Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 15 of 20

Thread: Ford Escort (Europe) 1st gen 1967-1975

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Apr 2003
    Location
    Wichita, Kansas USA
    Posts
    11,217

    Ford Escort (Europe) 1st gen 1967-1975

    The Ford Escort is a small family car which was manufactured by Ford of Europe from 1968 until 2000. The Ford Escort name was also applied to several small car types produced in North America by Ford between 1981 and 2000.

    In 2014, Ford revived the Escort name for a car based on the second-generation Ford Focus sold on the Chinese market.

    The Escort was frequently the best selling car in Britain during the 1980s and 1990s. A total of more than 4.1 million Escorts of all generations were sold there over a period of 33 years.

    First generation (1967–1975)
    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 as 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 differently configured 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 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 into 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. It was 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 Mark I. Many of the German built Escorts were exported, notably to Benelux and Italy; from the West German domestic market perspective 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 made up some of the ground foregone by the original model, but in Europe's largest auto-market the Escort sales volumes always came in well behind those of the General Motors Kadett and its Astra successor.

    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 – arguably the car's main stylistic feature. Similar Coke bottle styling featured in the larger Cortina Mark III (a visually similar car was built in West Germany as the Taunus) launched in 1970.

    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, 7 1⁄2-inch-diameter (190 mm) clutch, stiffer rear springs and in most configurations slightly larger brake drums or discs than the saloon. A panel van appeared in April 1968 and the 4-door saloon (a bodystyle the Anglia was never available in for UK market) in 1969.

    Underneath the bonnet was the Kent Crossflow engine also used in the smallest capacity North American Ford Pinto. Diesel engines on small family cars were rare, and the Escort was no exception, initially featuring only petrol engines – in 1.1 L, and 1.3 L versions. A 940 cc engine was also available in some export markets such as Italy and France. This tiny engine remained popular in Italy, where it was carried over for the Escort Mark II, but in France it was discontinued during 1972.

    There was a 1300GT performance version, 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" road wheels and flared wings of the Sport, but was trimmed in an upmarket, for that time, fashion 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 FVC 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 Escorts became successful as a rally car, and they eventually went on to become one of the most successful rally cars of all time. The Ford works team was practically unbeatable in the late 1960s / early 1970s, and arguably the Escort's greatest victory was in the 1970 London to Mexico World Cup Rally, driven by Finnish legend Hannu Mikkola and Swedish co-driver Gunnar Palm. This gave rise to the Escort Mexico (1598cc "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 using additional strengthening panels in high stress areas making them more suitable for competition.

    In addition to the Mexico, the RS1600 was developed with a 1,601 cc Cosworth BDA which used a Crossflow block with a 16-valve Cosworth cylinder head, named for "Belt Drive A Series". Both the Mexico and RS1600 were built at Ford's Advanced Vehicle Operations (AVO) facility located at the Aveley Plant in South Essex. As well as 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.

    Source: Wikipedia
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Last edited by Man of Steel; 12-29-2020 at 02:15 PM.
    I'm going to eat breakfast. And then I'm going to change the world.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Apr 2003
    Location
    Wichita, Kansas USA
    Posts
    11,217
    Ford Escort (1st gen) #2
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Last edited by Man of Steel; 12-29-2020 at 02:21 PM.
    I'm going to eat breakfast. And then I'm going to change the world.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Apr 2003
    Location
    Wichita, Kansas USA
    Posts
    11,217
    Ford Escort (1st gen) #3
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Last edited by Man of Steel; 12-29-2020 at 02:25 PM.
    I'm going to eat breakfast. And then I'm going to change the world.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Apr 2003
    Location
    Porto - Portugal
    Posts
    5,593
    Escort RS 2000 MKI with rally specs.
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Last edited by Man of Steel; 12-29-2020 at 02:27 PM.
    Money can't buy you friends, but you do get a better class of enemy.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Apr 2003
    Location
    Rozenburg, Holland
    Posts
    27,329
    Here are an RS2000 and a Rallye version driven by Tiff Needell at a Rallye Sprint during the 1997 Coys Historic Festival at Silverstone
    Attached Images Attached Images
    "I find the whole business of religion profoundly interesting, but it does mystify me that otherwise intelligent people take it seriously." Douglas Adams

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    Russia
    Posts
    116
    Ford Escort (1st gen) #6
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Last edited by Man of Steel; 12-29-2020 at 02:28 PM.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Feb 2004
    Location
    Tallinn, Estonia
    Posts
    2,861
    Ford Escort (1st gen) #7
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Last edited by Man of Steel; 12-29-2020 at 02:29 PM.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Barcelona
    Posts
    33,489
    Ford Escort (1st gen) #8
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Last edited by Man of Steel; 12-29-2020 at 03:29 PM.
    Lack of charisma can be fatal.
    Visca Catalunya!

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Barcelona
    Posts
    33,489
    Ford Escort (1st gen) #9
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Last edited by Man of Steel; 12-29-2020 at 03:42 PM.
    Lack of charisma can be fatal.
    Visca Catalunya!

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Barcelona
    Posts
    33,489
    Ford Escort (1st gen) #10
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Last edited by Man of Steel; 12-29-2020 at 03:36 PM.
    Lack of charisma can be fatal.
    Visca Catalunya!

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    └A & Connecticlump
    Posts
    5,367
    Ford Escort (of the lame European variety) #11
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Last edited by Man of Steel; 12-29-2020 at 03:45 PM.
    "Kimi, can you improve on your [race] finish?"
    "No. My Finnish is fine; I am from Finland. Do you have any water?"

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Barcelona
    Posts
    33,489
    Ford Escort (1st gen) #12
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Last edited by Man of Steel; 12-29-2020 at 03:45 PM.
    Lack of charisma can be fatal.
    Visca Catalunya!

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Barcelona
    Posts
    33,489
    Ford Escort (1st gen) #13
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Last edited by Man of Steel; 12-29-2020 at 03:45 PM.
    Lack of charisma can be fatal.
    Visca Catalunya!

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Barcelona
    Posts
    33,489
    Ford Escort (1st gen) #14
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Last edited by Man of Steel; 12-29-2020 at 03:45 PM.
    Lack of charisma can be fatal.
    Visca Catalunya!

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Barcelona
    Posts
    33,489
    Ford Escort (1st gen) #15
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Last edited by Man of Steel; 12-29-2020 at 03:45 PM.
    Lack of charisma can be fatal.
    Visca Catalunya!

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Similar Threads

  1. Iso Fidia 1967-1975
    By smxi in forum Matt's Hi-Res Hide-Out
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 05-30-2010, 08:03 AM
  2. to buy or not to buy - Ford Escort -
    By whiteballz in forum General Automotive
    Replies: 14
    Last Post: 06-21-2006, 10:47 PM
  3. Ford Escort WIP
    By GroupB in forum Chop forums
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 03-28-2006, 01:55 AM
  4. Ford Tempo vs. North American Ford Escort
    By Prius in forum Car comparison
    Replies: 12
    Last Post: 08-16-2005, 02:32 AM
  5. 80's ford taurus vs early 90's ford escort
    By Karrmann in forum Car comparison
    Replies: 6
    Last Post: 07-26-2004, 12:05 AM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •