RE: PH Heroes: Ford Escort Mexico

[skimmo]

mr_spock said:

This is the one I borrowed for a weekend thanks to the PH Ford competition. It's a lovely car, and feels very willing and fun. It's a bit bouncy over speed bumps, but wasn't really designed for them! Otherwise, I'd drive this as a daily with no problems. It's easy in traffic or open roads, the heater's effective and it's comfy and quick. What more could anyone want?

What were the Recaros like??

[aeropilot]

skimmo said:

aeropilot said:

Oli S said:

aeropilot said:

And they arn't Recaro seats either.

Thanks for the nice comments. They are Recaros and were part of the 'custom pack' according to the official information from Ford's Heritage Centre

I spent over 10 years on the committee of the Ford AVO Owners Club and was a judge at their Concours events.....and they are NOT Recaro seats.

Yes, the RS recliners and matching rear seat in Beta cloth were part of the 'Custom Pack', which also included the wood dash and centre console with the vinyl roof and triple pin stripes.

Some one needs to get out more!

FFS......

[Pedmeister]

MZ said:

Pedmeister said:

An excellent article, that banging sound was the sound of the nail being hit squarely on the head! There is much to be said for older cars with regard to driver involvement & sheer fun factor. Many modern cars are anodine & sterile, completely uninvolving to drive. The Ford Escort Mexico-a clear case of less is more! Most modern car are efficient, smooth & crammed full of gizmos, they are also dull as ditch water & totally uninvolving in many cases.

I totally agree, I mean can the latest M5 or M3 for that matter really be any more enjoyable than the E34 M5 or E30 M3? Is a Cayman more fun than a 968 CS, and as for the more recent offerings from Peugeot; let's not even go there!

Exactly! The main difference is that the latest incarnations of the M3/M5 are fatter & heavier due to the myraid of electronic gizmos they have on board. Traction control, ABS brakes, aircon, satnav, electric windows, blah, blah, blah! Gizmos = EXTRA WEIGHT.None of the safety features or electric gizmos actually provide DRIVER INVOLVMENT! The modern car in many respects is actually taking control away from the driver. Make a mistake, no worries, the nanny state traction control will get you out the mire! The whole point is, anybody with an iota of driving talent would not make a balls in the first place! That's the appeal of older, simpler cars IMHO-it is entirely down to me to pilot my RWD Turbo charged Capri= SEAT OF THE PANTS ENJOYMENT & EXCITEMENT. My traction control is my right foot, a sentiment many TVR owners would concur with I am sure!

Give me a mint E30 M3 over the later cars any day. It might be nearly as quick, but it's a damw sight more involving to drive. More is definitely less IMHO!

[Pedmeister]

Pedmeister said:

MZ said:

Pedmeister said:

An excellent article, that banging sound was the sound of the nail being hit squarely on the head! There is much to be said for older cars with regard to driver involvement & sheer fun factor. Many modern cars are anodine & sterile, completely uninvolving to drive. The Ford Escort Mexico-a clear case of less is more! Most modern car are efficient, smooth & crammed full of gizmos, they are also dull as ditch water & totally uninvolving in many cases.

I totally agree, I mean can the latest M5 or M3 for that matter really be any more enjoyable than the E34 M5 or E30 M3? Is a Cayman more fun than a 968 CS, and as for the more recent offerings from Peugeot; let's not even go there!

Exactly! The main difference is that the latest incarnations of the M3/M5 are fatter & heavier due to the myraid of electronic gizmos they have on board. Traction control, ABS brakes, aircon, satnav, electric windows, blah, blah, blah! Gizmos = EXTRA WEIGHT.None of the safety features or electric gizmos actually provide DRIVER INVOLVMENT! The modern car in many respects is actually taking control away from the driver. Make a mistake, no worries, the nanny state traction control will get you out the mire! The whole point is, anybody with an iota of driving talent would not make a balls in the first place! That's the appeal of older, simpler cars IMHO-it is entirely down to me to pilot my RWD Turbo charged Capri= SEAT OF THE PANTS ENJOYMENT & EXCITEMENT. My traction control is my right foot, a sentiment many TVR owners would concur with I am sure!

Give me a mint E30 M3 over the later cars any day. It might not be nearly as quick, but it's a damw sight more involving to drive. More is definitely less IMHO!

[ultegra]

aeropilot said:

skimmo said:

aeropilot said:

Oli S said:

aeropilot said:

And they arn't Recaro seats either.

Thanks for the nice comments. They are Recaros and were part of the 'custom pack' according to the official information from Ford's Heritage Centre

I spent over 10 years on the committee of the Ford AVO Owners Club and was a judge at their Concours events.....and they are NOT Recaro seats.

Yes, the RS recliners and matching rear seat in Beta cloth were part of the 'Custom Pack', which also included the wood dash and centre console with the vinyl roof and triple pin stripes.

Some one needs to get out more!

FFS......

My dad's bigger than your dad. ETC.........

