When the Escort was introduced for 1981, Ford touted it as a “World Car” that shared architecture with its European brethren. However, when the Escort arrived, it bore little resemblance to the plucky European. Over 400,000 of our Pick of the Day were built, but when was the last time you’ve seen a 1985 Ford Escort? This GL three-door is listed on ClassicCars.com by a dealership in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. (Click the link to view the listing)
If you’re a Yank like me, your first exposure to a Ford Escort may have been a Matchbox diecast of the Mark II Escort. So, when I was sitting in front of the TV in the fall of 1980 and saw a commercial for the Escort, it was for a new model that was completely different than the 1978 RS2000 that was in my pile of toys. The car cover shrouding the Escort featured the flags of all the major countries in the world to impart the world car vibe. “Built to take on the world . . . and do it!” said Ford. The Escort even was touted as winner of the Car of the Year award in Europe, so it would be fair to expect the Escort in America to be cut from the same cloth, right?
Yet the Escort that appeared at Ford dealerships all over America was quite different. The intention to create a world car was there, with Ford planning on creating a Pinto successor and introducing the European Escort Mark III with the same architecture and components, but the Americans and Europeans diverged in their designs (among other things), executing two different cars aside of the inline-four and automatic transmission. The profiles were similar, with the cars sharing the same wheelbase, but the European Escort looked trim in comparison.
The American Escort was available in base, L, GL, GLX, and SS trim levels (with the latter being a sporty version that would be renamed GT for 1982). Body styles were a three-door hatchback and a five-door wagon, with a five-door hatchback joining several months later.
Standard power was a 1.6-liter inline-four offering 65 horsepower paired with a four-speed manual. A five-speed manual and three-speed automatic were optional. There were no other engine options for the inaugural year, though a 120-horsepower turbocharged version of the same engine was available for 1984-85. That was as good as it ever got.
This two-tone Sand Beige/Medium Sand Beige 1985 Ford Escort GL three-door hatchback is very similar to the car that was introduced for 1981 and was the last of the bunch before a mid-year revision for 1985. This car includes the 1.6 HO engine, which offered 80 horsepower with a 2V carburetor; it was only available with the five-speed or automatic, with this car having the latter. “Maybe one of the nicest Escorts of this generation left,” says the seller. “Always garage-kept and treated like a family member. Super clean underneath that was undercoated from new.” Mileage is under 41,000 miles, hopefully you don’t live near a hill so you can appreciate the air conditioning.
Interestingly, with the 1991 redesign, the Ford Escort moved one step closer to being a world car since the new Escort was based on the Mazda 323. But it’s the first-generation Escort that has the kitsch appeal, so for $11,900 (OBO) you can tell folks you own the world.
Click here for this ClassicCars.com Pick of the Day.
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