XR2s/XR3is in the 90s.

[s m]

MorganP104 said:

From what I can remember, it went a bit like this:

MkIII Escort XR3
Carburettor-fed version of the XR3i. Not as well regarded as its fuel injected brethren, cheaper to buy. Very much a poor man's XR3i, no matter how much your mate Kev tried to convince you that the XR3 had better throttle response.

MkIII Escort XR3i
The boy-racer car to have in the 1980s. Young petrolheads loved them. Older, more sensible people thought they were piles of crap. This only made the youngsters love them more.

MkIII Escort RS1600i
Seen as a cut above the boy-racer XR3i, and highly sought after at the time, especially in white with blue vinyls. Something of a modern classic these days.

MkIII Escort RS Turbo
Only the most discerning Essex boys knocked around in these. Seen as being the last word in canine undercarriage to most blokes under 25. The rest of the world (including the motoring press) were slightly lukewarm about the whole thing.

MkIV Escort XR3i
Starting to look (and feel) like a tart's handbag. Seemed to be favoured more by women than men. Seen as the "soft option". Probably sold more units than the MkIII, but generally less well regarded.

MkIV Escort RS Turbo
All was forgiven with the RS Turbo. That badge. Those wheels. The whoosh of the turbo. A proper man's car. Or so most blokes under 25 thought. Everyone else rolled their eyes. Including Tracey who worked down Tesco. She was never as impressed with Wayne's RS Turbo as he thought she was.

MkV Escort XR3i/RS2000/all models
The Escort had really gone off the boil by the time the MkV creaked off the production line. Only well regarded in the most hardcore of Ford enthusiast circles. Even blokes under 25 shrugged their shoulders and walked off.

SPECIAL DISPENSATION: MkV Escort RS Cosworth
A shortened version of the Sierra Cosworth, with an Escort body plonked on top. Therefore not strictly a MkV Escort, which means it wasn't crap. It was actually very, very good.

It's always interesting how older cars are "remembered"......despite how they were actually reviewed and rated at the time of production

[molineux1980]

I had an 89 XR3i, in black, bought of a workmate for the princely sum of £500 back in about 2001. It had moss growing up the back window. I was 21, skint and paid him £10 a week. Driving home the exhaust baffle or something fell apart, and I had what appeared to be 30ft of horsehair hanging out the back when I got home. :-)

New exhaust, and cleaned up rather nicely. My girlfriend (now wife) maintains this is probably her favourite car i've owned. It wasn't fast, handled poorly but looked good, and at 21, I felt the bees knees.

It broke down twice in a week, including pulling out onto a busy carriageway rather briskly, it just stopped. I rolled apologetically out in front of oncoming traffic. A bit scary. (MAF sensor I think).

Then the alternator went after I got i repaired, so I got fed up with it and sold it on. For £850. Tidy little profit.

Good memories of the times I've had with it, but perhaps not the driving experience.

[Rsdop]

eglf said:

I purchased my new XR2 in March 1989, still using it today!

Nice, can't be many one owner XR2s out there

I had a couple in the late 90s and loved them. Not quite as quick as the 205s and R5GTTs but I always preferred them. Everything was just in the right place for me and the driving position was perfect. Always struggled in the french stuff due to big feet! Also remember the very distinctive exhaust note they all had.
I had one on decent suspension with a ported head, Kent cam and a big carb and it was a flying machine.

[MorganP104]

generationx said:

MorganP104 said:

From what I can remember, it went a bit like this:

MkIII Escort XR3
Carburettor-fed version of the XR3i. Not as well regarded as its fuel injected brethren, cheaper to buy. Very much a poor man's XR3i, no matter how much your mate Kev tried to convince you that the XR3 had better throttle response.

Nope - XR3 came first, XR3i a year or so later

MorganP104 said:

MkIII Escort XR3i
The boy-racer car to have in the 1980s. Young petrolheads loved them. Older, more sensible people thought they were piles of crap. This only made the youngsters love them more.

