84-563: The Ford Popular , often called the Ford Pop, is a car from Ford UK that was built in England between 1953 and 1962. When launched, it was Britain's lowest priced car. The name Popular was also used by Ford to describe its 1930s Y Type model . The Popular name was also later used on basic models of the Escort and Fiesta cars. When production of the older Ford Anglia and Ford Prefect
168-564: A Weber carburetor and uprated suspension. This version featured additional instrumentation with a tachometer, battery charge indicator, and oil pressure gauge. The same tuned 1.3 L engine was also used in a variation sold as the Escort Sport, that used the flared front wings from the AVO range of cars, but featured trim from the more basic models. Later, an "executive" version of the Escort
252-492: A complete halt to all car production. The Dagenham sewing machinists walked out when, as part of a regrading exercise, they were informed that their jobs were graded in Category B (less-skilled production jobs), instead of Category C (more-skilled production jobs), and that they would be paid 15% less than the full B rate received by men. The strike ended three weeks after it began, following the intervention of Barbara Castle ,
336-466: A fuel consumption of 33.2 miles per imperial gallon (8.5 L/100 km; 27.6 mpg ‑US ). The test car cost £494 including taxes with a comment that it was the lowest-priced orthodox saloon on the British Market. In 1960, the manufacturer's recommended retail price of £494 was equivalent to 26 weeks' worth of the average UK wage. The £100 charged in 1935 and the £1,299 charged for
420-519: A joint-venture to be known as Matford and devoted to the full manufacture of Ford or Matford products. More capital was required. There were consequential exchanges in shareholdings between Dagenham and Dearborn and other shareholders. As an indication of the British and Irish company's sense of independence, in 1938 Henry Ford and Harry Ferguson came to 'a gentlemen's agreement ', whereby Ford would manufacture tractors designed by Ferguson , using
504-629: A larger, 7 + 1 ⁄ 2 -inch-diameter (190 mm) clutch, stiffer rear springs and, in most configurations, slightly larger brake drums or discs than the saloon. A panel van appeared in April 1968 and the 4-door saloon (a bodystyle the Anglia was never available in for UK market) in 1969. Underneath the bonnet was the Kent crossflow engine also used in the smallest capacity North American Ford Pinto . Diesel engines on small family cars were rare, and
588-406: A new company, Ford Motor Company Limited, with three US directors (Henry Ford, Edsel Ford , Charles E. Sorensen ) and four British directors ( Sir Percy Perry , Roland Kitson , Sir John T Davies and Lord Illingworth ), with a capital of £7 million. This company acquired all Ford's European and Middle Eastern business in exchange for 60% of its capital. The balance of 40% of the capital of
672-452: A publicly quoted company, its shares freely listed on British exchanges, with more than 10,000 stockholders. The Ford Motor Company of Dearborn Michigan then held just 54% of its shares. That year, after eighteen months of rumour and denial, the US company offered to buy out the other shareholders. The offer was accepted, and Ford completed payment for the other 46% of Ford Motor Company Limited at
756-636: A shareholder of Ford's first British agency, but the very first link between them was earlier, in 1903. The two men first met in 1906 in Detroit. From Britain, Perry envisioned Ford making vehicles outside USA and selling them across the British Empire and Europe. He raced the company's cars, organised a chain of exclusive dealers, and superintended the Trafford Park assembly plant. In 1919, Henry Ford chose to run operations from Detroit, but Perry
840-617: A standard 1.1 litre OHV Kent engine, 12-inch wheels with cross ply tyres and drum brakes all round. The 1975 Ford Escort Popular was the first Ford to carry the Popular name that also featured a heater as standard equipment. The "Popular" trim level proved long-standing across the Ford range, featuring on later Escorts and the Fiesta, from 1980 to 1991. A 'Popular Plus' variant was also available. Season 3, Episode 2 of Monty Python's Flying Circus
924-795: A subsidiary of Ford International Capital LLC, which is a subsidiary of Ford Motor Company . Its business started in 1909 and has its registered office in Laindon , Essex. It adopted the name of Ford of Britain in 1960. Ford of Britain operates two major manufacturing sites in the UK, in Dagenham (diesel engine production) and Halewood (transmissions). It also operates a large research and development facility in Dunton , Essex, which employ around 35,000 people in product development, manufacturing, sales and marketing, and service roles. In 2010, Ford had been
