Ford has announced that the Escort nameplate will return. Whether that’s an iconic badge will depend largely on your age, we suspect – if you grew up in the 70s and 80s, we’ll bet the memory of early
RS2000
XR3i
RS Turbo
s will give it a fond sheen, though if you grew up in the 90s, we’ll again wager that the memory of the disastrous Mk5, the car that effectively killed the Escort badge in the UK, will taint it somewhat. Despite the iconic
Cosworth
The new Escort: not as cool as the old one
Like it or loathe it; either way, it’s back. Ford will revive the badge for a sub-
Focus
compact saloon, revealed this weekend at the
Shanghai show
and developed specifically for the Chinese market. Seems like an unusual move, but apparently the Chinese love an Escort, with classic models now regularly imported to the country by car enthusiasts seeking something a little different. Naturally, Ford’s realised that this new-found awareness for one of its old brands might have something in it, so it's decided to give its next small car the moniker.
There are a few design cues that the new car shares with its retro namesake. Note the way the waistline rises toward the rear of the glasshouse, just as the Mk1’s did. Also that haunch line above the rear wheel. Intentional? Maybe. Probably not, actually, as up front it’s strictly Ford corporate family fayre, with the usual Aston-esque front grille, Fiesta-U-Like headlamps and vaned bonnet.
OK, maybe a little bit cooler, then
Not enough, really, to evoke the past glories of the Escort badge. Despite its fade into ignominy in the latter part of its life, the Escort was once a by-word for affordable performance in Britain. Cars like the
Mk1 Mexico
Mk2 RS2000
introduced a generation to the thrills of a well-sorted rear-wheel-drive chassis, and thanks to the combined benefits of nostalgia and classically good looks, are now commanding vast sums. Later Escorts, like the
Series One
Two
RS Turbos, might not be quite so valuable, but they too are becoming highly collectable in their own right. And the big daddy of the Escort range, the
Cosworth
, has always held its values pretty well. In fact, these days, if you want a fast Escort on a budget, your last refuge is an
RS2000 16V
which, while never the sharpest of the hot hatch crop, was still entertaining enough to provoke a certain amount of Escort-based nostalgia for many. Chances of this latest Escort doing the same? Probably slim, if we’re honest, though it’ll undoubtedly serve its purpose.
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