Real Road Test: 29,000-mile Ford Escort Mk1! And I've driven it before...

This time, I'm reunited with a car I last drove in 2009 - a peachy 29,000-mile 1972 Ford Escort 1300XL that I photographed and drove for a magazine feature back in the day. But what is it like?
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[@JS-1983]

Great to see Escort in such condition which isn't 2-door, RS or Mexico. And what a lovely colour 👍

[@peterw4338]

The Escort was tail happy, it slid all over the place. The poem in my old rally days was "Little fox so wild, so free, made Twin Cam Escort hit a tree".

[@julesdowner5585]

i lost my escort after the tail stepped out . i recovered it 4 times before going headlong into an earth bank.it was only the 1100 basic but i was young and crap then!

[@redsorgum]

I’m old school, I like the analog dash gauges, perfect simplicity.

[@HowardLeVert]

Having suffered some rentals recently with OLED displays pretending to be an instrument panel (the worst being an A-Class Merc), that lovely cluster of six gauges is Heaven to me.

[@richlee509]

I'm old school Janice

[@clooperman3745]

You should talk to my sister about led displays, got a brand new Golf, getting rid of it after 6 months because of the digital display and useless touchscreen!!!!!

[@HowardLeVert]

@@clooperman3745 I can genuinely understand why she's doing that - the last rental I had was a 2019 Vauxhall Corsa which, unlike the newer Corsas I rented, had a real rev counter and speedo, a real handbrake, a proper ignition key and brakes that didn't stand it on its nose when you so much as looked at the pedal. It had a touchscreen which was a bit rubbish but none of this compares to that damned A-Class Merc, which even had _themes_ for the dash display, for pity's sake. I like the simple dash of my 2004 BMW 530i, but I *don't* like the absence of a temperature gauge. Funny how its successor had one again - they must have had a LOT of complaints.

[@andrewmarshall9340]

Contemporary Triumphs had wonderfully clear instruments plus the 8 segment warning light panel, incredibly futuristic for the 70s!

[@Bicyclehub]

It baffles me why Ford made the Mk1 Escort for such a short time, when it is clearly such a lovely design. The dog bone grille, bonnet lines, curvy haunches and the neat back lights are all so pleasing to the eye. In my view, Ford robbed the car of all style and charisma when they turned it into the Lego brick Mk2.

[@hackdaniels7253]

Eight years is quite a long run... The mark 2 only lasted six. And they changed it because it was becoming dated. Ford must have known by the mid 70s that the mark 3 Escort would be a completely new fwd platform, probably not ready until the end of the decade, by which time the mark 1 would have looked extremely old fashioned. tl;dr Ford aren't BMC

[@andrewthompsonuk1]

This is often the case in car design. The first of a basic design is usually the best on and whilst the updated versions look good at the time they hardly ever age we'll. Just look at the mk3 Cortina.

[@michaeljohnson9421]

@@hackdaniels7253 In a way the Mk1 escort did stay in production throughout the Mk2 period, because there never was an Escort Mk2 estate and van. The Mk2 versions of these models were just the Mk1 shell with a Mk2 nose grafted on. Ford quite shamelessly did a Marina/Ital thing, and hoped nobody would notice. By the time the Mk3 came along, the Mk1 Escort had effectively been in production for the best part of 15 years - and the van was even older in some ways, since it used some panel pressings from the Anglia van of 1959.

[@hackdaniels7253]

@@michaeljohnson9421 "hoped nobody would notice" - they were bang on: very few people did notice. They did a similar trick with the Granada estate, which kept a lot more of the Mark 1 panels than the saloon (ditto Cortina, Mark 4 and 5).

[@martinbitter4162]

While it sold well in the UK, the German consumer did not like it

[@TheStobb50]

This is when Ford built no nonsense cars, they always seem to understand what people wanted I think nowadays we seem to have lost that.Great video Ian thank you very much

[@philnewstead5388]

I think the problem with Ford now and possibly for the last 25 years is that they lost focus in trying to produce a model/trim level for everyone, I find their cars these days quite uninspiring.

