1983 Ford Escort GT (Reaction) Motorweek Retro

[@s99614]

I drove an 85 GT for almost 11 years. Loved it.

[@Trance88]

When I was born, my parents had an Escort. I sure don't remember it. They had it for maybe 16 months at most. When I worked as a valet for the local downtown hospital in 2011, I got to drive an 1988 Escort a couple of times. Black paint with maroon interior. I just remember it was was very narrow and thin by modern standards.

[@mrgurulittle7000]

I’d take this over the GM cars at the time too. As you said, Ford in general was more forwards thinking than GM.

[@raymond_sycamore]

Love your videos, Jon! I may give ya some jokes and a hard time but I do love the vlog style and throwbacks. Thank you for being here and congrats on 30k! A serious achievement.

[@AllCarswithJon]

I appreciate that!

[@johncarync]

With 82 HP and 0-60 in 14 seconds, the Escort GT wasn't fast, but there were many cars that got to 60 mph slower in 1983: Renault Alliance: 64 HP; 0-60 in 16.2 sec. Cadillac Sedan Deville: 135 HP; 0-60 in 16.5 sec. Dodge Mirada: 140 HP; 0-60 in16.5 sec. Chrysler Imperial: 140 HP; 0-60 in 16.6 sec. Dodge 400 (K-car): 93 HP; 0-60 in 16.7 sec. Oldsmobile Omega: 92 HP; 0-60 in 16.9 sec. Dodge Diplomat: 90 HP; 0-60 in 16.9 sec. Chrysler E-class: 94 HP; 0-60 in 17 sec. Toyota Tercel: 62 HP; 0-60 in 18.3 sec. Pontiac Bonneville Diesel: 105 HP; 19.9 sec. Chevy Chevette Diesel: 51 HP; 22.3 sec. For reference, the lowest HP cars in 2024: Mitsubishi Mirage: 76 HP; 0-60 in 11 sec. Fiat 500e: 117 HP; 0-60 in 8.5 sec. Hyundai Venue: 121 HP; 0-60 in 9 sec. Nissan Kicks: 122 HP; 0-60 in 10 sec. Nissan Versa: 122 HP; 0-60 in 9.7 sec. Chevy Trax (Buick Envista): 137 HP; 0-60 in 9 sec. Kia Forte: 147 HP; 0-60 in 8.2 sec. Kia Soul: 147 HP; 0-60 in 8 sec. Nissan Leaf: 147 HP; 0-60 in 6.8 sec. Nissan Sentra: 149 HP; 0-60 in 9.2 sec.

[@keithwiebe1787]

My 83 Ranger Diesel had 59 hp.

[@swapsplat]

I love watching those old motorweek videos

[@nostrilnick]

My (now) wife had an '86 Escort (LX, 4 spd stick) when we met back in the 80s. Granted, not the GT model, but my one-word description of the car was always "agricultural". Four banger with a mechanical fuel pump and one barrel carb made for lethargic acceleration, even for the day. The 4 speed manual felt to be straight off a Massey-Ferguson tractor. The one thing I did like about the car was the way it went thru snow, which was very good with the ultra-narrow all season tires. With all this in mind, my first new car ever was a '91 Escort GT with a 5-speed manual. The car was pretty fun and much more modern than her '86, what with a lot of Mazda underpinnings including the EFI engine. My biggest complaint on that car was the hairy handling at the limit. It could jump out from under you like a live-axle Mustang if you hit a mid-corner bump. I sometimes miss it.

[@AllCarswithJon]

"Agricultural" is an excellent way to describe those!

[@shoveI]

I owned three Escorts in the 90s, put a combined ~250k miles on them (most of that on a '81 L) . They weren't wonderful but they were very inexpensive to buy, to operate and to maintain - and they Just Plain Worked.

[@obesetuna3164]

Simpler and better times my American friends . In 80's Britain, it was the ultimate dream of every boy racer to get his hands on a Ford Escort XR3.

[@raymond_sycamore]

The Brits have always loved our rejects. The Escort, the Probe! Our Tea!

[@michaeloreilly657]

Naw, Golf or Peugeot 205 GTi's every time, especially until it became the XR3i much later.

[@jameshastey3058]

I grew up when many of these cars were still on the road, having got my driver's license in 1989 at the age of 14 (hardship license) so I have driven this generation (and subsequent generations) of Escorts. One thing I remember was just how slow they were, it was so bad that today you couldn't safely drive them on the freeway as I don't remember them being able to get to 70mph. This is the sporty version and it only has 88hp; the first base cars only had 65hp. This top of the line (in terms of performance) version still took 14 seconds on a 0-60 run. My old 2013 Focus (a successor to this car) would make the same run in under 8 seconds. Most econobox cars today have between 130 to 160hp - roughly double what this Escort has. In all honesty, I would not even try to drive a first generation (or a second generation for that matter) Escort on the highway as it would be unsafe - there is little doubt you would either get run over or run off of the road with catastrophic outcomes due to how light and poorly built they were. There were definitely better choices in the class - such as the Toyota Tercel or Datsun Sentra (yes it was Nissan was known as Datsun back then). Before you go blaming Ford for this abysmally low power, keep in mind that all cars back then were woefully underpowered across the board. Even a Corvette back then only had 190hp (1982) to 205hp (1984) - and an '84 Corvette took 7.9 seconds 0-60 (roughly the same as my old 2013 Focus). Thank goodness cars got beyond the sad era of the 1970's and early 1980's.

[@purplesprigs]

I drove my '84 Escort all over the U.S. and never had a problem going well over 70 mph. Just ask the state troopers (especially in Iowa).

[@timothyforce1949]

My family and I had 3 off the '80's Escorts: an '88 GL 5-speed manual wagen, an '89 Pony 4-speed manual, and a '90 GT 5-speed manual. The GL and Pony were really economical and we logged almost 200k on each car with minimal issues. The GT was actually an excellent car, which also lasted over 200k. The '90 GT's had the "hotter" 115 HP roller cam that was in the Mercury Lynx XR3 a few years earlier. All were sold only to upgrade to newer vehicles.

[@richardbrown1553]

Another great video! To be fair, Ford didn't miss anything when they designed the Escort. They made a car the buyers wanted, which may not have been what the enthusiast wanted. But for them to have one of the best-selling cars for the 80's says a lot about what they did with it. And for those wanting more performance could step up to the Mustang for a couple thousand more.

[@andrewalmeida3029]

Looks like after weeks of trying, your dinosaur has finally won its battle with the Fiat

[@AllCarswithJon]

Their battle has been epic. :)

[@wescam2958]

You are so very good Jon. Love how you analyze things. I think you are correct that Ford was more competing against the other two domestic manufacturers than they were against European or Japanese offerings. And, because of that Ford adapted to the small car market the same way Chrysler and GM did. Meaning that the small car was for cost conscious buyers, gas economy, and entry level buyers.. The problem domestic producers always seemed to face was positioning the small car in their line ups. They did not want to make small cars competitive to larger models that were higher profit to them. So, they always designed small cars to be basic, utilitarian, and spartan. This is why, I believe, small cars like this were successful in overseas markets where small cars often held the position of big cars in American car manufacturers line up, and so were not offered as basic transportation products. I sure wish someday you would analyze the difference a world car was in the American market vs an overseas one. Cheers!

[@331Grabber]

People forget that the Escort and Focus were both in production side by side for about 4 model years. Mostly sharing the same drive trains.

[@johnreilly8672]

I had an '84 model for a commuter, excellent little car and great milage!

[@dave3657]

I bought a used 92 Escort GT for $500. Used it mainly as a work commuter. Besides the defroster and gas gauge not working, it was a fun car.

[@mumwifeteacher]

Amazing-a new mirage with a 3 cylinder and a cvt would mop the floor with this

[@johnnymason2460]

And yet I would take this Escort over that Mirage. I will never ever get any vehicle that has a three cylinder engine or a five cylinder engine. I don't care how much power they make. I don't want an engine with an odd number of cylinders. Ever!!!

[@mumwifeteacher]

@@johnnymason2460 the shifter in the escort is badass 80”s cars are always fun

[@dave3657]

But how long will the 3cyl. and cvt last?

[@timewellwasted3341]

Hi Jon, I had a 1983 Ford Escort. Not the GT just a plain Brown 4 door hatchback with a beige interior. I bought it with very low expectations, I was mortgage poor and needed cheap wheels to get to work an earn a living. It was four wheels and a seat. The 1.6 liter engine had no power. The word "performance" was not in the Escort's vocabulary. Where it DID excel was cargo space when the rear seat was down. I even added a roof rack and hauled tons of lumber on the roof when I built my first cottage. To me it was a utilitarian car that solved all my problems on a tight budget.

