1979 Ford Escort

[Richard Petty]

Getting back to the original subject of the 1979 Escort, here is a really good example still on the road the same colour as the one I had except this is a 1980 registered car which must had an upgrade by then as it has check cloth seats while our ones (the company fleet) had PVC seats (maybe that was an option)
https://www.kgfclassiccars.co.uk/vehicles/2363/ (Check the video out)

[Fuggletim]

That’s quite a late Mark 2 and facelifted. The Mark 3 appeared in 1981. I worked in the NHS for 4 x years after I left Ford and we had a brand new Mark 3 Escort GL in 1981 at our hospital. I was seldom allowed to drive it, and usually used the other car which was a Mini Clubman Estate! Actually more comfortable, but the Escort seemed trendier!

You mentioned the Ford Taunus. They were basically the same as a Mark 3 Cortina in their later guise, and certainly some of the cosmetic difference were the rear light cluster which was similar, but not identical to the Mark 4.

As for your speeding conviction? Well Richard, I am shocked!!

Closest I got to one was doing 66 on the A325 at Frith End in my Rover 620 where the speed limit was 60. Got a telling off, but that was all!

[Turnkey]

On the subject of Escorts, I see an Escort Cosworth, one of the first 2500 homologation cars with only 2,200 miles on it, sold for £202k a couple of weeks ago.

[Wakefield Shots]

My first car was a mark 1 Escort. Dog dirt brown, with the extra pedal to get water onto windscreen Only lasted a year until at mot time found out it had a hole in the floor, and the seatbelt wasn’t actually secured to anything solid! Then got another rust bucket, a Lancia Beta. That was a lovely car to drive….

Remember those two cars Wakefield! Do you remember my blue Mini and the blur Cortina GT I had (prior to my Escort)?

Think I remember the Cortina Tim, but can’t remember it going past in a blur! Mind you , most things are a blur these days!

[Fuggletim]

It was Miami “Blur” with a black vinyl roof!

[Derek Duvall]

I had a yellow mini once

[Josh]

I had a yellow mini once

Not a 3 wheeler?

[shots1965]

Ford Capri

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/183aYK ... 7S9Ucbxw6v

[Richard Petty]

Ford Capri

https://www.facebook.com/share/r/183aYK ... 7S9Ucbxw6v

Still looks great even compared against modern cars

[Fuggletim]

Shows a lot of how the automotive world has come on. No ABS, Aircon, electric window, airbags etc. the comment about a light rear end was true of many Ford’s (and other cars of the time) and cornering in the wet in my old Cortina would often lead to a breakaway.

Another car, looks wise, that would still look modern (albeit with a bit of attention to rear end styling) was the Rover SDI. A great looking car which was beautiful to drive, but poorly built with cheap components which made it a bit of a disaster and hence why so few now survive. I had a plain 2600 and after the cambelt went and caused damage beyond economic repair, I bought a 2600 Vanden Plas which has to be the biggest bit of automotive junk I ever bought. If there ever was a “Friday afternoon” car, that was it!

In 4 x short years, the power steering went, along with the water pump, interior lights, the front valence fell off, the oil pressure warning system failed, seatbelts stopped working on Drivers side to name but a few problems. If you dared drive it in the rain, then the engine would misfire until the heat of the said engine dried it all out. I knew other SDI owners who had the same issue to be fair.

I PX it at Brian Gubby in Camberley for what, ironically, was one of the best cars I ever had, a Rover 416 GTi!

[Richard Petty]

Shows a lot of how the automotive world has come on. No ABS, Aircon, electric window, airbags etc. the comment about a light rear end was true of many Ford’s (and other cars of the time) and cornering in the wet in my old Cortina would often lead to a breakaway.

Another car, looks wise, that would still look modern (albeit with a bit of attention to rear end styling) was the Rover SDI. A great looking car which was beautiful to drive, but poorly built with cheap components which made it a bit of a disaster and hence why so few now survive. I had a plain 2600 and after the cambelt went and caused damage beyond economic repair, I bought a 2600 Vanden Plas which has to be the biggest bit of automotive junk I ever bought. If there ever was a “Friday afternoon” car, that was it!

In 4 x short years, the power steering went, along with the water pump, interior lights, the front valence fell off, the oil pressure warning system failed, seatbelts stopped working on Drivers side to name but a few problems. If you dared drive it in the rain, then the engine would misfire until the heat of the said engine dried it all out. I knew other SDI owners who had the same issue to be fair.

I PX it at Brian Gubby in Camberley for what, ironically, was one of the best cars I ever had, a Rover 416 GTi!