[@StuartAxe]

Now Mr HubNut, A Granada Mk1 from the same era should be on your road test wish list too!

[@willswheels283]

I can just imagine how the original owner would have looked like, flaired trouser bottoms, shoulder length hair, thick polar neck jumper, or maybe a shirt with a large collar, also wearing jeans maybe or corduroys, or just smart trousers. A lady owner may have had long hair, bell bottom trousers, a blouse or maybe wearing a flowery dress. And if there was a radio there may have been some 70’s pop or rock playing. Slightly before my time even though I was born at the end of the 70’s there would have been a fair amount of these on the road still. Great review Mr Seabrook!

[@bredon9]

Well I'm now 67 and owned mine from being 18 to 24 the flared trouser bit made me laugh left home for a night out got to the give way end of street went for brake pedal couldn't reach it trapped the trouser leg in the door good job nothing coming that night.

[@petejacob2513]

First car was a mk1, fond memories. On the metric/imperial issue, these had both, For a young man the inconvenience and expense of needing both sets of spanners was a bit of a pain...lol

[@tonys1636]

A lot of manufacturers used Metric, AF/UNF and BSF/Whitworth during the 60's and into the 70's along with BSP on fuel lines and brake lines. Adjustable spanners were an essential or a very big tool box.

[@volvo480]

@@tonys1636 I have a Volvo from the 1980s where everything is metric except for the 5/8" bolt that holds the seat belt rail to the floor. Fortunately that is almost exactly 16 mm.

[@tonys1636]

@@volvo480 A lot of European manufacturers used Britax seatbelts, a former British WWII harness maker of Parachute and other military webbing. They also made child seats and pushchairs where the chair part became a child/baby car seat. They were top of the range and pricey, still cheaper than separate ones and one didn't have to wake the child.

[@phillipsharpe6459]

Many years ago i had one of these with a knackered 1100 cc engine, that didn't last long, it was replaced with a 1600 cc engine and a five speed box , that worked well, bigger wheels, tarted it up as you do , fond memories, 😁👍

[@quattrohead]

Mine was a 76 Popular and it did not like the Welsh boarder area I lived in lol so me and a mate put in a 1600 ohv in. She still only did 80 but went like stink. I would give my right nut to have a Mk2 today.

[@Tractorman-xj4gt]

I bought a MK 1 XL1300 Ford Escort when I lived in Germany back in the late-70's - drove it around Germany, to Paris and to Switzerland - loved that little car !!

[@andysalter4473]

A friend and I used to sit at the top of a hill and play a guessing game of 'What Car Is Coming Up The Hill' The Mk1 Escort was the most recognisable. Back then all cars had a distinctive noise of their own. Even today I can't help smiling when I hear the distinctive 'fart' of the Morris Minir when it changes up!

[@johnd8892]

Top of the range in Australia was the 1972 GT 1600 twin cam Lotus engined cars. Supposedly unique to Australia and meant for rallying but also raced at Bathurst aiming for a class win. Bathurst 1972 it came 12th. Enough to win class B against RX2 Mazda's but 13 laps behind Peter Brock's Holden Torana GTR XU1 having as a basis the Vauxhall Viva HB but lengthened and strengthend to use a six cylinder 3.3 litre Holden with triple carbs. One of the most successful drivers of the twin cam Escort here was Bob Holden who raced nearly everything except a Holden. 800 built with five or ten surviving. Standard versions made some inroads into the small car market the Japanese were dominating after Ford gave up on the Anglia around 1964. Also called the Uglia here. The Escort was the car to have for young people in New Zealand around 1984.

[@johnd8892]

Hope you don't mind a link to an Australian amazing condition survivor car : kzbin.info/www/bejne/mn7CpIOqrriaaZY UK and others may be able to comment if they were really unique.

[@HubNut]

We had the Escort Twin Cam with the Lotus engine, but it was swiftly overtaken by the punchier RS models, with the RS1600 having Cosworth power.