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#17327943147361008-606: A subtle Detroit-inspired "Coke bottle" waistline and the "dogbone" shaped front grille – perhaps the car's main stylistic feature. Similar Coke bottle styling featured in the larger Cortina Mark III , launched in 1970 (a visually similar reskinned version of the Cortina was built in West Germany as the Taunus ). Initially, the Escort was sold as a two-door saloon (with circular front headlights and rubber flooring on
1092-517: A two spoke wheel similar to the 100E wheel but in brown. Early Populars also had the single centrally mounted tail/stop-lamp of the Anglia, but this changed to a two tail/stop lamp set up with the lamps mounted on the mudguards and a separate number plate lamp. In total, 155,340 Popular E103s were produced. This car proved successful because, while on paper it was a sensible alternative to a clean, late-model used car, in practice there were no clean late-model used cars available in postwar Britain owing to
1176-757: A two- or four-door saloon and as a two-door panel van . 1100 cc and 1300 cc engines were offered, as was the 1558 cc twin cam unit., the last only in the Escort Twin Cam model, which was renamed the Escort GT 1600 in late 1971. Some 67,146 examples of the Mk I were built in Australia, with local sourcing bringing the Australian content of the vehicles to 85 per cent. In 1975 Ford Australia imported 25 MK1 RS2000 Escorts from England for sale in
1260-497: A £2 million investment programme was announced to rebuild, re-equip and modernise the assembly plant. As a result, the plant was to become the largest and most modern factory of its kind in Ireland. In the same year, Ford of Europe was formed with Henry Ford and Son Limited. It was an important partnership from the start. Another £2 million was spent on assembly facilities and operations, to ensure that Cork production equalled
1344-467: Is a small family car that was manufactured by Ford of Europe from 1968 until 2000. In total there were six generations, spread across three basic platforms: the original, rear-wheel-drive Mk.1/Mk.2 (1968–1980), the "Erika" front-wheel-drive Mk.3/Mk.4 (1980–1992), and the final CE-14 Mk.5/Mk.6 (1990–2002) version. Its successor, the Ford Focus , was released in 1998, but the final generation of Escort
1428-490: The British Saloon Car Championship in 1968 and 1969, sporting a full Formula 2 Ford FVA 16-valve engine, producing over 200 hp. The Escort, driven by Australian driver Frank Gardner , went on to comfortably win the 1968 championship. The Mark I Escort became successful as a rally car, and eventually went on to become one of the most successful rally cars of all time. The Ford works team
1512-563: The Ford Cortina 's 2.0L OHC Pinto engine (in a lower tune to European units) was introduced to the Escort range, available as an option on nearly all models. Codenamed internally by Ford Australia as "BC", the Australian Escort range's bodies were modified to fit the larger engine and a redesigned fuel-tank, which involved the placement of the fuel filler being behind the rear numberplate. In 1978, Ford Australia standardised
1596-464: The Hillman Avenger and Opel Kadett C / Vauxhall Chevette had moved on to coil springs. The car came in for criticism for its lack of oddments space, with a glove compartment available on only higher end models, and its stalk-mounted horn. The "L" and "GL" models (2-door, 4-door, estate) were in the mainstream private sector, the "Sport", "RS Mexico", and "RS2000" in the performance market,
1680-528: The Land Rover Freelander . Halewood was included in the sale of Jaguar and Land Rover to Tata Motors in 2008, although Ford retained ownership of its transmission works. Another new factory opened at Basildon in 1964 to make tractors, and, in 1965, a further plant was acquired at Crymlyn Burrows , Swansea , to make chassis components and axles. The Cork factory celebrated the 50-year anniversary in 1967. As part of that landmark event,
1764-614: The Secretary of State for Employment and Productivity . The deal brokered immediately increased their rate of pay to 8% below that of men, rising to the full category B rate the following year. Ford produced a range of commercial vehicles, starting with the Model TT in 1917. From 1933 to 1939 these were badged Fordson ; this changed to Fordson Thames until 1957, after which it became plain Thames . From 1965 they reverted to Ford. After