XR3i an evolution of the '3. Different front suspension, different interior and of course the, er, "I"

MorganP104 said:

MkIII Escort RS1600i
Seen as a cut above the boy-racer XR3i, and highly sought after at the time, especially in white with blue vinyls. Something of a modern classic these days.

RS1600i was quite different with different suspension, engine, body trim and interior. Limited run homologation special with sphincter-loosening brakes (in RHD anyway). No blue graphics sorry, either silver or black

MorganP104 said:

MkIII Escort RS Turbo
Only the most discerning Essex boys knocked around in these. Seen as being the last word in canine undercarriage to most blokes under 25. The rest of the world (including the motoring press) were slightly lukewarm about the whole thing.

Another homologation special with, again, different suspension, interior, unique bodykit, 130bhp and an LSD. Only built for around 18 months and only available in white. Officially (ref Princess Diana)

MorganP104 said:

MkIV Escort XR3i
Starting to look (and feel) like a tart's handbag. Seemed to be favoured more by women than men. Seen as the "soft option". Probably sold more units than the MkIII, but generally less well regarded.

Agreed! Plus, of course available as the ultimate hairdresser convertible.

MorganP104 said:

MkIV Escort RS Turbo
All was forgiven with the RS Turbo. That badge. Those wheels. The whoosh of the turbo. A proper man's car. Or so most blokes under 25 thought. Everyone else rolled their eyes. Including Tracey who worked down Tesco. She was never as impressed with Wayne's RS Turbo as he thought she was.

Really quite grown-up and much more civilised than the Mk3.

MorganP104 said:

MkV Escort XR3i/RS2000/all models
The Escort had really gone off the boil by the time the MkV creaked off the production line. Only well regarded in the most hardcore of Ford enthusiast circles. Even blokes under 25 shrugged their shoulders and walked off.

The earlier RS2000s were a really good car with a very torque-y, again unique to this model, engine. Also available in 4WD in very limited numbers.

MorganP104 said:

SPECIAL DISPENSATION: MkV Escort RS Cosworth
A shortened version of the Sierra Cosworth, with an Escort body plonked on top. Therefore not strictly a MkV Escort, which means it wasn't crap. It was actually very, very good.

Without question!

I could have sworn the RS1600i was available with blue vinyls... A bit of judicious Googling reveals that it was the MkIII RS Turbo that could be specified with blue graphics. My bad.

[Harji]

LaurasOtherHalf said:

This may sound strange now....

Simpler times I'm sure, but an XR2 and a pair of Armani Jeans did wonders with the local female population. .

Armani Jeans? It was Lyle and Scott/Pringle Sweater with a diamond pattern, Farah slacks and loafers round here. Those with a bit more cash went for Gabbici.

[Furyblade_Lee]

dme123 said:

The saying "she's had more pricks in her than an XR2" was not uncommon. They were usually stheaps driven by wanna be hard men and wide boys when I was younger, with the mods becoming sorrier and sorrier with every passing year until the were extinct. s cars, basically.

I'll never view a crap to drive, cheaply made, throwaway FWD Ford as a classic I'm afraid. It's curious to see one that hasn't been ruined after all these years but I don't understand why you'd want to own one at all.

I was hoping to see some quality in the garage with a sweeper like that.....

[Jonathanb48]

This thread has brought memories flooding back. I seem to remember that the XR3 all 96 hp was introduced on a w reg which was 80/81. I got to drive one from the ford press fleet at silverstone at the grand old age of 14 or maybe 15 as part of the under17carclub. I remember the XR3 became not only the boy racer motor demonstrated by Jackie Stewart but also the middle class mums motor. We moved to South Africa and my mum got one in 1983 with a very naughty exhaust, steel wheels, crap seats and locally produced. . In the U.K. The XR3i with 105bhp came in in 1983 on y plate. When we returned from South Africa my mum bought one to replace the escort ghia she had which I hit a tree with. After a year parental ban from driving I was allowed to drive the xr3i and as a university student this was super cool. It was nicked in Glasgow and used in a jewellery robbery . It was recovered with a syringe of some unknown drug hidden under the dash and "thanks very much, quick motor" written on the A to Z left in the car and all the stars of the getaway had signed their names. My mum had in the meantime bought a mk2 xr3i which was pants. This was also stolen but never recovered. The original xr3i then became mine which I ragged through my last year of university ( I was a spoilt whatsit) and then part exchanged for a 205gti 1.9 as soon as I got a job and realised what I had been missing. Soon after the part x plod turned up as the xr3i had been used in a hit and run (c540gop) but was no longer ours. Later the next week , plod tuned up again to say the Peugeot had also been used Ina hit and run (e903tog) in Birmingham,which was a bit strange as I was in Kent with the car. Turned out the Peugeot dealer in wolverhampton where I got the car had a mechanic ringing cars and both the xr3i and 205 had been copied and used for wrong doing!!! 80-90s what a great time to be a car thief and car ringer - but loved the XR3i though loved the 205 more!!