[@steved3702]

@@HubNut We had an RS2000 model in Oz, but I think with was just the standard 2.0l engine (optional across the range, by then, IIRC) with the RS scoop nose, rubber spoiler and decals. Two- and four-door versions, too, 'cause Australia!

[@plym1969]

My first car bought in 1986 for £700 was a silver1974 N Reg Ford Escort MK1 1300E. The E stood for executive so I had a vinyl roof ( no idea why that's posh!?!) and a walnut glove box, thicker carpet and sound proofing. The screen wash button in Ian's car I think is after market as I had to do the screen wash by pumping a rubber plunger situated on the floor next to the clutch. It had a rebored 1600 cc engine from a Capri which was incredibly fast with huge amounts of torque. Not a very sensible car for a 17year old! I remember still accelerating going up the very long and very steep Haldon Hill out of Exeter towards Plymouth with 4 friends and their cricket gear reaching 110mph at the summit before plunging down the other side more in hope than expectation that the brakes and suspension would cope with the twisty bits. I kept it for 6 months before I got fed up with the footwells having 3 inches of water in them every time it rained because the windscreen rubber had perished. Thanks Ian for bringing back these memories. I'd love it if you could do a MK2 review so you could compare the evolution and because my older brother's first car was a red 1975 MK2 which he had for 3 weeks before rolling it onto its roof!

[@alanadair7169]

I bet you would love to have that now

[@andrewthompsonuk1]

I enjoyed driving RWD Escorts on gravel roads. I never drove a sporty escort however even the 1100 cc versions were fun. They were very predictable and the least scary of any car when they started to slide. Even in base spec one could appreciate why they were so successful at rallying. By the 90s they were still one of the best on gravel however they were not so good on sealed roads compared to the new cars of the time.

[@MCallsen]

My dad's MK I in British Racing Green had half vinyl half cloth seats with a funky beige-green texture in the cloth. Otherwise 1.1l, 45hp and 2 doors and less richly specked as the brown one you drove here. :)

[@richard63]

My first car in 1978 was a '73 XL 1300 w/bucket seats 2dr. They were popular here in Sydney. I learnt to fix a lot of things by owning this car, fitted a stereo and speakers and added some mudflaps, but didn't appreciate the fact that after it was all fixed it was a gem to have. Knowledge in hindsight I guess.

[@stephinepaul7483]

Love the Brown! I have a '71 Plymouth Valiant/Scamp in the same Color(and with Woodgrain Instrument Cluster). I have lots of UK Market Escort(and other brand..)Badges & Steering Wheels courtesy of a long time(VERY...since 1979!)Penn Pal from Kent.

[@campbelltroup2750]

Our neighbours used to have an Austin 1100 and it always felt you were skidding along close to the ground. An escort always felt more like you were sitting on it.

[@christianmeyer2321]

Hello from Berlin. I am a lucky owner of a 1973 Mk1 1100L Fourdoor. It's an Italian survivor with only 33.000km driven. Bought it 3 years ago because it was my mother first car in 73. Yes, comparing it with other cars of those days like the Fiat 128, Renault 6 or 12, Peugeot 204 or Citroen GS it has been a very simple construction, but it's still so much fun to drive. Mine has the little triangle-windows, which is a big plus, getting a lot of fresh air in every season. Thanks for that video.

[@BarryAllenMagic]

70's vinyl in the Summer....such happy memories as a child. However, the smell of toasting skin often paled into insignificance whilst inhaling stale cigarette smoke. 🤢

[@KutreeZ]

Rear seats in my mothers MK1 Fiesta, that was like hell in the summer and the metal seatbelt buckles, you'd realise you made a mistake if you touched the shiny bit haha, good times.

[@danieleregoli812]

It's all very period😅

[@robertlambert8719]

Oh yes! 1970 Hillman Minx, vinyl seats, short trousers, equals lack of skin! Happy times!

[@robinvanags912]

In 1968 from Anglia to Escort - quite a leap, styling-wise.

[@mattw8332]

Lovely design. Ford got their range spot on in the late 1960s-70s. These look sporty, as does the mark 3 Cortina.