[@timstrobel9220]

I always liked the look of this escort in the higher trim levels with the wide brushed chrome b-pillar

[@ed4253]

You can almost see the orange fading when new, which was common with this color and the red.

[@johnlavender242]

My fifteenth new car was a 1985 1/2 Ford Escort L four door hatchback. The only option was a radio delete ($39 credit). Sticker price $6600 aprox.) 40+ mpg I put 265,000 miles on it with very few repairs other than routine maintenance. The more I drove it the more I loved it. The 85 1/2 had a facelift and the 1.9 Liter engine. When I sold it (after 11 years) it didn’t use oil and it was just as peppy as it had always been. The driver’s seat showed little wear. One of my favorite cars.

[@keithwiebe1787]

After I got married in 85 was looking for a decent econocar to replace my wife's gift from her dad (69 Fury or somesuch). I found an 83 Escort for 1300 bucks. Put on 14 inch Tempo steel wheels with low profile tires, bigger sway bar from Tempo and a header from later model Escort and Bilstein shocks. Had a little great handling car. Didn't keep it long as I got an 83 Capri 5.0 5 speed. Could only manage 30mpg once. Usually only got mid 20s.

[@warrentranquada7062]

I had the 95 GT, towards the end of the run, and it was a really nice car. Much faster than the one reviewed here, handled well, was pretty good to look at. And yes, by that point it was four wheel disc and antilock brakes, while the base models had rear drums. Build quality was weak though. Lots of warranty repairs and it eventually self destructed - spontaneous engine fire with only 60,000km.

[@s99614]

The competing Japanese cars at the time had carburetors which is why I bought an Escort GT because fuel injection is way better.

[@celticlightning9703]

A time when they put in GT at the end. I learned how to drive stick in a ford escort.

[@AsteroidsDeluxe]

I always thought that ventilation control layout was odd in my father’s old 1979 Mercury Zephyr too.

[@Alan-lv9rw]

I had a great 1985 Escort company car. It was solid. But when I went to buy one in 1985, it rattled horribly in my test drive. I thought the fenders were going to fall off. I decided to keep my 1979 Honda Accord.

[@s99614]

The longer hood gives you more room to work on it.

[@ozzy.....7383]

Drove a 99 zx2 which won a race in Africa not mine but the same model. Toughest race in history

[@edmondocerza4292]

I remember way back in 85 as a teen visiting the US from Europe and thinking what is this with and escort name on it? Being so familiar with the European Ford escort that looked so stylistically ahead I asked why would Ford of US uglify such a successful vehicle. Check out the 83 ford escort RS 1600 which I guess would be the equivalent. It’s from another planet!

[@RoadRunnergarage8570]

I would actually like to see one of these as a 1/24 -1/25 scale model kit.. I have a 1/32 scale 82 Escort Racer kit which is the closest thing I have seen to this..

[@SecretlySeven]

I can see what you see. I some ways I see it now too cause we're seasoned. At 17-18 years old in the late 80's this was everything a BMW 318 was in the 90's. Or a Honda Civic Si in the 2000's That goofy rubber spoiler was as friggen cool as the one on the back of your Fathers Saab 99 Turbo or your doctors Porsche. Those driving lights were just like the ones we saw on 5 series and Jaguars. I think as we age we forget how we saw these as young men.

[@tkskagen]

As it was my first car in 1992, could you do a video on the Ford Fairmont, please John?

[@replica1052]

(in europe the escort was available as a 4wd cosworth - the fastest car in the world )

[@brentkiely657]

your saying the cosworth version of the escort with 4wd was the fastest car in the world..... what model years were those escorts, if this is what you are actually meaning to say?

[@replica1052]

@@brentkiely657 (the cosworth escort was very much a rebodied short wheelbase version of the sierra cosworth - the sierra cosworth was so fast it was banned from racing, the 4wd escort was even faster )

[@brentkiely657]

@@replica1052 very cool ! Thanks for the reply !

[@k.b.tidwell]

If you squint it has the not-too-far-off profile of the Mustang from that era, just somewhat taller.

[@8corymix8]

It was 1983. LoL. Nothing wrong with that car. I think it looks fantastic

[@kennedysingh3916]

During the 08's not many of those come to Jamaica and the European ones which did not face the same emisson regulatons were more popular but on a hold they did not sell well in Jamaica.