[tombstone]

worth far more than it was new, make you feel like a 70's teenager, would give my left nut for a really nice RS2000 in white, blue stripe....4 cibies.... AHHHH!!!!

[tony_666]

Went along to the Ford Heritage workshops a few weeks ago and they had the whole RS family out on show amongst which were the following...

[Xaero]

very nice

[SleeperCell]

MZ said:

Pedmeister said:

An excellent article, that banging sound was the sound of the nail being hit squarely on the head! There is much to be said for older cars with regard to driver involvement & sheer fun factor. Many modern cars are anodine & sterile, completely uninvolving to drive. The Ford Escort Mexico-a clear case of less is more! Most modern car are efficient, smooth & crammed full of gizmos, they are also dull as ditch water & totally uninvolving in many cases.

I totally agree, I mean can the latest M5 or M3 for that matter really be any more enjoyable than the E34 M5 or E30 M3? Is a Cayman more fun than a 968 CS, and as for the more recent offerings from Peugeot; let's not even go there!

I'm afraid even the E34 M5 and E30 M3 are far and above the limits you can use on a public road, they seem pretty dull to drive next to something from the 60s or 70s.

[tony_666]

dazzaturbo said:

great cars always had a soft spot for em (although prefer the slope fronted rs 2000) still a stunner

...and one of those...

[sprinter885]

Well I'd have one..

p.s. where's "335D..mapped" man. No comments???? :

[vinceh]

Utterly agree about what fun these cars area. A mate and I spent a day last week at the Phil Price Rally School in Wales - http://philprice.co.uk/ As well as a rally prepared Imprezza and a 2WD Escort Cosworth (a bit of a bitsa but certainly impressive!), they have two Pinto-engined Mk2 Escorts that you spend the day drifiting around a loose-surface course. It was fantastic fun, and as others are agreeing, really took us back to the good old days of simple, light, RWD cars.

At the end of the day there is a competition to see who can get the Escorts round the course fastest. It is at this point that you realise that going round the whole course sideways may be brilliant fun, but it isn't the fastest way. This realisation came late for me and so I just let it all hang out, knowing I wouldn't be able to do anything like this again any time soon.

Sigh .....

Oh, and the Phil Price school is excellent. I'd recommend it to anyone.

[Negative Creep]

FWDRacer said:

Some numb nuts will say safety features.

Personally a large spike detonated and forced out of the steering wheel centre boss upon impact would bring darwinian evolution bang up to date...

Lighter cars as daily drivers without all the safety crud would be most welcome. think about the enivornmnetal impact of reducing a cars weight by 300-200kg linked with modern efficient engines. Has any manufacturer got the bottle to face off against the safety lobby and create? I'd be first in the que if it looked good.

In the meantime...

:startssearchingphclassifiedsformk1's:

I agree, but doesn't the EU legislate new cars have to come with ABS, EBD, airbags and a certain NCAP score?

[dinkel]

PH said:

At the same time the satisfaction to be had from hussling the Mexico is far greater than going four times the speed in a modern-day four-wheel drive rally rep. Plus if people catch sight of the little orange Escort, tyres squealing at no more than 20mph, they smile fondly and point it out to their children. Very soon I'm so smitten by the Escort I'm making a mental list in my head of all the modern cars I wouldn't use for a twenty minute blast if I had the choice.

It's like remembering what you really like about driving in the first place and stripping away everything you don't need. Remove 34 years of technological advancement and you are left with only the bare essentials you need to enjoy driving: rear-drive, good steering, hard-revving engine, sweet handling and oversteer on tap. Horsepower? Who needs it…?

That's why I can't ditch my scratchy black Jap. For the exact reasons as stated above. Shot the front brakes yesterday while chasing a bike (don't say a word) on my backyards ruralroads . . .

[miniman]

Nice article. Would love to own one some day, but doubt it will ever be financially viable. If only my Father hadn't sold this:

[muley]

Great article. I was lucky enough to own one in the 70s - in bright green. I used to run rings round my friend who was driving an MGB at the time... The most fun car I ever owned - I was sad to sell it and get a company car I remember the clutch fork snapping off - apparently a common fault at the time because it had a bigger, stronger clutch than the std Escorts(?) I remember the gearbox was pigging heavy!. No other probs - great car!

[joz8968]

tony_666 said:

dazzaturbo said:

great cars always had a soft spot for em (although prefer the slope fronted rs 2000) still a stunner

...and one of those...

Mk.2... "Snoop droop"

EDIT: What a tt I am!... Should be 'Droop Snoot' LOL

Edited by joz8968 on Saturday 30th August 12:26

[cvegas]

Before my time but great write up. Ten out of ten!

[Negative Creep]

I doubt we'll be talking the same way about the Focus in 30 years time! Shame any rwd Escort is so expensive now, they scene tax on them just seems insane

[Spoonman]

Lost count of all the Escorts I've owned, but honestly can't say a Mexico was ever slow. Then again, I don't think I ever owned a standard one.

Still have an ex-rally example sitting in the garage. Better than money in the bank, that one.