Genuine or Not??

[taffr]

Agree 2008 was a great year

And finished off with the McRae Stages in September in the Freeeezzzzing Cold

Nipper and I slept in the same sleeping bag that night it was so cold

[Chesney]

hope u didn't get a hard on son and poke him in the back

[Frosticles]

lol and ruddy breaking into a grin

A real rarity & not witnessed since.

[RUDDY]

A real rarity & not witnessed since.

If I recall correctly it was merely wind ...

[Skids]

Also, without clubs, Most of us would have never met.

Lucky you and Ches were in that Gay club in Brighton at the same time all those years ago then Kev or the love would never have blossomed ,they said it wouldn't last the balding work shy ex Punk with a Tramp fetish and the Ginger large nasaled rude boy with the little **** ,how wrong they were

[mark2marty]

I always wanted a mk1 or mk2 but could never find one I could afford as an apprentice, there wasn't many advertised in local papers in early 90's. Looked at a little 1300 mk1 rolling shell went and priced all the bits I needed out of the veng panels book but it got vandelised. Going to stock car meetings and rooting for the lone mk1 among all the starlets. Bought any book I could find on the cars and all the mags like ccc , fast car before it went shit with bodykits and ice and usual ford mags.
When I could get classic insurance the hunt was on and I saw my car in auto trader and when I saw it in sellers yard with antrim number plate that was it sold, its coming home with me. Drove it for six months and decided to freshen engine bay.............that turned into seven year resto hunting for good parts, getting ****ed off and avoiding the thing, doing a bit more and then it tried to burn itself when running in the cam , pinhole in dash oil pipe spraying on exhaust.
Still working at bits and pieces , it will never be fully finished but now its at the stage where I can drive it, the paint is over 10 years old so i'm not as precious about it and really enjoy it on the road. Spent loads more on it than would ever get back and don't regret it at all, still grin when I go into the garage and see it.
on the subject of "scenes" mk1 fiesta stuff is getting stupid expensive, not good when I am gathering bits for my 1300s rebuild. Martin

[mk1GTstu]

I consider myself a genuine enthusiast, bought RAX my '68 mk1 in 1992 as a project car for £100 when I was 16 because I've always loved mk1 & mk2 escorts & other old fords , it was my 1st car on the road & a daily driver for quite a few years & I've still got it now! People wondered why I was bothering to do it up at the time as nobody wanted them!

I've had various anglias, cortinas etc in the meantime but always kept the mk1, would never get rid of it. Its used as a show & weekend car these days as like others have said about values & prices of parts, its also got a lot of sentimental value to me so I want to preserve it for as long as possible.

Love driving it still, working on it (and the other old ford project cars!) and getting out to shows & meeting different people.

I've noticed in our local ford club you get enthuisiasts like myself have had their cars for a long time, have always been into ols fords & attend most of the local shows, then you get others who buy a car, get bored with it after a year or so & sell it on & you don't see them again.

I wouldn't be without my old cars!
cheers, Stu

[escortmad79]

Been into Escorts ever since I was a kid & used to see a Sebring mk1 Mexico in the town I grew up in. At the time I didn't know exactly what it was but knew it looked fantastic with its red paint, black stripes & Cibies. Also had the Scalextric set with the RS1600 & TR7 & always had to be the Escort.

Passed my test in 1999 & my first car was a mk2 Escort 1300 Ghia. This followed a number of other Escorts (2 Mk1s, another mk2, a series 1 Turbo, a series 2 Turbo & an estate).

I've always had at least one Escort mk1-4 since passing my test, in fact I bought my current estate in 2007 & still have it.

[In The Pit]

Probably succesive shit Summers hasn't helped matters.

I think this has alot to do with show and event attendance. From 2004-2012 (not including 2006) nearly all the summers have been poor with higher than average rainfall and low amounts of warmth and sunshine. Although July 2013 was hot, June was a wash out and August average at best, we also had a very late spring this year as well. In the 1990's we had some very hot dry summers (1995 being one of the hottest summers ever) this helped the shows and events and enabled the camping the night before.

The price of fuel also has alot to do with it.

Also as well as the price of all MKI/MKII Escorts being high the amount of cars left is very low. In the 90's there were loads left and still a common site on the road, now so few survive it's hard to find the right car even if you have a blank cheque to purchase it.

[seanmcc]

Still love MK2's but the price of the cars has made the attendance at shows diminish as people no longer take them out.

The late 80's into the 90's was great as you had to go to a show to meet up with people as there was no Internet or Forums.

You bought cars and parts in Motoring News or at Shows as eBay didn't exist and there was much more camaraderie and a willingness to give parts or sell at reasonable prices as the cars were worth very little.

The Lakes tour has been affected by the weather in recent years but it has also become a victim of it's own success. In 2007 and 2008 I knew probably 85% of the people that were there. In 2010 about 50% and last year I was lucky if I new 30% of the people as a lot of the 'old timers' were no longer there

Money has changed things and it will only get worse as fewer parts are available and the cost of keeping them on the road will keep climbing. Those holding them as investments are keeping them stored away to protect them but the big question is.... WHERE ARE THE NEXT GENERATION OF MK2 ESCORT OWNERS COMING FROM?? Very few kids are interested in cars now due to Insurance costs and the price of older cars as they can by a 1.2 Corsa much cheaper and spend their cash on designer clothes and iPhones

Well said Martin.so true

[topaz]

[trialscort]

Well chaps, 'the scene' is entirely what you make it.
I do the Irish national motorcycle rally. The old timers will tell you it's not what it was. We used to be up 'til 3 or 4. Well, we younger old timers still are!
If you want fun, make your own.

As for Escorts, for the last 27 years, I have never been without at least 1 Mk1.
Things have changed though. My RS2 stood outside my folks house when I lived there until the early 90s. Couldn't leave one there now.
Escorts were a daily driver for me. Now it is mainly events, or going to an event that I use them for.

Prices, yes they are hellish now, but ebay has made everything desireable expensive, not just Escorts. The simple fact is that cars and bits are so easy to access on the bay, that you have to compete to win them. Unfortunately, that means getting your wallet out. Quality costs.

The picture is my well battered competition car being used on a touring holiday this year. A 3.54 diff was the only thing I fitted to improve cruising. The shot was on a ferry crossing the Rhine. The only trouble I had in a couple of thousand miles was a blow out on an autobahn.

[Tim]

[Gremlin]

Agree 2008 was a great year

Lakes Tour with scorching weather and a great run over Hartside
National Day with the massive Registrar Display
Brooke Meadow camping before AVO Day - scorching again
Ford Fair with us all camping in the back of the Pub and the entertainment on the night
And finished off with the McRae Stages in September in the Freeeezzzzing Cold

A great time was had by all on this trip, nearly getting wiped out by the yellow MK2 and the curry night. I am glad there was a tree between us and the airborne escort.

I have always had escorts since I was 16 (a few years ago now), the prices and greed are forcing people away from the escort scene.

[gazd]

reply to thread

[QUOTE=RUDDY;670195]Good question son

Still like my Escorts even though I don't have one now I had them constantly for the best part of 25 years, however before its too late it's nice to try something else.

Money is a big factor in people not using their cars but there's also nothing new, no buzz, no new ideas.

Probably succesive shit Summers hasn't helped matters.

I'd like to think it will come back around again in a few years, but it may be down to the younger lads to keep it alive as some of us ain't getting any younger.
Your 100% right. We love em, and sometimes we have to do what's best in our lives, their no cheap hobby any more.