[@slamcrank]

I had this exact car. The 1983 Escort GT in the exact same color and everything. It was ...fine. I will argue against a few things in the MotorWeek review though: 1) that steering wheel at 6:00 was anything but "sporty". Ugh, it was pencil thin and for some reason it was super slippery. The little plastic rectangular add-ons (that look like they should be for the horn - they're not, the horn is on the stalk to the left) were super cheap and nasty. The inner circle that looks like it bolts the steering wheel to the column was also plastic and fake. You had to turn it counterclockwise and lift it off the steering wheel with a screw driver, then you could access the real bolts holding the wheel to the column. 2) That gear shift length he mentions at the 6:30 mark was definitely not "just the right length". It was such a long throw that you almost always lost the momentum of the engine before getting to the next gear. Just terrible. 3) The 1983 Escort GT was so slow (this is not a joke) that my dad's 1983 Ranger outran it to 60mph. The ranger also handled better, for some reason. 4) I sold the Escort (probably the worst car I've ever owned) and bought a 1985 RX-7 (definitely one of the best cars I've ever owned) and never regretted it :)

[@realnutteruk1]

We had two generations of RWD Escorts, in Europe, before you guys even got the FWD versions!

[@s99614]

You really can't compare an Escort to a Pontiac T1000 (Chevette). The Escort GT is way better. Yes I've driven both extensively.

[@hondofourfivetwo9347]

As someone that was in the tire industry I can’t help but focus on the Michelin TRX tires that were on the test car I think even in the 80’s when those were readily available they had to be a pricey item (probably worth it for handling at the time) I believe only Ford and BMW used them in North America at the time I know they were available on the T Bird didn’t know they had them on the equivalent year Escort GT. For those that don’t know those were a metric wheel diameter and specifically designed to work with those tires so you couldn’t just put any 13 or 14 inch tires on them you’d have to buy all new wheels too. The modern equivalent would have been the 09 Honda Odyssey Touring with the PAX system run flat tires majority of the people buying them weren’t ready for the expense of replacing those tires

[@matthew1973]

The refresh of this car a few years later was cool looking. A friend of mine had a 90 gt it was fun to drive and handled decent, but you were not going to win any drag races. Great car none the less for the money.

[@randywatkins2359]

Give me a Plymouth Horizon/Dodge Omni any day. More room and a nicer interior with an arguably better engine. Way more comfortable and better looking IMO. Those Ford engines were Vega-esque. The intake manifold would warp and subsequently blow head gaskets.

[@davidschleyhahn1610]

I had an 86 2 door in 89. The biggest most unreliable POS I have owned today. CV Joints, Tie rod ends, waterpump, theremostsd, AC cimpressor...I traded it for a 3 year old Grand AM which was a Cadillac in comparison. The last Ford I hsve owned

[@davinp]

All of Ford's SUVs started with the letter E, which is why I think they didn't want to keep a car staring the the letter E, so they went with the letter F for their cars

[@davestvwatching2408]

Interest rates were around 20% on cars these times.So cheap cars were a bonus. I like the Chevy dealers more than Ford so I would have gone with the Cavalier. Truthfully I would have bought a 1979-1980 Pinto instead.

[@stoneylonesome4062]

80’s Ford-Mazda Hot Hatches are a soft spot of mine, and I don’t even like Fords or Mazdas.

[@s99614]

I don't think that remote rear window opener was available in later years. My 1985 GT didn't have that.

[@s99614]

Rock Auto existed in 1983???

[@runoflife87]

Well, this was the Escort gone wrong.

[@pedrofernandez3893]

GT, the most misused term in the car industry. Ex. Yugo GT.

[@pgtmr2713]

I love the blacked out look, hate chrome, especially the waste of money chrome is on a cheap car. UNLESS the black is unpainted trim to be cheap, as in the Aztek. The spoiler on this GT triggers that, while also eh matching. Interior says Fox Mustang's little brother. The gauges, take any gauge you could get back then. Escort were great cars, needed power and stay interesting in the looks dept. The Focus had the more power, and looks... with inhuman vertical seats and garbage drive trains. The Mazda based Escorts can be V6 swapped.

[@petertornabeni602]

Those cars were slow. In 1991 when they come out with 127 hp GT that car was light years ahead of the old body although it can be said that the first generation escort as slow as it was was extremely reliable.

[@MrJeep75]

No cheep cars now days

[@mitchellbarnow1709]

I think that my 1977 VW Rabbit (Golf) was a much better car, but my 1982 Honda Accord sedan was superior!

[@ricardomartinati]

The European and South American models were much nicer