RE: Ford Escort 50th birthday: Time for Tea
Tuesday 11th December 2018
Ford Escort 50th birthday: Time for Tea?
There's now been half a century of various rallying Escorts - time for a sideways celebration!
The Ford Escort still has such large a presence on the global motorsport stage that you'd be forgiven for forgetting that this model is actually 50 years old in 2018. Today, as in the late 1960s, Escorts compete in rallying and historic touring car races the world over, scraping hedges and banging bumpers as well as they ever have.
On its 50th birthday, if you were to add up the international, national and club level wins achieved in an Escort, it'd probably be Ford's most successful competition car by a long margin - and it's not like the tally is showing any signs of slowing in growth.
To some purists, the rear-drive Mk1 and Mk2 Escorts will forever remain the best of the bunch, born before the rise of all-wheel drive rallying. Even Ford itself appears most fond of the early cars, as is evident in its new video, which features them exclusively.
In it there are several legendary names from the Escort's motorsport past and countless clips of vintage video from its rallying and racing days. Which only means one thing: time to get the kettle on. Or whatever else you might fancy at this time of year...
Discussion
Along with the Mini one of the most iconic British cars of all time and best motorsport cars ever. I am sure the Mk1 and Mk2 Escorts are a big reason why the Brits even to this day are so fond of Fords.
I had a Mk2 estate back in the day and it was dreadful, but I wish I'd bought a Mexico when you could pick em up for a grand! When I passed my test in 1988 you really could!
Leggy said:
Had a both MK1 & 2 Mexico’s back in the day.
My ideal garage would have one of each with forest arches, and an X-pack Mk2.
Iconic and still a joy to watch after all these years.
Would have liked an X-pack RS2 too - managed to own a few Escorts and couple of RS ones - had great fun in themMy ideal garage would have one of each with forest arches, and an X-pack Mk2.
Iconic and still a joy to watch after all these years.
s m said:
Leggy said:
Had a both MK1 & 2 Mexico’s back in the day.
My ideal garage would have one of each with forest arches, and an X-pack Mk2.
Iconic and still a joy to watch after all these years.
Would have liked an X-pack RS2 too - managed to own a few Escorts and couple of RS ones - had great fun in themMy ideal garage would have one of each with forest arches, and an X-pack Mk2.
Iconic and still a joy to watch after all these years.
I'm struggling to think of an overall more successful car than a mk1/2 Escort, probably mk2 as it seems like there are a few more around. Maybe a mini due to a higher level of clubman wins? Internationally though I think the Escort could be the most successful racing (including rallying) car in the world?
Along with the mini it's also hard to think of another "product" that has had continual motorsport development since launch - there are still people developing new things for both the escort and mini, XE redtop is another good example (being the basis for the current touring car spec engines) even though it obviously launched later.
Amazing when you think that it's still being developed 50 years later. There is nothing quite like a BDA echoing through a forest (though a Dino engined Stratos does come close)
Along with the mini it's also hard to think of another "product" that has had continual motorsport development since launch - there are still people developing new things for both the escort and mini, XE redtop is another good example (being the basis for the current touring car spec engines) even though it obviously launched later.
Amazing when you think that it's still being developed 50 years later. There is nothing quite like a BDA echoing through a forest (though a Dino engined Stratos does come close)
Mr.Jimbo said:
There is nothing quite like a BDA echoing through a forest
Indeed.....one of the two greatest automotive sounds ever for me, along with a blown vintage 392 running 100% nitro.50 years.........feeling old now, as it only seems like yesterday that I was manning the AVO OC stand at NEC when we celebrated it being 20 years old....
This is such a great video about one of the most successful competition cars of all time. So many memories of Escorts over the years and as pointed out below, the fact that they are still competitive and still being developed is amazing. Mini and Porsche 911 spring to mind as both have circuit and rally wins to their credit. The only other competition Ford's that come close are the Capri and Sierra.
Remember being driven home as a 14 year old, cross country through the lanes of Kent in a beige 1300L Mk2 Escort. That a car with so little obvious potential and so little power, could make such rapid progress and it has stayed with me for years. From the passenger seat it just seemed so willing, so alive and the snickety little 4-speed transmission and punchy Kent engine worked well together on the twisty narrow lanes.
Remember being driven home as a 14 year old, cross country through the lanes of Kent in a beige 1300L Mk2 Escort. That a car with so little obvious potential and so little power, could make such rapid progress and it has stayed with me for years. From the passenger seat it just seemed so willing, so alive and the snickety little 4-speed transmission and punchy Kent engine worked well together on the twisty narrow lanes.
I was priveliged to own a 1968 Twin Cam in 1983 when I was 21.
I paid £600 for it, and rebuilt the engine and restored the rusty bodywork.
You could drive an Escort sideways all day and when you got it wrong (as I often did!) it would forgive you,and you would stay in the road!
I sold it for £800, they sell for at least £40,50,000 + perhaps more than that,if you could ever find one now!
I paid £600 for it, and rebuilt the engine and restored the rusty bodywork.
You could drive an Escort sideways all day and when you got it wrong (as I often did!) it would forgive you,and you would stay in the road!
I sold it for £800, they sell for at least £40,50,000 + perhaps more than that,if you could ever find one now!
Nearlyretired said:
I was priveliged to own a 1968 Twin Cam in 1983 when I was 21.
I paid £600 for it, and rebuilt the engine and restored the rusty bodywork.
You could drive an Escort sideways all day and when you got it wrong (as I often did!) it would forgive you,and you would stay in the road!
I sold it for £800, they sell for at least £40,50,000 + perhaps more than that,if you could ever find one now!
Almost snap.....I paid £600 for it, and rebuilt the engine and restored the rusty bodywork.
You could drive an Escort sideways all day and when you got it wrong (as I often did!) it would forgive you,and you would stay in the road!
I sold it for £800, they sell for at least £40,50,000 + perhaps more than that,if you could ever find one now!
Bought my '69 Twin Cam in 1985 for 400 quid, less engine/box. Shell was mint, with just some small bubbles on sills and bottom of rear panel. Was great mates with the AVO OC Twin Cam Registrar at the time, and he sourced a disassembled all-steel Twink engine that needed the head rebuilding for 500 quid. The pedal box was shagged and the remote servo was missing, but 3 months before a mate and I had bought a rolled early Mex to break for parts, and we hadn't sold the gearbox, bellhousing, servo, and pedal box, so bunged my mate 25 quid as his share of those parts for the Twink.
During next 6 months I got the pedal box swapped over, servo installed, and got the bottom end of the engine built and ready for the head to be done when I lost the use of the lock-up it was being stored in.
Was able to keep it at Bobs for a few months while looked for another lock-up, but they were like rocking horse do-dah back then, and so very reluctantly, I had to sell it on as a project. Sold it to another club member for 1000 quid, which at the time I was chuffed to get, but always knew I'd regret having to sell it for ever more.
I know the guy then sold it on again a year or so later when he was offered the chance to buy a very rare late Custom Pack RS1600, so I have no idea whether CPX 70G ever got finished by anyone and ever saw the road again.
I had a Mk Escort GT which was an inoffensive little thing but possibly the only Escort , ever , which suffered from heroic levels of UNDERsteer.
My badass 1100 Escort van, which sported Corbeau seat , Astrali wheel , Hella lights , a whip aerial, aero windscreen wipers and a Hesketh Racing sticker was far more fun.
My badass 1100 Escort van, which sported Corbeau seat , Astrali wheel , Hella lights , a whip aerial, aero windscreen wipers and a Hesketh Racing sticker was far more fun.
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