[@Rjhs001]

Great little car Ian. I think the proper Ford name for that colour is Tawny Metallic.

[@danieleregoli812]

Sweet old Ford. Nice 70s memories. There was one in the family for a short while, orange , two door, 1.1,very simple but nice car.

[@Duncan038]

The colour is “Tawny” , the same colour as my Dads old Mk1 1300L 2 door , GJR 192L :) love it!

[@martinireland9248]

Same colour as the Consul GT in The Sweeney!

[@barrychatwin661]

At last !!! My life is complete. A MK1 Ford Escort has deservedly been featured on the HubNut YT channel That's all I need to say. Thank you.

[@danieleregoli812]

Amazing video, thank you for the memories.

[@chrispenn715]

Prices have gone crazy! Nice as this Escort is, can't comprehend that it's for sale at £13,950 - and a Lotus Elan is available from the same place for just £2k more.........

[@LOTPOR0402]

Thought £13950 was cheap for a classic unmolested Escort.The Italian stuff of the time was in a different league

[@chrispenn715]

@@LOTPOR0402 Yes - I think you are right - it's probably the going rate, just makes the Lotus look great value to me :-)

[@calumbaxter9946]

I remember mum telling us not to breathe when our 1300 estate would fog up; you are I think correct in saying that those central vents were all there was to demist the screen. Having said that, our estate was bought new in 1972 and ran for 10 reliable years clocking up over 100K. We went from Herefordshire to Germany in it in 1973, parents and 4 kids (one baby), no seatbelts in the back, boot full of stuff, the exhaust tailpipe scraping along the ground. Mum still looks back in amazement as to how she and my late dad did all this without fear or stress. But as she says, you just got on with things then; you didn’t know any different.

[@peterriggall8409]

Lovely test in your usual relaxed manner. No fast talking and hype. 👍Friend had one of these, a 74 XL 1.3L. Australian assembled with local content. Had tombstone seats. It had a rubber plunger for the washers mounted on the floor with a metal ring around it which operated the wipers when you pushed the plunger like a dip switch. It was handy for getting a single sweep of the wipers sneakily making it an intermittent wiper switch. These are getting silly money in Australia as they are in the UK.

[@steved3702]

Interesting the specification differences for Australian production. New to me is the blacked-out rear facia, while the square headlights were fitted to all local models, I understand. I have seen a handful of them with circular headlights but a uni colleague assured me that the facias (or the cars) would have have been imported afterwards. The indicator stalk and choke control look familiar to me as a former HA Viva driver! The local seats were probably a design regulation by this time; strange the way in which some safety features did not appear in the UK 'till much later. Side intrusion bars are another that come to mind.

[@baltymora2]

Always a joy to watch 👌

[@ShedTV]

This brings back childhood memories of riding in the back of two Mk1 Escorts belonging to family friends, one two-door and one four-door. They both had flat and peeling silver paint. I remember my Dad telling me that there had been problems with that particular colour.

[@lukecrowley571]

This is how I remember Mk1 Escorts! 😁

[@ady-uk7150]

I owned a Sebring Red 2 door MK1 1300XL in 1983 to 1986 You where right, that small rocker switch should be a brake wear warning. You press it to test that the red warning light works. Also, the red light next to the cigarette lighter is the hazard flashers. I really enjoyed this video, lovely for you to meet up with this car again. The Escort MK1 is my all time favourite car. It used to be be Jenson Interceptor when I was a kid!

[@DonConstance]

I was a Leyland man but spent many miles in my mate's Mk1 Escort 1300. Less powerful and less comfortable than my Marina 1.3 Coupé but it got us everywhere except up Rosedale Bank Top 🙂 Still, well done on driving a RWD Ford and keeping out of the scenery 😉

[@zebedep]

Such timewarp condition - a real gem! Top video, thanks.

[@tristanpage6805]

Great video. Love the colour.