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#17327943147361848-417: The estate versions were unavailable to the Australian market. The sedan models were available in L, XL (later renamed GL) and Ghia forms, and a Sport pack option – similar to the 1300 and 1600 Sport models sold elsewhere. Unlike other markets – likely due to the estate's absence – the van was offered in a higher level of trim – a GL, and a Sport pack van was also available. Unusual fitments for
1932-421: The "De Luxe" model). The "Super" model featured rectangular headlights, carpets, a cigar lighter and a water temperature gauge. A two-door estate was introduced at the end of March 1968, which, with the back seat folded down, provided a 40% increase in maximum load space over the old Anglia 105E estate , according to the manufacturer. The estate featured the same engine options as the saloon, but it also included
2016-706: The "Ferguson System". Production commenced in the USA in June 1939, and the product was outstandingly successful, but Henry Ford was unable to persuade Ford in Britain to manufacture the Ford-Ferguson, though they did sell the US-made tractors. In 1945 Ferguson arranged British production with Standard Motor Company . Harry Ferguson sued US Ford for illegal use of his patents, asking for compensation of £90 million; this
2100-461: The "Ghia" (2-door, 4-door) for a hitherto untapped small car luxury market, and "base / Popular" models for the bottom end. The base spec Popular versions for British market were divided into "Popular" and "Popular Plus", with the former being an "austerity" model with vinyl seats and rubber carpets, the 'Plus' version having a fully trimmed interior. Panel-van versions catered to the commercial sector. The 1.6 L (1598 cc/97 CID) engine in
2184-599: The 1.5 L non-crossflow block, which had a bigger bore than usual to give a capacity of 1,558 cc. This engine had originally been developed for the Lotus Elan . Production of the Twin Cam, which was originally produced at Halewood, was phased out as the Cosworth -engined RS1600 (RS denoting Rallye Sport ) production began. The most famous edition of the Twin Cam was raced on behalf of Ford by Alan Mann Racing in
2268-463: The 1972 UK facelift with just one run of 1.3XLs (with the GT instrument pack) before these were downgraded to 'L' trim. Base and L trims were offered to the end of the Mk I run. Some 1.6 Mexicos were imported in 1973–74 after the government temporarily freed up import licensing owing to a shortage of new cars. Estate versions were mostly imported. The Mk I was produced by Ford Australia from 1970 to 1975 as
2352-481: The 1975 1.6 Ghia produced 84 hp (63 kW) with 125 N·m (92 ft·lbf) torque and weighed 955 kg (2105 lb). In August 1977, the Escort received its first noticeable facelift, with the front grille, boot lid and steering wheel hub cap being fitted with the oval Ford logo instead of the previous single-letter lettering. A further cosmetic update was given in 1978 (note that Australia received differing updates – see below), with L models gaining
2436-844: The Chinese market. The first use of the Ford Escort name was for a reduced-specification version of the Ford Squire , a 1950s estate-car version of the British Ford Anglia 100E . The Mark I Ford Escort was introduced in Ireland and the United Kingdom at the end of 1967, making its show debut at the Brussels Motor Show in January 1968. It replaced the successful, long-running Anglia . The Escort
2520-574: The Dagenham factory started production in October 1931 rolled from the assembly line on 27 August 1946, a cream Ford Prefect 10 hp saloon . Henry Ford resigned in 1945 in favour of grandson Henry Ford II, and died in April 1947. Perry, founder-chairman of Ford Motor Company Limited and each of the Ford Group's European subsidiaries, retired in 1948. In 1950, Ford's controlling interests in
2604-489: The Escort Estate from mid-1976. 3. Four Door Escort Sport Discontinued after mid-1976 4. Escort Ghia 1600 was four door only after mid–1976. 1300GT / 1600 GT = 1300 or 1600 twin venturi carburetor "Goldcrest" Popular discontinued from Jan 1980 The Mk II Escort was assembled at Ford Australia 's Homebush Plant, Sydney from March 1975 to 1980 in 2-door and 4-door sedan, and 2-door panel van forms –
Ford Popular - Misplaced Pages Continue
2688-492: The Escort an update, increasing basic equipment levels and standardising square headlights on L and GL models (previously only available on Escort Ghia). Chasing both youth and performance, Ford Australia introduced their take on the RS2000, which – complete with its slant-nose – was available in both two-door form and as a unique to Australia four-door, in a choice of five solid paint colours. These RS cars certainly looked
