Ford

Escort

The Ford Escort was introduced in Ireland and the United Kingdom at the end of 1967, making its show debut at the  Brussels Motor Show in January 1968. It replaced the successful, long-running Anglia. The Escort was presented as the first passenger car to be developed by the merged Ford of Europe. Escort production commenced at the Halewood plant in England during the closing months of 1967, and for left-hand-drive markets in September 1968 at the Ford plant in Genk, Belgium. Initially, the Escort was sold as a two-door saloon. A two-door estate was introduced at the end of March 1968, followed by a panel van in April 1968 and a four-door saloon in 1969. During 1968, a higher-performance version, the Escort Twin Cam, became available. It had a 1,558 cc engine, originally developed for the Lotus Elan. Production of the Twin Cam was phased out as the Cosworth-engined RS 1600 (RS denoting Rallye Sport) production began in March 1970. The Escort eventually went on to become one of the most successful rally cars of all time. The Ford works team was practically unbeatable in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Perhaps the Escort's greatest victory was in the 1970 London to Mexico World Cup Rally, giving rise to the Escort Mexico, introduced in November 1970. Both the Mexico and RS 1600 were built at Ford's Advanced Vehicle Operations (AVO) facility located in South Essex. As well as higher-performance engines and sports suspension, these models featured a strengthened bodyshell. Ford also produced an RS 2000 model, featuring a 1,993 cc engine.

1969

1973

1974

The second generation Escort was introduced in January 1975. It retained the same rear-wheel-drive platform and mechanical layout, but featured completely new bodywork with more angular styling in line with mid-1970s design trends. The car was available in a wide range of trim levels and body styles, including two- and four-door saloons, estates, and panel vans. It also continued Ford’s emphasis on motorsport and performance with versions like the Escort Sport, RS Mexico, and the high-performance RS 1800, which used a Cosworth engine and became a dominant force in international rallying. Production ended in 1980, when it was replaced by the all-new, front-wheel-drive Escort Mk3.

1976

1977

1978