[@theaylesburycyclist8756]

My Dad had a gorgeous Mk1 Escort GT in metallic green. I can still remember the smell of the vinyl interior...👌🙂

[@rwd323]

Love the gauge arrangement

[@660einzylinder]

In 1984 I bought a 1972 Escort 1300 Sport, there was a hole bigger than a post card in the main chassis rail on one side, both the floor pans were like lace and the rear panel was rotten under the bumper. It was welded up over a few lunchtimes, and it went like the proverbial off a thingummy!

[@club1fan552]

Love this class of car. The dash gauges and appointments are very swish for the day. This class of car generally pulled about 25 km/h for every 1000 rpm in 4th which meant at 100km/h, they were revving at 4,000 rpm. That's why it didn't feel too happy when cruising. Thanks for sharing!

[@jrushen4235]

This car reflects the 70's, simple and honest....

[@jmdoutdoors5729]

Thank you very much for sharing this car. I was raised in the 70's in Portugal they wore every where. Great cars.

[@smorris12]

My mother had a '77 Mk ii Escort and it felt light years ahead of my grandfather's '76 Viva. It's only from getting into cars years later that I found why it was so

[@Bucharestguidedtours]

Lovely, lovely car..Great video. Best wishes.

[@tony-yp6qk]

Another great video has always Ian and miss hubnut and hublets and dogs

[@daniellee9015]

Brilliant video Ian 👍 I always loved that roman bronze brown I learned in a mk2 Capri of the same color beautiful car

[@aintme2]

Lovely video Ian, I own the white MK1 of the same spec that I parked next to the Landcrab's at your social, drove it from Stoke, it had only done a thousand more miles at 30200 when I left home. As you say, a little short on gearing, but it put's a smile on my face constantly. I didn't get to speak to you due to you having a constant queue! A great day you organised, thanks, enjoyed it very much.

[@richardmatthews4302]

Absolutely beautiful! Compared to Austin and Rootes cars of the same vintage these are stunning. Great video, thank you!

[@patscanlan2678]

Bad memories of that car, back in the day a tyrant teacher at my school drove one, was always a joy to arrive at the school and see it missing!

[@mrjsv4935]

Haha, school memories for me too from this generation Escort :D In the early 80's, one teacher had Escort Wagon in yellow, which was crashed at some point and he replaced it with another Wagon in this brown colour. He was nice teacher though :)

[@davidmg1925]

shame I had one of those too. Id still like a word with him now. B*****d

[@nouvalari]

My neighbour had one new, presented it to the world one Saturday morning by bringing out the polishing cloth and flicking the fly crap off the windscreen. She was mortified when next doors cat walked up the bonnet and over the roof, and from then on was at war with that animal. She was a teacher!

[@unclejoe6811]

I had a female teacher she was kind of a witch, I ran into her after college at a bar, turns out she wasn't bad in the sack.

[@HowardLeVert]

We had a biology teacher with a metallic purple 1300E. He had deadly aim with a board rubber - how none of the kids he hit got concussion (or worse) I'll never know. Still remember his car outside the pub I lived next door to on the day we broke up for Christmas one year.

[@trevatkin4869]

That is gorgeous. I never had a Mk1 but my first car was a Mk2 1100 pop in midnight blue and I loved it to bits.

[@davidsjenkins281]

Great cars my dad had the 2 door escort I had a mark 4 Ford escourt lovely cars . great video keep up with the good work

[@ChrisG3253032]

Absolutely love the mk1 escort. Mum had an 1100L model in the late 80s, loved them ever since.

[@daljitsingh2143]

Full on nostalgia for me. I loved our MK1 escort. Loved it, fond memories and superb engineering. God bless Ford Motor Co. Halewood UK. My dad probably helped build his own car. 😔

[@jamesatkinson6480]

A cousin of mine had an orange 2 door variant, and found it handled very well, after using motorbikes (mainly a Honda 175cc) for commuting his 12.5km Stirling - Blackwood return Adelaide Hills trips. After a few years, a rear window (hinges and catch for ventilation) came 'unstuck, but it served its purpose well... He later purchased a 173 cu. in. 6 cylinder Holden Torana 4 door sedan...