2772-606: The Escort was no exception, initially featuring only petrol engines – in 1.1 L, and 1.3 L versions. A 940 cc engine was also available in some export markets such as Italy and France. This tiny engine remained popular in Italy, where it was carried over for the Escort Mark II, but in France it was discontinued during 1972. There was a 1300GT performance version, with a tuned 1.3 L crossflow (OHV) engine with
2856-480: The European businesses were sold to Ford Dearborn. In 1953, following the death of its Detroit founder, Briggs Motor Bodies, whose parent provided bodies to Ford America, was purchased, giving the company more control of its supplies and so acquiring plants at Doncaster , Southampton , Croydon and Romford . By 1953, Ford of Britain directly employed 40,000 people. Until 1960, Ford Motor Company Limited remained
2940-485: The Ford Escort Popular in 1975 both also amounted to 26 weeks' worth of average wage for the years in question. In the 1950s, however, the country had been undergoing a period of above average austerity: in 1953 the car's £390 sticker price represented 40 weeks' worth of the average UK wage. In 1975 the Popular name was revived as a base trim level of the newly released Ford Escort Mk2. This model featured
3024-509: The General Motors Kadett and its Astra successor. The Escort had conventional rear-wheel drive and a four-speed manual gearbox or three-speed automatic transmission . The suspension consisted of MacPherson strut front suspension and a simple live axle mounted on leaf springs . The Escort was the first small Ford to use rack-and-pinion steering. The Mark I featured contemporary styling cues in tune with its time:
3108-632: The Mexico, the RS1600 was developed with a 1601 cc Cosworth BDA which used a crossflow block with a 16-valve Cosworth cylinder head, named "Belt Drive A Series". Both the Mexico and RS1600 were built at Ford's Advanced Vehicle Operations (AVO) facility located at the Aveley Plant in South Essex. As well as higher-performance engines and sports suspension, like the Mexico these models featured
3192-807: The Model A was too expensive to tax and run in Britain; very few were sold: only five in the first three months. A smaller car was urgently needed, and this came in 1932 with the 933 cc Model Y , a car much more suited to the market, becoming in 1935 Britain's first £100 car (accounting for inflation £8768 ). This was Ford's first car specifically designed for sale outside North America. Between 1932 and 1937, over 157,000 were made at Dagenham and Cork, and at its peak it captured 41% of its market sector. In 1938, Ford's Cork factory hit an important milestone, producing its 25,000th vehicle since becoming an assembly plant in 1932. In all, 73,000 cars, trucks and tractors had been built at Cork up to that time. The original 1928 plan
3276-599: The Popular did not have running boards whereas the Anglia did. In 1959 the old Popular was replaced by a new version that was in production until 1962. Like the previous version it used a superseded Anglia body shell, this time that of the 100E , and it was powered by a strengthened 1172 cc sidevalve engine producing 36 bhp. The brakes were now hydraulic with 8 in (203 mm) drums all round. The new Popular offered 1,000 mile (1,500 km in metric countries) service intervals, like its predecessor, but it only had 13 grease points as against its predecessor's 23 (or 28 for
3360-746: The UK's biggest-selling car and commercial vehicle brand for 34 and 45 consecutive years respectively. The first Ford cars, three Model As , were imported into the UK in 1903, and the first dealership opened in Southampton in November 1910. In 1909 the Ford Motor Company (England) Limited was established under the chairmanship of Percival Perry , opening an office at 55 Shaftesbury Avenue , London, in 1909. An assembly plant in an old tram factory in Trafford Park , Manchester,
3444-539: The UK, where the national bestseller of the 1960s, BMC's Austin/Morris 1100 was beginning to show its age, while Ford's own Cortina had grown, both in dimensions and in price, beyond the market niche at which it had originally been pitched. It competed with the Vauxhall Viva , and from early 1970 the Rootes Group's Hillman Avenger . In June 1974, six years after the car's UK introduction, Ford announced
Ford Popular - Misplaced Pages Continue
3528-431: The choice was the Popular or a pre-war car. Electrics were 6 volts, a provided starting handle often necessary. Braking was done by rod operated drums, and synchromesh was only on 2nd and top gear. The boot was accessed with a coach key, there was no heater or demister, and turn indication was performed by semaphors. Starting the car was done by pull-wire starter, and the carburetor was operated by manual choke. Also, there
