By far the most distinctive and best looking of all the Escorts. Unlike many of today's cars you never had to get up close to identify it, the car was recogniseable from Mars.
Having said that, I drove a couple and never really liked them.
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Ford did like to reuse a model name back then, this was the first Capri -
ourclassiccars.co.uk/ford-consul-capri/
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>> Ford did like to reuse a model name back then, this was the first Capri
>> ourclassiccars.co.uk/ford-consul-capri/
Pedant mode on:
That was a Ford rustbucket CONSUL Capri
I had a Ford rustbucket Consul Classic.
Although, I suppose at the time not many cars weren't rustbuckets.
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I quite liked the Mk 1 Escort, especially the GT, Lotus, Mexico, RS etc.
Never liked the Mk 11 at all at all.
The Mk 111 was something completely different. I tuned a few RS 1600i - thems were goers!!
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Link from a post on Pistonheads...
youtu.be/YEJxc1r_dtI
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Whenever I hear the word ‘Escort’ I always think of the Group B rally variants, especially the Rothmans liveried one’s or Ari Vatenans Black Escort. In my early 20’s I spent a lot of my holidays following the rally circus.
I rallied my own RS2000 unsuccessfully for a few years, and a good friend owned a new shape RS 1600i, which I believe now sell for good money.
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I shared a flat with a guy who had a, then, brand new Escort Harrier. I used to drive for him when he went drinking. Lovely car to drive (and own I guess) It had two giant Cibie Oscars - and was really nice inside - great gear-change, never bettered (although the Puma we had once came a close second). Harriers are very collectable now. I could be tempted with an RS2000 in the unlikely event of one suddenly appeared.
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>>new shape RS 1600i, which I believe now sell for good money.
= www.carandclassic.co.uk/list/21/escort+rs1600i/
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I also (briefly) had a RS1600i, in white, on a ‘Y’ plate from memory. It was far from new when I bought for, I seem to remember, £1,300. I swapped it for a slightly newer caspian blue XR3i. If only I’d known and kept both of them ;)
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Drove a few cooking MK3s, never got near an XR3 or a RS1600i..
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Passed my test in a red 71 Mk1 1300xl. Loved it
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A friend of mine was involved in the RS owners club at one time and owned an Escort Cosworth which was modified and produced 330bhp.
I can safely say it had the fastest accelleration I have experienced in any road car I have been in in my lifetime...
Last edited by: helicopter on Wed 14 Feb 18 at 09:16
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Love one but not as much as a Mk2
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I used to work for a Ford dealer and we had a customer who used to bring a Collins Performance tuned Escort RS Cosworth in for servicing. He took me out for a spin in it one afternoon when it was quiet. The thing was emaking 420 bhp, and was ridicously fast. Proper, punch in the guts acceleration, but it didn't want to know under 3,000 RPM.
Technically speaking, the Escort Cosworth was more Sierra than Escort, however.
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Our young physics teacher when I was in the 6th form had a 1300GT.
75bhp and the factory only claimed about 14 sec 0-60. He was a pleased as any present-day BMW fanboy could be with 300+bhp and I was much more impressed as a 17-year-old. I loved that car.
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Our needs were simpler in those days Manatee - I'd have been very happy with a Vauxhall Magnum. I get bored easily with cars though. On a good day my car is plenty quick enough - but occasionally I hanker after even more - 310bhp must be enough surely along with a 0-60 of 4 seconds...where does one go from there ? My next car will probably be some sort of hybrid..
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>> Our needs were simpler in those days Manatee - I'd have been very happy with
>> a Vauxhall Magnum. I get bored easily with cars though. On a good day my
>> car is plenty quick enough - but occasionally I hanker after even more - 310bhp
>> must be enough surely along with a 0-60 of 4 seconds...where does one go from
>> there?
Well that's the thing, isn't it?
I noticed a long time ago that it takes me only a few weeks of regular use to normalise to the performance of whatever I am driving, within reason. A faster car is a novelty for a very short time.
On the other hand, a car that is unpleasant to drive is a pain every day.
One of the nicest cars I ever had as a driving experience was an 895cc Polo in 1979. That could have done with a bit more power, just to keep up on hills.
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>>My next car will probably be some sort of hybrid..
I was sitting behind a Tesla today at red traffic lights at an entrance to the motorway. Think it was out of sight in the time the lights went from amber to green!
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>> Our young physics teacher when I was in the 6th form had a 1300GT.
>>
>> 75bhp and the factory only claimed about 14 sec 0-60. He was a pleased as
>> any present-day BMW fanboy could be with 300+bhp and I was much more impressed as
>> a 17-year-old. I loved that car.
>>
I had a white one on a ‘K’ plate. Lovely motor.
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Bloke I worked with (big Les) in the early 70's had a Shorrock-blown twin cam Mk 1 twin cam Escort.
Boy was that a fasty but, he had the head orf almost every weekend with problem after problem.
He eventually swopped it for a mK 1 Capri 3000GT .. that was fast too!
Fastest (acceleration-wise) car I've ever tuned and driven was a Porsche 911 ... pure ... raw ... power.
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Looking at the Facebook group ' Barn Finds ', there was a post with pics of a lovely Royal Blue Mk2 in a dry garage with just under 1000 miles on it. Covered in soft dust sheets, it was pristine. Original covers on seats, paper tag on spare wheel, etc. I think it was a 1300GL, about '78/9 or so.
Nice find for someone. I only ever had a MK1 Van, which did it's job well enough. Never much into Fords.
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Ford Escort 50 years old - Robin O'Reliant
