The American Ford Escorts

[sierraman]

Often wonder do the 80’s Federal spec have much of a following in the US? Did any ever make it to the U.K.?

Although they look similar they’re completely different to the European Escorts. 

[Squarepegroundhole]

Do they have a following in the USA? Of course there is! You name any car ever made no matter how hopeless and there’s a following! https://www.feoa.net/#escort-generations-motors.67

Curbside Classic has a few articles on the subject too.

Are there any in the UK? At least 2 that I’ve seen. A doom blue one was on eBay a year or so back and a white one maybe 2 years ago. Both were low spec, never seen a GT here. I’ve also seen a couple of low spec CVH models in Spain.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

I'm on an FB group called 'underappreciated survivors' or something like that and theres a bloke on there who seems to travel the whole USA hoovering these up, particularly diesel ones! Apparently they use a Mazda 2.0 NA diesel engine. The estate ones look especially shit.

[sierraman]

14 minutes ago, Mr_Bo11ox said:

I'm on an FB group called 'underappreciated survivors' or something like that and theres a bloke on there who seems to travel the whole USA hoovering these up, particularly diesel ones! Apparently they use a Mazda 2.0 NA diesel engine. The estate ones look especially shit.

Yeah I saw the diesel Estate, it looked like how a Mk3 Estate would look if I’d had 6 pints of Stella. 

[jonathan_dyane]

I never knew these were a thing! Stunning.

[Shep Shepherd]

In my opinion, the pre-1985 Federal Escort looks pretty rank, due to all of the chrome and its recessed headlights, but the 1985-1990 version is quite a good-looking car, a bit like a scaled-up mark 3.

[RoadworkUK]

I was always amused by how unappealing the Escort GT (rough equivalent of XR3) somehow looked, right down to Cloverleaf alloys that somehow look sad, despondent and tainted with disease.

[hairnet]

[hairnet]

[vulgalour]

I don't mind them, really, they're okay.  The Mercury LN7/Ford EXP is my favourite of the Escort-based range.  Ford stepped sideways from this to the fox body Mustang, while the EXP would be replaced by the  Probe, just not the one we're familiar with.  The first time I saw one of these the wheels confused me the most because my brain wanted to interpret them as XR3i cloverleaf alloys, they're actually wheel trims.  NB:  I see @RoadworkUK made the same observation while I was composing this post.

 

Probably because of how popular and numerous the Escort was here in the UK, the American versions always end up looking like a computer game car, the sort where they're trying to avoid copyright issues by making them recognisable but just different enough, especially as you get into the facelift versions.  This later model almost looks like some sort of Hyundai.

They did a whole bunch of different wheels, one set has more than a hint of Toyota Celica about it until you look at it properly.

[RoadworkUK]

The cloverleafy rims were definitely alloys, at least the version on that EXP

[hairnet]

12 minutes ago, vulgalour said:

I don't mind them, really, they're okay.  The Mercury LN7/Ford EXP is my favourite of the Escort-based range.  Ford stepped sideways from this to the fox body Mustang, while the EXP would be replaced by the  Probe, just not the one we're familiar with.  The first time I saw one of these the wheels confused me the most because my brain wanted to interpret them as XR3i cloverleaf alloys, they're actually wheel trims.  NB:  I see @RoadworkUK made the same observation while I was composing this post.

 

Probably because of how popular and numerous the Escort was here in the UK, the American versions always end up looking like a computer game car, the sort where they're trying to avoid copyright issues by making them recognisable but just different enough, especially as you get into the facelift versions.  This later model almost looks like some sort of Hyundai.

They did a whole bunch of different wheels, one set has more than a hint of Toyota Celica about it until you look at it properly.

looks like a 323 with mirafiori alloys

 

[vulgalour]

huh, I'd been lead to believe they were covers.  Maybe they were both?

[HMC]

There’s something odd about the proportions, maybe it’s the familiarity of the styling ques, I wonder if there was any ford of Europe technical input underneath.

[Mr Laurence]

I think there are a few in the UK; every few months one gets posted to the eBay thread. They seem to be worth about the same, but normally a little bit less than a similar Euro car. I bet finding parts is a nightmare though

Edit: here’s one! I can remember there being a tidier MOT’d estate for sale in the summer as well, which made about a grand. Presumably there’s others too.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1986-Ford-Escort-EXP/274535508736?hash=item3feb976b00:g:wjgAAOSwrmRfiIQ~#vi__app-cvip-panel

[sierraman]

I bet a few made it over from forces personnel. 