3612-463: The closure of the Trafford Park factory, most of the larger commercials were built at Langley. The truck operation was sold to the Iveco group of Italy in 1986, and became Iveco Ford (48% owned by Ford). The Langley plant closed in 1997. At midday on Wednesday, 26 July 2013, Ford ended more than 100 years of vehicle manufacturing in the UK, with end of assembling Transit vans , by moving production of
3696-601: The completion of the two-millionth Ford Escort, a milestone hitherto unmatched by any Ford model outside the US. It was also stated that 60% of the two million Escorts had been built in Britain. In West Germany, cars were built at a slower rate of around 150,000 cars per year, slumping to 78,604 in 1974, which was the last year for the Escort Mk1. Many of the German built Escorts were exported, notably to Benelux and Italy ; from
3780-422: The definitive British hot rod – a reduced sized but readily available British alternative, a role it still plays today to a considerable extent. A car tested by The Motor magazine in 1954 had a top speed of 60.3 mph (97.0 km/h) and could accelerate from 0-50 mph (80 km/h) in 24.1 seconds. A fuel consumption of 36.4 miles per imperial gallon (7.8 L/100 km; 30.3 mpg ‑US )
3864-608: The driver’s seat in addition to the Ford SA VIN tag in the engine compartment. South African RS1600s had various detailed differences from the Ford UK cars. They were painted yellow with a black stripe to the rear panel and to the sills. They also had black blocks painted on the bonnet. The front seats were from the Capri V4. The squarer-styled Mark II version appeared in January 1975. The first production models had rolled off
3948-474: The end of January 1961. Ford of Britain, properly Ford Motor Company Limited, then became a wholly-owned Ford subsidiary. In 1962, Ford opened a factory at Halewood , Liverpool , to make the Anglia. This ceased to be a Ford plant (although remained under Ford ownership) when the last Escort came off the production line in 2000, and was then converted to make the Jaguar X-Type in 2001, and latterly
4032-549: The hands of satisfied owners. The improved Fordson tractor is not yet in production but it is hoped to deliver the first tractors completely manufactured at our Cork works within the next month." Construction started at Dagenham in 1929, and, in October 1931, Britain's and Europe's largest car plant opened, producing the Ford Model AA truck and Model A car. This was at the height of the Great Depression , and
4116-511: The highest European standards of quality. By 1977, the total area of the plant was well over 450,000 square feet. The rationalisation plan put in place meant that, in 1972, the Cork plant became a two-car plant that was producing the two best selling cars in Ireland: the Escort and Cortina. Between them, these two models were accounting for 75% of Ford sales in Ireland at the time. The Irish company
4200-526: The local market. Assembly of the Mk I Escort was undertaken by Automotive Industries in Upper Nazareth, in conjunction with the local distributor, Israeli Automotive Corp. Assembly from UK-sourced kits started in April 1968. The last Mk I, a light green 1100cc two-door, was produced on 14 November 1975. A total of 14,905 units were assembled in Israel, including 105 Escort 400 vans. The Mk I Escort
4284-719: The market. In 1914, Britain's first moving assembly line for car production started, with 21 cars an hour being built. After the First World War , the Trafford Park plant was extended, and in 1919, 41% of British registered cars were Fords. In 1917, a plant opened in Cork , Ireland, initially for tractor manufacture, but from 1921 cars were built there as well. This factory was the first to be purpose-built by Ford in Europe. The company of Henry Ford and Son Limited—Fordson—was officially incorporated on 17 April 1917, starting its life on
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#17327943147364368-483: The new Ford Motor Company Limited, 2.8 million shares of £1 each, was now available for public subscription. These shares were heavily over-subscribed. There was considerable investing interest from America, as US investors had had no previous opportunity of investing in a Henry Ford business. The new chairman, Sir Percival Perry, had been, and now was again, central to the development of Ford in Europe. Perry's association with Henry Ford dated from 1905, when Perry became
4452-516: The next generation Transit to the Ford Otosan plant in Turkey . Ford Southampton plant built 28,000 vans, barely a third of its 2007 production. Ford of Europe was created in 1967 by the merging of the businesses of Ford Motor Company Limited and Ford-Werke GmbH . Note – cwt is the abbreviation of hundredweight (112 pounds or 1/20 ton) The Story of Ford – The fifth largest automaker in