[iSore]

I had an RS1600i in 1988/9. It was alright - bought from the local auctions for £2200, 100'000 miles but very clean and straight. It went okay but nothing a 16v Golf or Astra couldn't sort out and if truth be known, it wasn't any faster really than the XR3i. Rubbish brakes, harsh ride.

But spearing down the M40 at a steady 90-100 on a balmy summers afternoon into London with the wind back glass sunroof open and something tragic on the cassette player, I was an executive.Mine was black with silver decals.

I did buy and sell a couple of carb XR3's and they were crap. They had that weird knock kneed suspension geometry and were overgeared - the 1.6 litre Escort Mark 3 van of the time was fractionally faster to 60 due to the lower gearing. The original XR3i was a decent effort thanks to Rod Mansfield's team at SVE.

Edited by iSore on Sunday 26th February 12:10

[Mr Tidy]

generationx said:

I sit corrected, and have updated my previously-posted ramblings!

Interestingly the OHV in the Mk2 Escort was rated at 86bhp...

Well you may both be right IIRC!

The MKI Fiesta XR2 had the OHV engine, so 84 bhp.

But the MKII Fiesta XR2 had the 96 bhp CVH engine that first appeared in the XR3 Escort complete with the 5 speed gearbox!

Probably only permitted because by then the Escort XR3i had 105 bhp!

In 1982 I test drove a 5-speed XR3 (still with 96 bhp) but didn't buy it as I had this at the time:-



110 bhp (allegedly) and RWD - lovely!

Waited a couple of years and in 1984 I bought a 2 year old 2.8 Injection Capri - much better, 160 bhp and RWD!

Looking back I probably should have gone for an XR4i, but hindsight is a precise science!

[LanceRS]

The XR2 was a great little thing to have back then, as someone else has already commented, it was generally an aspiration. At some point pretty much everyone in what passed for our social circle had one.
The Mark 1 was fun and pretty raw with it's Kent engine and 4 speed box.
The early Mk2 was better than the later ones, Ford changed the Carb, the seats and couple of other things.
I too would love to have another, even though I am well aware of their shortcomings compared to modern machinery.
I look at what the teenagers of today are driving around in and consider that we we lucky to have these little go carts that were such fun and easy to work on.

[steve-5snwi]

The mk1 fiesta xr2 was born on the back of the us spec federal fiesta not the super sport irc

The rs1600i was different from the xr3i, it had more power and solid lifters. Xr3 had Bosch and later Ford fuel injection giving slightly more power, fiesta rst also got the improved injection and smaller t2 turbo over the rst escort

Mk2 xr2,early cars were slightly quicker on the account of a slightly larger carb. They had the darker interiors

We had an 87 xr2 from 6 months old, a xr3i cab in blue with half leather recaros from 12 months old and a fiesta rst from12 months old. I also had an xr3i cab a few years ago to relive my youth.

Xr's have now gone silly so I'm toying with the idea of a mk2 fiesta ormk3 escort and putting a 2.0 zetec in, I guess a 1.0 eco boost would be too complicated and expensive

[West17]

Lots of fond memories of the XRs, many of which relate to the people and places the cars took me to as much as the cars themselves. As a 17 year old apprentice mechanic an XR was aspirational.

I started with a sunburst orange XR3, I remember how impressed my friends were with the electric windows, different times!