[@LarryBees]

Brilliant Retest and glad to see your very happy with TOD results .( you Love a Betty Ford).🔧🔧 simple stuff under bonnet !! had a van once

[@monty6545]

I had 3 mk1's back in the 80's of which one was the now very rare 1300 sport , great review . A friend of mine has one of the first F reg one's which he has been restoring over recent years .

[@andrewthompsonuk1]

These cars were very easy to work on. it was possible to do a head gasket or change a clutch in the driveway in an afternoon. That includes going out to get whatever parts you needed from a local place that always had them on the shelf.

[@piuthemagicman]

Have done that on a Volvo 740. Same could be said about a Sierra too, for example :)

[@davidjbatley]

Agree my record for a rear wheel drive Ford was a Capri left work at five called for a clutch on the way home and we were sat outside the pub for half seven admiring our work not like the Hyundai I did last week took me all bloody day but I'm 35 years older and put all the bolts back now.

[@minnielee3399]

Yeh,is all electronics and EMS now so will probably need take back to dealership to see wok the ECU fault code is. Gonna cost a shit loada money as well :-(

[@flyfifer2724]

This has brought very happy memories for me. My late granddad taught me to drive in his, it was a white ‘74 on an N plate. He took me out every Thursday, between my driving lessons in my instructors diesel Nissan Sunny. The difference was really noticeable, but I still preferred the Escort to drive and he let me borrow it after I passed my test. After he passed away, I didn’t have any where to keep the car, so had to let it go, which was really upsetting. Watching this has been great and brought so many memories back, thank you. As an aside, your videos about Betty brought back another set of memories for me. I visited New Zealand in 1993, and I spoke to a guy about his Holden Ute, I thought I could bring it back and use it as kind of a promotional tool for my landscaping business. But, as like so many other things, it didn’t materialise for various reasons. Since then, my health has been a bit of an issue and had to give the business up, but I think you may have planted a seed in my mind about that Ute again! Anyway, sorry for rambling, all the best, Brian

[@AndyB59]

I passed my test in an 1100 BSM hack. I kept knocking the indicator back up on left turns and the clutch was fierce, but it was so straightforward to drive. My friend had a 1300 GT which was huge fun. Thanks for the memories,Ian.

[@robtt997]

Looked to buy one of these against a Viva . Viva won because it had reclining seats . That was important to a young bachelor lol

[@raymondmckay6990]

My first Car was an Aussie spec 1979 Mk2 Escort Ghia with the 97hp 2.0L auto in a metallic brown called nutmeg with a beige vinyl roof with matching beige interior. Even today I am amazed at how comfy the seats and are. I learnt to drive in it then drove it around from 2005- 2011 before retiring it have just started prepping it for paint.

[@wilber3762]

When my mum passed her driving test my dad had to get rid of his mk2 Zephyr 6 and get a brand new Escort 1300L 4 door exactly the same colour as the one you’re driving. He also had a 72 mk1 Escort van for work. I learnt to drive on them both when I was 17. Watching your review brought back many memories, all of them good 👍. Great stuff, keep up the good work.

[@simonprodhan5050]

brilliant video! such great memories of dad's green 4 door which i think he bought in about 1973, a wonderful car, i too prefer the bog standard poverty spec escorts to the hot ones, yes, the hot ones are great etc etc but the lower spec ones have a wonderful charm and in my opinion look nicer, i also remember the article in classic car weekly which i've been reading for the last 24 years, i threw a load out a few years back so sadly i wont have the copy with the escort feature, i now keep issues with features on cars i particularly like, thanks again, marvellous stuff

[@robertallen3441]

I had a 1974 4dr 1300 xl RWC 280M in metallic light green with the same tan interior. First car I had that had carpet on the floor. Mine had a foot operated washer pump with a chrome metal ring that operated the wipers. Rectangular headlights looked cool, but were rubbish. Four Hellas on a light bar cured that, but made the alternator work for a living. Bought it from my Brother in law who owned it from new. Was Ziebarted (rustproofing) when new so may still be around somewhere.