4536-518: The other larger European markets in Europe it was unavailable. The estate and van versions used the same doors, roof and rear panelwork as the Mark I, but with the Mark II front end and interior. The car used a revised underbody, which had been introduced as a running change during the last six months production of the Mark I. The rear suspension still sat on leaf springs though some contemporaries such as
4620-592: The part, but were actually powered by the same 2.0-litre engine as the rest of the local Escort range, and available with a choice of manual or automatic transmission. A total of 2,400 Australian RS2000 cars were made. While offered in many model forms, the Escort, like the Cortina, was not popular on the Australian market, largely due to expanding competition from Japanese imports and the established preference of Australian drivers for larger six-cylinder vehicles, including Ford Australia's own Falcon . Australian Escort production ceased in late 1980, with 79,142 examples of
4704-434: The perspective of the West German domestic market, the car was cramped and uncomfortable when compared with the well-established and comparably priced Opel Kadett , and it was technically primitive when set against the successful imported Fiat 128 and Renault 12 . Subsequent generations of the Escort closed the gap somewhat, but in Europe's largest auto-market Escort sales volumes always came in significantly behind those of
4788-399: The pre-war cars). The basic model stripped out many fittings from the Anglia but there was a large list of extras available and also a De Luxe version which supplied many as standard. 126,115 Popular 100Es were built. The Motor magazine tested a 100E in 1960 and found it to have a top speed of 69.9 mph (112.5 km/h), acceleration from 0–50 mph (80 km/h) in 19.6 seconds and
4872-422: The production lines on 2 December 1974. Unlike the first Escort (which was developed by Ford of Britain), the second generation was developed jointly between the UK and Ford of Germany. Codenamed "Brenda" during its development, it used the same mechanical components, floorpan and core structure as the Mark I. The 940 cc engine was still offered in Italy where the smaller engine attracted tax advantages, but in
4956-416: The range not offered elsewhere on the Australian Escort included 'dog-dish' steel hubcaps, and high-backed front seats. The initial powerplants utilized in the Australian Escorts were Ford's 1.3 L and 1.6 L OHV Crossflow units, offered with either 4-speed manual or 3-speed automatic transmissions. In 1977, to cope with Australian emission laws, in particular ADR27A , the 1.3L models were dropped and
5040-450: The site of an old Cork racecourse. Its first registered office was at 36 South Mall , Cork. Although the Manchester plant was served by the Manchester Ship Canal , Ford decided that access to a deep water port was required, and in 1923 a new site was chosen by the River Thames at Dagenham , east of London. In December 1928 Ford (since 1924 entirely owned by Henry Ford, his wife and their son Edsel) announced in London that it had formed
5124-401: The six-year halt in production caused by the Second World War. This problem was compounded by stringent export quotas that made obtaining a new car in the late 1940s and into the early 1950s difficult, and covenants forbidding new-car buyers from selling for up to three years after delivery. Unless the purchaser could pay the extra £100 or so for an Anglia 100E , Austin A30 or Morris Minor ,
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#17327943147365208-453: The skin from the UK-built ones. The front suspension and steering gear were configured differently and the brakes were fitted with dual hydraulic circuits; also the wheels fitted on the Genk-built Escorts had wider rims. At the beginning of 1970, continental European production transferred to a new plant on the edge of Saarlouis , West Germany. The Escort was a commercial success in several parts of Western Europe, but nowhere more so than in
5292-617: The square headlights (previously exclusive to the GL and Ghia variants) and there was an upgrade in interior and exterior specification for some models. All models (other than RS) had a new steering wheel and the horizontal chrome strip along the center of the grille removed. Underneath a wider front track was given. In 1979 and 1980 three special edition Escorts were launched: the Linnet, Harrier and Goldcrest. Production ended in Britain in August 1980, other countries following soon after. RS1800 (Cosworth BDE) RS2000 (2000 ohc) 2. 1100E engine replaced 1100 standard on Escort L, made optional on
