Europe, which had sold cars branded "Ford Escort" since 1968. Ford had already tried to market some of its European models in the North American market, including the Capri and the Mk I Fiesta, but these were single products conceived from the beginning to cater for both markets, not world cars. Following the success of the smaller Fiesta, the new vehicle was to adopt a front-wheel drive powertrain.

The program intended to consolidate the replacements for the North American Ford Pinto and the European Ford Escort Mk II under a single model architecture. Intended for a 1981 model launch, the original intent was for the American Escort and the European Mk III Escort to share a common chassis architecture and components. During model development, American and European design teams diverged in thinking, leading to extensive differences in the final product lines.

Though they share the same basic shape, the 1981 Ford Escort and Escort Mk III share no interchangeable body parts; the only common components between the two vehicles are the CVH inline-4 engine and the ATX automatic transmission. The suspension is the same basic design between both cars, but again the components are not interchangeable. While sharing a common 94.2 inch wheelbase, the American Escort is longer and wider than the European version; most versions are fitted with a larger amount of chrome exterior trim typical of American vehicles of the period, and the altered proportions gave the car a heavier and more ungainly appearance than its European sister. In Europe, the Escort was produced in three body styles never developed for North America, including a 3-door station wagon, 2-door convertible, and a 2-door van. The European version also had a 4-door sedan derivative marketed separately under the Orion nameplate.

First generation (1981–1990)

left|thumb|1981 Ford Escort "World Car" badge

The first-generation Ford Escort was launched on October 3, 1980, for the 1981 model year, with Lincoln-Mercury marketing the model line as the Mercury Lynx. Sharing a nearly identical wheelbase with the Pinto, the Escort grew in size over its predecessor, nearly six inches longer and over three inches taller, featuring front-wheel drive and a transverse-mounted engine. Alongside an unnamed base trim, the Escort was marketed in L, GL, GLX, and SS trim levels.

1981–1984

left|thumb|1982–1985 Ford Escort GL Squire

left|thumb|1982–1985 Ford Escort GL 5-door

For 1981, the Escort was initially introduced with three-door hatchback and five-door station wagon body styles; a five-door hatchback was introduced in May 1981. To showcase its "world car" status, Ford designed an Escort badge for the front fenders including a globe representing the earth; this badge was used for 1981 only. In line with the larger Fairmont and LTD Crown Victoria station wagons, the Escort wagon was offered with an imitation woodgrain Squire package in the GL and GLX trims.

For 1982, the exterior received a minor revision, as the model badging was revised to reflect the adoption of the Ford Blue Oval emblem on the North American product lines. Along with an updated grille, the blue oval also replaced the previous "FORD" lettering on the liftgate. The "SS" package was also available during 1981; this included blacked-out trim, a special stripe and decal package, upgraded brakes, and wider tires but no additional power. The SS package was replaced with the (more powerful) Escort GT the following year due to an interaction with General Motors' Chevrolet SS option package. The Ford EXP was introduced as a two-seat hatchback coupe (see below). Starting at a price of $5,518, the 1982 Escort became the best-selling Ford model line and the best-selling automobile nameplate in the United States. The model year also saw the retirement of the Mercury Lynx, replaced by the Mercury Tracer during 1987 (a rebranded Ford Laser, itself derived from the Mazda 323). 1987 was also the final year the Escort was built in Canada.

The Escort saw a second facelift in mid-1988, commonly referred to as the "88.5" year, which smoothed out the front and rear fascias. The integrated plastic bumpers replaced the metal bumpers, while the rear side windows were enlarged, and the rear-end design was more rounded. Larger, 14 inch wheels replaced 13 inch units on non-GTs and to accommodate passive-restraint regulations, the Escort received automatic shoulder safety belts.

Powertrain details

Developed for the Escort on both sides of the Atlantic, the CVH transverse-mount inline-four engine family was introduced in a 1.6-litre displacement alone for the North American market; a 1.3 L engine was designed and a prototype made, but did not see production due to lack of power and an inability to get it certified. This unit produces , thanks to a higher compression ratio, a new exhaust system, and larger venturis in the carburetor. Multi-port fuel injection increased the output of the HO engine to for 1983. The turbo engine then found its way into the Escort GT (and Lynx RS) during the 1984 model year.

As part of the mid-1985 model-year revision, the 1.6-litre engine was enlarged to 1.9 litres, increasing output to ; the high output GT engine offered thanks to revised intake manifolds, cylinder heads and real headers. The GT was available only with manual transmissions, and the Turbo GT was retired. Estimates state that only about 1,000 Turbo GTs were built in the partial 1984 model year, it is unknown how many early 1985s were made.

For 1987, the standard Escort adopted throttle-body fuel injection, dropping the carburetor; output again inched up to .

The Escort's engines received a slightly revised camshaft and roller lifters along with the mid-1988 revision; power of the standard model was unchanged but the GT went up slightly, to .

