Ford Escort (Europe)

Lore & Background

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 long-running Anglia and was the first passenger car developed by the merged Ford of Europe. Production commenced at Halewood in late 1967 and at Genk for left-hand-drive markets in September 1968. Continental Escorts initially differed with different front suspension, steering, dual hydraulic brake circuits, and wider rims; production moved to Saarlouis in early 1970. The Escort competed with the Vauxhall Viva and, from early 1970, the Hillman Avenger. In June 1974, Ford announced the two-millionth Escort, a milestone unmatched by any Ford model outside the US, with 60% built in Britain. In West Germany, production was slower, around 150,000 cars per year, slumping to 78,604 in 1974, the last year of the Mk1. German-built Escorts were exported notably to Benelux and Italy; domestically, the car was considered cramped and uncomfortable compared to the Opel Kadett and technically primitive against the Fiat 128 and Renault 12. Subsequent generations closed the gap, but Escort sales in Germany always lagged behind the Kadett and its Astra successor.

Reader's Guide

The Ford Escort's significance lies in its commercial dominance and rallying legacy. It was frequently the best-selling car in Britain during the 1980s and 1990s, with over 4.1 million sold there across 33 years. Its rallying success was extraordinary: the Mark I became one of the most successful rally cars of all time, with the Ford works team nearly unbeatable in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The greatest victory was the 1970 London to Mexico World Cup Rally, driven by Hannu Mikkola and Gunnar Palm, which inspired the Escort Mexico special edition. High-performance models included the Twin Cam (with a Lotus twin-cam engine), the RS1600 (with a Cosworth BDA 16-valve engine), and the RS2000 (with a 2.0L Pinto engine). These cars were built at Ford's Advanced Vehicle Operations facility at Aveley. The Escort's conventional rear-wheel-drive layout, MacPherson strut front suspension, and rack-and-pinion steering made it a capable competition platform. The Escort name was revived in 2014 for a Chinese-market car based on the second-generation Ford Focus.

Did You Know?

• The Mark I Escort featured a 'Coke bottle' waistline and a 'dogbone' shaped front grille.
• The Escort Mexico special edition was named after the 1970 London to Mexico World Cup Rally victory.
• The RS1600 used a 1601 cc Cosworth BDA engine with a 16-valve cylinder head.