I then graduated to two mk3 XR3is, one black A reg then a red B reg. Loved the exhaust note, great little "zing" at 3500 rpm!

As someone else mentioned, a lot of other cars of the time were pretty mundane, an XR3 seemed to be so much more, the interior seemed positively luxurious with the suede seats, slide sunroof and plush carpets.

I also had two mk1 XR2s and one mk3 XR2i, the former were great, the latter not so.

Probably lots of rose tints but I look back fondly on these cars, they were very much a feature of my late teenage years and early twenties. Transport to parties, somewhere to listen to music (on big parcel shelf speakers!) All my friends had similar cars and an interest in maintaining and modifying - happy days!

L

Edited by West17 on Tuesday 28th March 19:48

[V8Matthew]

Slightly off-topic (but only just), when I was at high school me & my mates were obsessed with fast Fords. I nearly had an accident in my pants when my dad bought an XR4x4 Sierra (with the fire-breathing 150hp v6). A year or so later I was horrified to learn he'd swapped it for a Fiat Uno.

[lowdrag]

The GF and I got together in 1988 when she had an XR2 but I changed it for a new XR2i one day while she was at work. I regretted it a year later when she drove the car at me and I found myself hanging on to the wipers for grim death. Whatever they say one cannot hang on to the car on bends and I bounced off the road through a rose hedge and finished in someone's garden. With true British aplomb I picked myself up, dusted myself down and walked back to the house past two rather astonished housewives. I haven't really liked them since.

[LanceRS]

steve-5snwi said:

The mk1 fiesta xr2 was born on the back of the us spec federal fiesta not the super sport irc

The Supersport was a market tester to see if people would buy a sporty Fiesta. The US already had a 1600 Fiesta with round headlights, so those bits we used. The carb and gearbox were from the XR3 and body kit from the Supersport and before that the Series X catalogue.

[FelixP]

V8Matthew said:

Slightly off-topic (but only just), when I was at high school me & my mates were obsessed with fast Fords. I nearly had an accident in my pants when my dad bought an XR4x4 Sierra (with the fire-breathing 150hp v6). A year or so later I was horrified to learn he'd swapped it for a Fiat Uno.

Similar story here. Being a 90's child, I grew up with my Dad owning XR3's then XR3i Cabrio's. We used to pretend the roof button was a "turbo" button on later cars and he just dropped a few gears. Then he went on to own a grey G reg XR4x4. I remember it snowing in Ipswich and we were the only car to get into the multi-storey in town. Then one day on our way to Snetterton we were going flat out down the A14 and a Lotus Carlton flew past us. He sold the car that week for a new Daewoo Lanos with free servicing and it took until last year to buy a Saab Aero after years of tedious Daewoo's!!

[Cal670]

Wow! Lots of info on here I didn't know about! Sure seems these cars had a varied image in the past. I loved my XR2 and it did get some good attention 4 years ago. I think most remember them for the good bits rather than the bad bits nowadays lol.
Thanks for all of the replies.

[e21Mark]

I always wanted a Gartrac MK3 Escort.

Always used to hear the XR3i clitoris joke. (they're red and every c**t has got one!)

[Mark A S]

Back in the day I drove a mk 1 XR2 with the Kent engine I do believe, it handled well but needed more poke, the best looking version I would say.
My Mum had one of the first Orange XR3’s, bloody awful car, rear end was under damped, front under power was dreadful, and the CVH engine sounded rough at higher revs,,,,,,,, all IMO of course

[kingston12]

You did have to have a thick skin to own one of these in the 90s.

I bought a mint 1987 mk2 XR2 when it was around 7 years old from an older guy who kept it locked away in his double garage in quite a 'snooty' area. I lived in the same area and never got a negative comment from anyone around there, even though the general standard of cars were much newer/better.

The only negative comments came from those who had moved on to the the next level of newer hot hatches (Citroen Saxo etc) or older faster cars like Imprezas. Most people with really nice cars had nothing to say about it at all.

I thought it was a great car at the time. I can't believe the prices they are going for now though - £12.5k for one in similar condition to mine. I think I got about £750!