[Crispian_J_Hotson]

If vauxhall done fordz... All foxhalls r shit m9.

[bezzabsa]

50 minutes ago, RoadworkUK said:

The cloverleafy rims were definitely alloys, at least the version on that EXP

WTF is a TOT GUARD?????? (F in the pic)

[lisbon_road]

Yeah.  I want to know what a tot guard is too!  Well I googled it and it gets better: tots, moppets.  But that brochure picture must get a prize for being confusing.  It is a bit like a ready inflated air bag, but he can't actually see where he is going.  Wow.

[Pieman]

1 hour ago, hairnet said:

What do you get if you cross a Mk2 Mondeo estate with a Corolla?

Er, that!

[Low Horatio gearbox]

1 hour ago, HMC said:

There’s something odd about the proportions, maybe it’s the familiarity of the styling ques, I wonder if there was any ford of Europe technical input underneath.

 Indeed, it looks like 90% of it is the escort you know and love.., just one last 10 %of the front and rear got "improved" I guess to suit American lighting and 5 mph crash regulations and  errr tastes (wot no cheese on it!) The result is something familiar but... wrong.

 

 

4 hours ago, Mr_Bo11ox said:

... theres a bloke on there who seems to travel the whole USA hoovering these up....

Did they rust that badly?        I'll get me coat....😂🤦‍♂️

[Spottedlaurel]

56 minutes ago, sierraman said:

I bet a few made it over from forces personnel. 

Pretty sure that was the case with the odd example I recall in the '80s and early '90s, with the USAF bases at Mildenhall, Lakenheath, Bentwaters and Woodbridge all fairly local.

[RoadworkUK]

The annual USAF air displays were an absolute fairground of obscure Americana when I was little. I remember my first exposure to the Ford Aerostar when I was, I dunno, about eight or so, seeing the Ford badge and trying to figure out what on earth was going on. It seemed a cross between a Mk2 Granada and a Mk3 Transit.

[Nev]

Odd looking Coupe on eBay US. Celica and Probe arse? Lots of $$$ though $6800 https://www.ebay.com/itm/2003-Ford-Escort-ZX2/133630873022?hash=item1f1d054dbe:g:LSIAAOSwQIZf91Z2

[cort1977]

4 hours ago, lisbon_road said:

Yeah.  I want to know what a tot guard is too!  Well I googled it and it gets better: tots, moppets.  But that brochure picture must get a prize for being confusing.  It is a bit like a ready inflated air bag, but he can't actually see where he is going.  Wow.

My moppets would have tolerated that for about 5 seconds before kicking off.

[cort1977]

2 hours ago, Nev said:

Odd looking Coupe on eBay US. Celica and Probe arse? Lots of $$$ though $6800 https://www.ebay.com/itm/2003-Ford-Escort-ZX2/133630873022?hash=item1f1d054dbe:g:LSIAAOSwQIZf91Z2

Saw a grand total of one of those in the whole time I lived out there. Literally never saw any earlier escorts at all. The Koreans have basically cornered this part of the market in the states.

[OM646]

6 hours ago, hairnet said:

These might not be very hard to maintain here as they're basically Mazda 323 underneath

[wuvvum]

At one stage the 1.9 CVH engine in these was popular as a "big bore" upgrade to Mk4 Escorts in Europe.

Are the doors shared with the Euro Escort?  They look identical to my admittedly untrained eye.

[sheffcortinacentre]

Funny I was reading about these a couple of nights ago.

It was one of the proposals for the MK3 escort, but was rejected were upon the American's decided they preferred it so the new first world market ford ended up being the world except there.

Very little is shared with the euro version (less than 5%) mainly engine I believe.

[ProgRocker]

6 hours ago, Spottedlaurel said:

Pretty sure that was the case with the odd example I recall in the '80s and early '90s, with the USAF bases at Mildenhall, Lakenheath, Bentwaters and Woodbridge all fairly local.

Every few Sundays during the early to mid 1990s my parents and I would visit Snetterton Market. There would be a selection of American cars in the car park, assumed usaf personnel. Back then I couldn't tell what one make was from another. 

I really like compact and subcompact American cars. Hence why I have an AMC as my current avatar.