FORD ESCORT - Everything You Need to Know | Up to Speed

(engine revs) (engine roar) - You might think it's just a boring American car. An ordinary compact was a simple and inexpensive way to get from point Ahhh, to showing Buhh. Well, that was always the last part. But he was actually born in Britain before Queen was a twinkle in Freddie Mercury's eye. And it was breaking sales records and winning events before you even thought it existed. That's all you

need

to

know

to go faster in the Ford Escort. (loud rock music) It was the late 1960s and Ford UK had to replace its successful but very old Anglia model.

They saw how popular the Mini had become, especially after the transition from a practical city vehicle to a winning car. Ford had success in sales and motorsports with the Cortina, but they wanted to build something smaller and better that could perform even better than the Mini. They take the shape of the Coca-Cola bottle that sold so well in the United States, sit on a dog's bun and steal the Escort name from a trim level of the Ford Squire, which is actually a station wagon model of the Anglia . Yes. I don't

know

why things that happen had so many different names back then.

Thus, production of the new Ford Escort began in 1967 and expanded to the rest of Europe in '68. There was a body style for everyone. A two-door sedan. A property with two doors. A four-door sedan. A van for distributors and free candy. By mid-1974 they had obtained two million bodyguards. More than any of the other four models sold outside the US. They mostly came with small, weak crossflow 1.1 and 1.3 liter four-cylinder engines. But the cars were rear-wheel drive and the high-performance 1300 GT models came with Weber carbs, upgraded suspension and a

speed

ometer. (engine roar) The lowest trim levels had like 50 horsepower and were so slow that you didn't

need

to know how fast you were going because you couldn't go fast.

But they were still better than the Anglia, which reached 60 kilometers per hour in about 20 seconds. It's like Bohemian Rhapsody 0 to 60 times. So you think you can stop me and spit in my eye? Beedle-dee! (Laughter) Just as Ford expected, people chased them, and they chased them a lot. Immediately after leaving the finish line, the Escorts traveled all the European tracks and rally stages. Ford quickly began offering sportier versions with healthy triple power. Like the double overhead cam Escort with a 1.5-litre Lotus engine, followed by the 1.6-litre RS 1600 with a Cosworth engine. RS! Look, it's Rally Sport, don't you know?

Finnish rally legend Hannu Mikkola. Maybe you've heard of him? You know, the guy who drove Group B Audi Quattros in the '80s. I mentioned it in this episode about the Audi Quattro. If you missed it, check it out. Hannu led the Escorts to a slew of group two WRC victories over a decade. But the most important victory was the first round of the World Championship from London to Mexico in 1970. At the wheel of a modified RS 1600. There are 16,000 bouncy castles, kilometers without air-conditioned Europe, South America and Central America. Literally, from London to Mexico City. (engines and roar) Five Escorts finished in the top 10 of that rally.

Significant performance that no other manufacturer can match. To commemorate its huge success, Ford built a special edition 86-horsepower Escort Mexico with a reinforced chassis but without the other sick stuff you need for a rally. People loved it anyway and bought over 10,000. Ford took a step forward in 1973 with the faster and more refined RS2000. Powered by a 2 liter overhead cam Pinto engine. The Ford Works racing team killed it with the Mark 1 Escort Reg right from the start. And they continued with the next generation of the car. 1975 saw the debut of the Mark II Escort, which was practically a huge facelift. (upbeat music and bright vocals) Three special editions appeared in the late 70s. the linnet, the harrier and the golden crested.

Sounds like new characters in a Game of Thrones spin-off. But apparently they are some kind of birds. And know that birds are the word. The 2000 Mark II RS gained a more distinctive appearance with four headlights, a black polyurethane drooping nose (bleep censorship), and a rubber spoiler. It was almost as fast as a Saab turbo or a BMW 320i. Then the wizard began to start, there is a small and large platform around. (male laughter off camera) (engine roars, wheels screech) The Mark II was a bit peculiar, though. For some reason, the horn was on one of them.

I don't know if it was the turn signals or the windshield wipers. And only the glove box comes in the top finish because only the rich can af

ford

to have gloves. It didn't matter much. They still sell a ton of them! And it was the best-selling car in Britain in 1976. For the track, Ford updated the RS 1600 to an RS 1800 and added talented drivers. Roger Clark, Bjorn Waldegard, Timo, McKinnon and Ari Vatinen. The engines of the Cosmotor engines were running for two hundred and fifty hours. (engine roar) They won everywhere, including the Safari for a second rally.

There were three Escorts in the top five of the 1979 WRC Drivers' Championship, with Björn winning it all and Ford taking the constructors' crown. Because we are the champions, my friends, and we will continue fighting until the end. Everything changed in 1980 with the Markus III generation. The new Escort was completely new from the ground up, and has now gone toe-to-toe with the recently popular Honda Civic and Volkswagen Golf, which happens to be my favorite car. And for the first time, the Escort model and its corporate twin, the Mercury Lynx (feline smile), appear in the United States.

But it was hardly related to the European version. You can get it as a three-door hatch, five-door estate or five-door hatch. Ford actually brands the hatchbacks' stubby-looking rear end as the Aeroback. This lowered the drag coefficient quite a bit to improve fuel economy, and they used it on a couple of their other cars later. Can I mark my butt too? I mean, it actually produces its own gas. (twangy guitar theme from 'Seinfeld') Check, check, check, check. Hey guys, if you're like me, you love stunts. Have you ever wondered how they do it? I was wondering. This Wednesday a new three-episode miniseries premieres on Donut.