5376-425: The strengthened bodyshell. Ford also produced an RS2000 model as an alternative to the somewhat temperamental RS1600, featuring a 2.0 L Pinto (OHC) engine. This also clocked up some rally and racing victories and pre-empted the hot hatch market as a desirable but affordable performance road car. Like the Mexico and RS1600, this car was produced at the Aveley plant using the strengthened bodyshell. The Escort
5460-462: The use of the blue oval logo across the Escort model range. These Escort models are identified by the familiar blue Ford oval in the centre of the grille and on the right of the bootlid. It also revamped the image of its 'leisure range' by introducing the Escort Sundowner panel van, positioning it as a youth-orientated lifestyle vehicle complete with bold body decorations and domed side windows, available in 1.6L and 2.0L forms. In 1979, Ford Australia gave
5544-420: The world and manufacturer of some of the best-selling cars of all time Only models sold in Continental Europe and the British Isles are shown, overseas territories often have different offerings. Developed in collaboration with other manufacturers Manufactured in Ford factories in other continents Ford Escort (Europe) The Ford Escort
5628-463: Was also exporting around 4,000 cars (mostly Escorts) to Britain. The Cork plant closed in 1984. The Ford sewing machinists strike of 1968 was a landmark labour-relations dispute in the United Kingdom. The strike began on 7 June 1968, when women sewing machinists at Dagenham plant walked out and were later followed by the machinists at Halewood Body & Assembly plant . The women were responsible for car seat covers, and their strike eventually led to
5712-418: Was also presented in Europe as the first passenger car to be developed by the merged Ford of Europe (the Transit van having been the first product of this collaboration). Escort production commenced at the Halewood plant in England during the closing months of 1967, and for left-hand-drive markets during September 1968 at the Ford plant in Genk . Initially the continental Escorts differed slightly under
5796-403: Was built in Germany and Britain, as well as in Australia and New Zealand. All models 1100 and 1300 were offered in 2 door Saloon, 4 door Saloon and 3 doors Estate versions. Ford New Zealand's Seaview plant in Lower Hutt built 1.1 and 1.3-litre versions, initially as Deluxe (1.1) and Super (1.3) two-door sedans plus panel vans. The four-door sedan was added in 1970. Trim levels were revised after
5880-444: Was determined to run all European business himself. Perry resigned in May 1919. His American managers having failed him, Henry Ford offered Perry the chairmanship of this new Ford Motor Company Limited in 1928. At the first meeting of shareholders in London on 6 March 1929, Perry reported "during the first three months of our first year we and our associated companies in Europe have delivered upwards of 50,000 Model 'A' vehicles into
5964-450: Was for Canada, having the benefit of Imperial Preference tariffs , to manufacture components for Ford assembly plants in the British Empire. Dagenham was to do, and did, the same for assembly plants in Europe, but in 1932, mired in the financial depression, both France and Germany announced their intention to impose heavy new tariffs on imported components. In France, urgent arrangements were made with Mathis for their plant to be leased by
6048-582: Was later rectified by Ford in collaboration with Cosworth. A batch of sixty RS1600s were sold by Ford SA to Basil Green Motors in Edenvale, Johannesburg who replaced the twin cam BDA engines with the 2000cc SOHC Pinto engine and the car was renamed the Escort Perana. Approximately 40 of the original cars retained the twin-cam BDA engine and these cars were sold as RS1600s by Ford dealers throughout South Africa. These cars had an identification tag under
6132-465: Was no water pump, and engine cooling was done via thermosyphon . In short, this was very basic motoring. In later years, these cars became popular as hot rods , starting in the late 1950s, when people started drag racing them due to their lightweight construction. This practice started in the United States with Ford's 1932 Model B/18 , while the Ford "Pop" as it was affectionately known became
6216-453: Was opened in 1911, employing 60 people to make the Model T , and the company was re-registered as Henry Ford & Son, Ltd. This was the first Ford factory outside North America. At first, the cars were assembled from imported chassis and mechanical parts, with bodies sourced locally. Six thousand cars were produced in 1913, and the Model T became the country's biggest selling car, with 30% of
