Available in two- and four-door sedans, station wagons and even tradesman’s panel vans, the first generation Ford Escort, released in 1968, fulfilled the needs of so many people throughout the world. With a choice of four-cylinder engines ranging from a 940-cc through to a SOHC two-liter engine the depth of the buyers’ pockets was also taken into account. It was a conventional rear-wheel-drive vehicle with MacPherson strut front suspension and a simple live rear axle mounted on semi-elliptic springs. Its shape could be best described as having the “Coke bottle” silhouette that was so popular during that period. Also very distinctive with the first Escort was its grille that looked like a stylized horizontal dog bone.
Produced through to 1975, the first generation Escort was assembled in such diverse countries as England, Germany, Australia, Belgium, New Zealand and Israel. It was a popular car when new and remains so among classic car enthusiasts.
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