For a while in the mid to late 80's I took a car allowance instead of a company car and bought a second hand 2600S Rover and I know what you mean about the build quality, it was a lovely car but leaked and used to get water in the passenger footwell. It was the way the windscreen was bonded to the bodywork which was ahead of its time but just didn't work properly. Also like many cars of that era rust was a serious issue.

I went back to Company cars for a while but in the late 90's when I went back to having a car allowance again own cars I did stick with Rovers though and after that had two Rover 800's which were excellent cars and then two Rover 75's which were (in my opinion) the best cars Rover ever built. The 75's were of course built during the period BMW owned Rover Group so a lot of the parts were BMW manufactured which may have helped.

[Fuggletim]

The Rover 75 came too late in the day for Rover, although I am still convinced that BMW only ever wanted the company to get their hands on the iconic “Mini” name and they made real no effort beyond that and ran the company down in a way that would not let it survive when they got rid of it.

I never did like BMW before this and certainly do not now with this being a part (but not wholly) the reason.

I had 2 x consecutive 24hr test drives with a Rover 75 and Jaguar S Type in about 2000 as they were launched at the same time. In all areas the Jaguar was better, with the exception of the cruise control where it was smooth to engage as opposed to clunky on the Jag. In the end, I bought neither!

The Honda owned Rovers were generally good. A lot of people thought the 200/400 Rovers were re-badged Hondas whereas it was mainly the other way round with much of the design work being made in the UK and many of the parts also.

[hepcat]

Getting back to the original subject of the 1979 Escort, here is a really good example still on the road the same colour as the one I had except this is a 1980 registered car which must had an upgrade by then as it has check cloth seats while our ones (the company fleet) had PVC seats (maybe that was an option)
https://www.kgfclassiccars.co.uk/vehicles/2363/ (Check the video out)

Talking of company cars,in the early 90's BBC 2 had one of their weird but brilliant documentaries on company cars and the people who drove them and there was this unintentionally hilarious piece where a bloke was telling the "tragic" story of his company car. "I was so excited I was getting a new car,but it ended up absolutely gutting me. It was a BL Maestro.The company must have hated me. I was so disgusted and ashamed I parked it three blocks away and it was a while before I could break the news to the wife. She was so angry,that it was another week before I could bear to tell her it was a Diesel as well." Then he went on moaning about how lorries and "A Skoda Estelle" overtook him on the M1 even though he had his foot on the floor.
It was just hilarious-you really couldn't have scripted anything better. ( it wasn't you was it Richard? If it was-my full sympathy. A BL DIESEL Maestro,a real shocker ! And I drove a few Skoda Estelles in my time-it might have been your Maestro in my rear view mirror!))

[Richard Petty]

Getting back to the original subject of the 1979 Escort, here is a really good example still on the road the same colour as the one I had except this is a 1980 registered car which must had an upgrade by then as it has check cloth seats while our ones (the company fleet) had PVC seats (maybe that was an option)
https://www.kgfclassiccars.co.uk/vehicles/2363/ (Check the video out)

Talking of company cars,in the early 90's BBC 2 had one of their weird but brilliant documentaries on company cars and the people who drove them and there was this unintentionally hilarious piece where a bloke was telling the "tragic" story of his company car. "I was so excited I was getting a new car,but it ended up absolutely gutting me. It was a BL Maestro.The company must have hated me. I was so disgusted and ashamed I parked it three blocks away and it was a while before I could break the news to the wife. She was so angry,that it was another week before I could bear to tell her it was a Diesel as well." Then he went on moaning about how lorries and "A Skoda Estelle" overtook him on the M1 even though he had his foot on the floor.
It was just hilarious-you really couldn't have scripted anything better. ( it wasn't you was it Richard? If it was-my full sympathy. A BL DIESEL Maestro,a real shocker ! And I drove a few Skoda Estelles in my time-it might have been your Maestro in my rear view mirror!))

I never had a Maestro thank god but I did very briefly have something that might just be classed as worse.

At the time I progressed from my Escort to a Cortina the company was in the process of updating its fleet so my Cortina 1.6L was a new order from Ford. So while I waited for the delivery they still wanted to upgrade me from the Escort so gave me a temporary car from the existing stock which was a 1.6HL Marina. Now that was a S**t car

[Dr Jim Royle]

My first car …. Vauxhall Viva 1967 model, light blue and the only thing that did not fail on it was my 8 track stereo.

Tried a few Escorts but thought better and concentrated on cars. Would say the Ford Capri was good parked up at Pantiles.

Company cars became my luxury and exchanged every two years.

Now drive auto Grandad Cars