We look at the coolest stunts the world has ever seen. It's tight. Europe has a 1.6 liter diesel, it was slow, but an incredible 70 MPG. Which is absurd considering diesels don't get 70 MPG these days. But what about the best course, James? That's why we came. New performance additions like the RS 1600i and xr3i got fuel injection and got one hundred and fifty hours, while the GT model in the United States got a turbo. Oh! And he made one hundred and twenty. (engine roar) The European RS Series I turbo made about 130 horsepower, had Recaro seats and an LSD.

All Mark 3 Companions now have a more modern independent suspension. But despite this, they had a much tougher road than their competition, making them harder to sell. Meanwhile, Ford engineers were working on a rear-wheel drive turbocharged 1.7-litre Cosworth rally companion for racing and the homologated WRC Group B road cars were due to deliver 200 hours with the racing versions accounting for 350. They then investigated what that happened in the WRC and they saw (intense engine roar). I think I just pooped with excitement. There was no point in continuing. They literally threw in the towel. Only 17 cars were produced before they rolled off the mat.

But the RS 1700 Ts were quick little numbers that could hit 60 miles per hour in 4.2 seconds. However, it was not in vain. The fast-driving guys at Ford took what they learned from those 17 cars and put it all back into one of the most incredible rally cars of all time. Lightning, lightning, lightning! Technically, it's not really an Escort. But this is my boat and I do what I want. (engine growl, roar) The RS 200 was Ford's mid-engine, all-wheel drive answer to Group B's question. And unlike the Audi Quattro S1, it wasn't based on any existing production car. The RS 200 then debuted in the 1986 WRC season and unfortunately found itself in the middle of the demise of Group B.

Do you want to learn more about it? Click here on the right. Now I return to the guided part of the story. The Mark IV generation went on sale in Europe in 1986. The engines became larger and the crazy Bosch K-Jetronic was replaced by central fuel injection. Bosch K-Jetronic? I've said it before and I'll say it again. This is the worst. Meanwhile, the first American generation. The Escort lasted until 1990 with only a few facelifts in '85 and '88. In the early '90s the second generation was introduced and Ford moved all American Escorts to the Mazda B platform.

They became more similar to Ford models. Laser in Australia and then to Escort in Europe. They considered changing the name to Laser, but Plymouth already uses the name on their Eclipse clone. That is why American Escorts are an economical and compact vehicle. It was a kind of sports GT version with 127 horsepower and a Mazda engine. It had disc brakes, dual exhaust and alloy wheels. But Europe has really kept it real. (engine roar) Your 2000 Mark V RS has the larger Sierra sedan's 150-horsepower 2-liter engine and optional all-wheel drive. Then Ford tried to win again in the WRC.

And good things always come out! The Escort RS Cosworth came with an upsized 2-liter Cosworth engine that produced 225 horsepower with all-wheel drive. Designer Frank Stephenson puts the icing on the cake. A big whale tail that literally no one hates. (Engine roars, brakes squeal) Tuned Cozzies won many rallies and Escort lovers won too. The first production cars had big turbos and the big laughs that came with them. People wanted to buy more than the Ford 2500 needed to sell to chase them. So Ford kept building. 7,145 Cozzies sold from '92 to '96. (engine roar, brakes screech, creak, creak) The mid-'90s Mark VI

escort

was similar to the Mark V.

Ford revised

everything

as the decade progressed, but competitors They were gathering faster. The all-new Focus would come out in 1998 and Ford began to park as sales of the Escort moved in line with the new model. The Euro's once best-selling little runoff was made before the year 2000 was out. On this side of the Atlantic the third-generation Escort was dropped in '96 and a sportier coupe body style was added: CX2 Sport coupe. It's a blast to drive! - The 98 ZX2 replaces the GT trim and Ford Probe and comes with a two-liter, four-cylinder Z-Tech engine, making around 130 horsepower. Around the same time, tuners acquired the Civic Sis and Neon ACR.

Ford's response? The ZX2 S/R. It was too late and a 90-year-old boy was looking for her. A blue valve. High flow inlet. Tassel Output. Eibach Springs. Crashes from Tokico and a short slider from B&M. The modifications were good to increase power to 143 horsepower and you can hardly create a better aftermarket name for the point. I want one. (engine roar) - He's an idiot. The last new North American Escort leaves the factory in Mexico in early 2003. For more than 30 years the Ford Escort has consistently given us someone to love. If you haven't done it before, the RS editions will definitely blow your mind.

But the Escort is gone and the Focus now says I'm here. Not much, because Ford is becoming Killer Queen in cars and is going to make crossovers almost entirely. Another one that bites the dust. (stupid) Do you know all the Queen jokes? (engine roar, screeching, voices shouting) Hello, thanks for watching Donut Media. I am amazed every day I hit the subscribe button. If you like this "like" button. It really helps us. Did you know that? Did Dodge own Ford before? You want to know the story of this episode of My Son Nolan Show. Follow me on Instagram, (mumbles) donut at Donut Media.

Bye bye! I love you.