{| class="wikitable"

!Engine configuration

!Engine family

!Production

!Output

!Notes

| rowspan="3" | I4

| rowspan="3" |Ford CVH engine

|1981–1985

|1982–1985

|High output (H.O.)

|1983–1985

|GT<br>multi-port EFI

| turbocharged I4

|Ford CVH engine

|1984–1985

|Turbo GT<br>multi-port EFI

| I4 diesel

|Mazda RF diesel

|1984–1987

|All except GT

| rowspan="4" | I4

| rowspan="4" |Ford CVH engine

|1985.5–1986

|2-bbl carburetor

!3-door

!5-door

!Wagon

!Yearly Total

|1981

|192,554

| -

|128,173

|320,727

|1982

|165,660

|130,473

|88,999

|385,132

|1983

|151,386

|84,649

|79,335

|315,370

|1984

|184,323

|99,444

|88,756

|372,523

|1985

|212,960

|111,385

|82,738

|407,083

|1986

|228,013

|117,300

|84,740

|430,053

|1987

|206,729

|102,187

|65,849

|374,765

|1988

|251,911

|113,470

|56,654

|422,035

|1989

|201,288

|110,631

|30,888

|342,807

|1990

|N/A

|290,516

| colspan="5" |

Variants

EXP

left|thumb|1982 Ford EXP

Introduced for 1982, the two-seat Ford EXP (later Escort EXP) was a coupe variant of the Escort. The first production two-seat Ford since the Thunderbird, the EXP was developed with a sportier exterior appearance (but few performance upgrades) over the standard three-door liftback. The EXP was sold by Lincoln-Mercury from 1982 to 1983 as the Mercury LN7, differing slightly in grille and hatchback design.

Following the 1985 update of the Escort, the EXP underwent a restyling, becoming the Escort EXP. Distinguished by the adoption of the front fascia from the liftback Escort, the two-seat coupe adopted a more subdued appearance. The variant was discontinued after the 1988 model year; as consumer demand shifted away from two-seat vehicles, Ford sought to concentrate its resources on the four-seat Ford Probe (which began development as the intended 1989 Ford Mustang).

Escort GT

left|thumb|1985-1988 Ford Escort GT

left|thumb|1990 Ford Escort GT

For 1981, Ford introduced the Escort SS as a performance-oriented version of the model line, offered as both a three-door liftback and five-door station wagon. Externally distinguished by blacked-out trim, special stripes and SS decals, the Escort SS also received upgraded brakes, suspension, and model-specific seats and full instrumentation.

As a running change during the 1982 model year, the Escort SS was renamed the Escort GT. In addition to removing conflict with the Chevrolet SS option package, the Mercury LN7 was the divisional counterpart of the Ford EXP.

A late addition for the 1983 model year, Mercury introduced the Lynx LTS (Luxury Touring Sedan) in October 1982. The counterpart of the Escort LX, the HO engine equipped LTS was also fitted with blacked-out exterior trim, TRX aluminum wheels, low-back bucket cloth seats, and upgraded suspension, serving as a five-door counterpart of the Lynx RS (Escort GT).

Alongside the Escort, the Lynx underwent a mid-1985 body revision. Distinguished by the addition of the "cascading" Mercury emblem replacing the "big cat" logo (used by the Mercury Cougar), the Lynx received an all-black grille between flush-mounted aerodynamic headlamps. For 1986, the Lynx RS was renamed the XR3 to align it with the Cougar XR7 (and the eventual Topaz XR5).

The Lynx was retired after 1987, but was replaced by the Mazda 323-derived Mercury Tracer model which was sold alongside it for much of the year.

!3-door

!5-door

!Sedan

!Wagon

!Yearly Total

|1991

|182,445

|114,944

| -

|57,337

|354,726

|1992

|81,023

|57,651

|62,066

|58,950

|259,690

|1993

|89,761

|58,909

|69,796

|157,239

|375,705

|1994

|87,888

|39,837

|59,052

|108,372

|295,149

|1995

|91,875

|50,233

|62,713

|115,960

|320,781

|1996

|64,964

|11,807

|13,439

|35,199

|125,409

!Total

!597,956

!333,381

!267,066

!533,057

!<u>1,731,460</u>

| colspan="6" |

Third generation (1997–2003)

The third-generation Escort was released for 1997. Carrying over the Mazda-designed chassis of the previous generation, the third generation underwent a substantial revision to the exterior and interior. This generation marked the divergence of the model line from the Mazda 323/Protegé (redesigned for 1995, with the Ford Laser following suit); it again served as the basis for the Mercury Tracer.

In response to market demand, Ford offered the Escort only as a sedan and station wagon, retiring the 3-door and 5-door hatchbacks sold since 1981; the Escort GT was also discontinued. For 1998, Ford introduced the Escort ZX2 (see below) as the first two-door coupe of the model line.

During 1998, Ford began to roll out the compact Ford Focus as its newest-generation "world car". Developed to replace the Escort and Orion in North America and Europe, the Focus also replaced the Laser in Asian and Australian markets; in Mexico, Ford also replaced the Escort by its Ford Ikon subcompact sedan (derived from the Ford Fiesta). In contrast to the 1980 Escort, the Focus was far more unified in its development; along with fitment of differing drivetrains (to accommodate regional demands), the Focus differed only nominally across major markets (with the exception of trim packaging).

As the Escort was succeeded by the Focus in North America, the sedan was marketed for fleet sale only for the 2001 and 2002 model years.) and upgraded LX trims.

| 334,562

| 1999

| 260,486

| 2000

| 110,736

| 2001

| 90,503

| 2002

| 51,857

| 2003 (ZX2 only)

| 25,473

| 2004 (ZX2 only)

| 1,210

References

External links

Ward's article on Escort development
Edmunds most significant car of 1981
ZX2 S/R Takes Fun to Higher Level
ZX2 Motorsports
TeamZX2
"Ford Escort may return as 100mpg hybrid"