DAN WILLIAMSON
Can any other car match the Ford Escorts credentials? Not only is it one of the worlds best-selling vehicles around one million were produced but it also achieved that figure in a shorter time than all of its rivals. None of those cars come close to the Escorts outstanding success in motorsport, and few approach the Fords everlasting appeal.
The Ford Escort began as a small car in 1967, with conventional three-box saloon and rear-wheel-drive layout; those now-legendary machines were reviewed in The Complete Catalogue of the Ford Escort Mk1 & Mk2.
But it was with the all-new front-wheel-drive hatchback of 1980 that the Escort took over the world, dominating markets in many European countries, the USA and South America.
There were Escort vans, Escort estates and, before long, a four-door Ford Orion saloon. And, of course, there were the sporty specials that make the Escort such an everyday hero: the XR3, RS1600i, Cabriolet, RS Turbo and RS1700T.