6300-487: Was phased out gradually, with the panel van version ending production in 2002 in favour of the Ford Transit Connect . The Escort was frequently the best selling car in Britain during the 1980s and 1990s. A total of more than 4.1 million Escorts of all generations were sold there over a period of 33 years. In 2014, Ford revived the Escort name for a car based on the second-generation Ford Focus , sold on
6384-613: Was practically unbeatable in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Perhaps the Escort's greatest victory was in the 1970 London to Mexico World Cup Rally , driven by Finland's Hannu Mikkola and Swedish co-driver Gunnar Palm . This gave rise to the Escort Mexico (1598 cc crossflow-engined) special-edition road versions in honour of the rally car. Introduced in November 1970, 10,352 Mexico Mark Is were built using bodyshells with additional strengthening panels in high stress areas, making them more suitable for competition. In addition to
6468-471: Was produced known as the "1300E". This featured the same 13" road wheels and flared wings of the Sport, but was trimmed in an upmarket fashion for the time, with wood trim on the dashboard and door cappings. A higher-performance version for rallies and racing was available, the Escort Twin Cam, built for Group 2 international rallying. It had an engine with a Lotus-made eight-valve twin camshaft head fitted to
6552-501: Was recorded. The test car cost £390 including taxes. The Popular 103E was available in Australia up to 1955 as a two-door coupe utility and also in chassis-cowl form to accept custom built bodywork. It utilised the 94 inch wheelbase of the Ford Prefect with 103E front panels. The utility was designated as 103E-67 and the chassis-cowl model as 103E-84. The Popular utility differed from its Anglia A494A utility predecessor in that
6636-907: Was settled out of court in 1952. Charles E. Sorensen 's autobiography—he was a director of this company—described Ferguson so unfavourably that his UK publishers were obliged to scrap all copies and pay costs; Sorensen made a public apology. During the Second World War , the Dagenham plant turned out 360,000 vehicles, and a new factory in Trafford Park , Manchester, made 34,000 Rolls-Royce Merlin engines. After World War II, civilian production resumed. Dagenham made 115,000 vehicles in 1946, and factories in Walthamstow in Essex (later London) and Langley in Buckinghamshire (later Berkshire ) were acquired. The millionth vehicle made since
6720-515: Was sold in Japan, imported from the United Kingdom by Kintetsu Motors and was available with the 1.3 L engine in GT trim, and was sold alongside the Ford Cortina and the Ford Capri . Sales were helped by the fact that this generation Escort complied with Japanese government dimension regulations concerning vehicle dimensions and engine displacement. Only the four-door saloon was offered, and this
6804-542: Was stopped in 1953 the Popular was developed as a budget alternative, based on the old, pre-war style E494A Anglia. The E494A was, in turn, a facelift of the Anglia E04A, which was a facelifted version of the 7Y, itself a rebodied Model Y. Thus through several adjustments, updates and name changes, a design with provenance dating back to 1932 was produced by Ford for 27 years. It was powered by a Ford Sidevalve 1172 cc, 30 bhp (22 kW), four-cylinder engine. The car
6888-504: Was the only generation available to Japanese buyers. The engine displacement contributed to a lower annual road tax obligation to Japanese buyers which helped sales. Approximately 100 Mk 1 Escort RS1600s were sent to South Africa as knock down kits (CKD) in 1970/1 and were assembled in the Ford Port Elizabeth plant. They were sold through the Ford dealer network but some of the initial cars suffered oil feed problems which
6972-537: Was titled "Mr and Mrs Brian Norris' Ford Popular" leading with a sketch featuring the aforenamed couple and their car which parodied documentaries of famous expeditions. A 1960 Popular also appears in the music video for Phil Collins ' Take Me Home . Ford of Britain Ford Motor Company Limited , trading as Ford of Britain , is a British wholly owned subsidiary of Ford Technologies Limited (formerly called Blue Oval Holdings), itself
7056-522: Was very basic. It had a single vacuum-powered wiper, no heater, vinyl trim, and very little chrome; even the bumpers were painted, and the bakelite dashboard of the Anglia was replaced by a flat steel panel. The Popular 103E differed visually from the Anglia E494E in having smaller headlights and a lack of trim on the side of the bonnet. Early 103Es had the three spoke banjo type Anglia/Prefect steering wheel as stocks of these were used up, but most have
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