So why Escorts???

[top ghia]

When i first started work i used to see a guy most mornings in a signal orange RS 2000, if it was damp he would come round the bottom of the lane sideways. That was enough to get me hooked.

I learnt to drive in a MK2 Escort Estate in a fetching shade of dogshit brown but that didnt put me off, my first car was a MK1 1100 bought for £200 after a brief encounter with one of those inferior cars built in Luton i moved on to the MK2s everyone else went for the Capri but they never interested me.

Love for the car never went away even though i had a 20 year ownership gap untill i bought the Ghia.

[bigjohnie]

Now 47 years old my love affair started when my uncle craig bought a mk1 rs2000 custom in white with red pinstripe and steel wheels it was stunning and he used to take me out in it.He then traded it in for a brand new 1600 sport mk2 in black then he purchased a brand new mk2 rs2000 custom in venetian red i instantly loved the mk2 and vowed i would have one when i was old enough.My father always had fords starting with an anglia,consuls,mk2 cortinas,capris etc but it was the escorts i loved.I was fourteen when my dad got the chance of a daytona yellow mk1 escort for 25 quid it was mint and two door.I bought it and used to polish it and move it up and down the drive anyway i sold it for profit and with help from my father i started buying and selling old fords and saving like mad doing a valeting job after school.finally when i was eighteen i sold my cortina ghia and got my first rs2000 in my fav colour signal red HRS 901V.I can remember the exicitement going to view it i had to have it but was in plaster with a football injury and had to wait four weeks to drive it,i was so jealous as my dad drove it home after buying it and spent hours polishing it untill the day came.I have never been without a mk1/mk2 RS escort since although i bought a six month old series one turbo with 4,000 miles in 1995 that was a great car too

[ATR477V]

Marshalling in Grizedale forest in the 70's , seeing Makinen, Mikkola, Vatanen and the great Roger Albert in the works Mk1 and 2's and also of course "little legs" in the Andrew's cars.

Always been into Fords, Anglia 1500GT and Lotus engined, Mk1 GT Cortina, Mk2 Lotus. 1600Mk1 Escort, 1600 Mk2 Escort, 1700 big wing Mk 1 Escort, the none for nearly 20 yrs. Now a Mk2 RS 2000, what I always wanted but coulnd't afford.

Having said that, I did all my serious rallying (road and stage) in an Avenger Tiger and Talbot Sunbeam.

Ah, memories.

John

[ATR477V]

Marshalling in Grizedale forest in the 70's , seeing Makinen, Mikkola, Vatanen and the great Roger Albert in the works Mk1 and 2's and also of course "little legs" in the Andrew's cars.

Always been into Fords, Anglia 1500GT and Lotus engined, Mk1 GT Cortina, Mk2 Lotus. 1600Mk1 Escort, 1600 Mk2 Escort, 1700 big wing Mk 1 Escort, the none for nearly 20 yrs. Now a Mk2 RS 2000, what I always wanted but coulnd't afford.

Having said that, I did all my serious rallying (road and stage) in an Avenger Tiger and Talbot Sunbeam.

Ah, memories.

John

How coould I forget the big swede BW.

[76mex]

next door neighbour had a brand new rs2000 in red with a black vinyl roof on an s reg he was in sales at polar ford and use to give him hand washing it on a weekend couldnt reach the roof though as i was only 8 years old still remember it as if it was yesterday

[theloudboy]

next door neighbour had a brand new rs2000 in red with a black vinyl roof on an s reg he was in sales at polar ford and use to give him hand washing it on a weekend couldnt reach the roof though as i was only 8 years old still remember it as if it was yesterday

I grew up watching my brothers mate ****ing around in escorts, and the fact my dad worked for alan mann and did all the fab on his escorts did noy help.

[alancdavis]

My first compitition car was a Mk 1

[76mex]

he aso had a laverda jota motorbike in silver never seen one since dont enen know what engine size was but it was huge kept in my dads coal house the good old days

[ATR477V]

First rally car, 1600 anglebox on twin 40's, taken on Workington slag bank on the Derwent Stages in the early 70's.

[kas750]

Some great stories and pics...everybody on here has tale to tell about escorts.keep them coming.

[Dobbo63]

Dad had a 1300 sport , I loved that car, plus my uncle worked at calderfords in Wakefield, he use to take me n my brother to work on sat mornings in his 1600gt powered Anglia to work in it and whilst there we would look around at the escorts n stuff that was in there.
At 17 passed my test and dad gave me a mk1 1300gt escort he had bought for me, at the time I thought I was somebody whilst mates had 1100,s n minis
, one of em had a hillman imp! Went on to own mk1 mexicos even had two at the age of 18 then at 19 bought mk2 RS2, TUB 700 R. Carnival red broadstripe. God did enjoy that car .owned a few more over the years on,had kids went onto 4x4s then bought present escort , 1980 RS 2 custom in Venetian red BVR, Ronals . That was 3 yrs ago. The wife loves driving it too.

[ian parker]

I too grew up with Fords, i remember my dads first Anglia, then Mk1 Escorts then he had a series of MK3 Cortinas. My fav without doubt was an early 1600GT, K plate car with sloping dash and coffin seats. Daytona Yellow with BVR. Stunning car. Wish i had it today. I too wanted an Escort or a Mini, a sales guy for MFI i knew had a mk 1 mex, ALJ 914K, i convinced him to sell it to me for £1200. The rest is history as they say

[0630154]

My first 3 cars were mk2 escorts , all started from there .

[SHIFTY]

Cool thread nice to see how folk got into Escorts

For me its in the blood lol...

My folks rallied Mk1's within the Coltness CC for 7 years in the 70's... My dad drove and my mum navigated.

[alancdavis]

good photos there