[@malcopopolo44]

If they were released today, same spec, same safety levels, engine and brakes.... There might be less stress and road rage. Do we really NEED any thing more than this?

[@LOTPOR0402]

Yes we do , but not as much as today's cars Cars from 20 years ago had enough tech in them ,ones of today are to complicated and to over the top

[@stepheng8779]

Yeah

[@paulbennell3313]

Easy to drive, easy to fix and cheap to run. Pretty stylish at the time too. I remember when you couldn't move for mk1 Escorts and after all this time it's still easy to see why.

[@xxrs2009]

It's gorgeos, very nice to watch. Please consider showing the reversing lights at the end, they're so cute on this one..

[@Johnwilliams-yu4ig]

I get the appeal of the 3 door mark 1 but for me I always preferred the 4 door,I always got the impression that they were more desirable but apparently not,whenever I read up about the mark 1 it's always the 2 door that's talked about with enthusiasm,there can't be that many 4 door models left in existence,great channel Ian,love your reviews,that yellow sprint in the background looks like the dogs wotsits,dream car of mine👍😁😁

[@Sean0271]

Fantastic video Ian, I had NFK21M a metallic purple 1300e back in 1990 great car but by then well shod & no doubt no longer survives.

[@charlesreynolds7407]

My first car and I loved it.

[@davidsharp9166]

Next someone lends Hubnut, an Escort Cosworth, an we get the power version of Ian. Woo hoons it around !!!

[@jonathanrogers6711]

Thank you Ian for another super video, keep em coming. Along with the other replies here I too in my early 20's had a MK1 Escort 2 door 1300L in lovely Daytona Yellow. Whip aerial (remember those!) UniRoyal Rallye 180 Tyres, front spots lights, chrome wheel ring trims. Those were the days! And, it never ever let me down. Loved it and God I wish I had it now, be worth a fortune. I sold it for £200 against an Audi 80 MK1 GT - even rarer than an escort these days.

[@sarahemerson6567]

My grandparents had one of these in 1981, same colour too!!

[@seancooke7332]

That gearchange seemed very rewarding indeed. Lovely Escort.

[@TheKnobCalledTone.]

A family friend had a MkI Escort in the same poo brown colour, but theirs was a three door. IIRC the warning light next to the cigarette lighter was a seat belt warning light; there was a bezel around it that said "Seat Belt".

[@jimififul]

I think you're right. I also think on the very last mark 1s around 74-75 it was replaced with a flashing pull switch for hazard flashers in the same place.

[@levelcrossing150]

The light next to the lighter was for hazard warning lights, no seat belt warning lights in these.

[@mr-wx3lv]

I remember them well, thousands and thousands of them on the roads. They made a pretty estate version too. Would probably pick the 1300E version just for that little bit extra plushness. Nice video Ian...

[@adjbeynon7835]

Very popular cars. The owners loved them. I liked the padded steering wheel but I thought they wre a bit too tinny and the mock wood on the dashboard....well we had better lino in the kitchen.

[@lesklower7281]

Thanks for the video l do remember when these cars came to Australia my best mate at the time parents owned one l was impressed the and still impressed today

[@Zeem4]

I love the colour - my first car was an L-reg Avenger 1500 GL in almost the same shade, as close a rival to this car as you could get. A few years ago I saw a BMW X1 in the same colour, so it seemed to have come back into fashion for a while. At least it helps to break up the sea of black, white and grey on the roads nowadays.

[@eggy1962]

Any avengers left to test Ian?, my dad had an old 1500 gl with the round dials i still remember its reg YNY963H…

[@richardprice7763]

I had a Cherry Red 1975 Avenger 1300 Deluxe back in 1992 as my first car MGY155P as an 18 year old lad...no power steering, no power brakes (drums all round) gutless engine but I loved it! Big enough to fit 4 mates in it and was very sociable with no head restraints getting in the way!

[@andrewfarrow4699]

Would this be the same metallic bronze/brown as a 1970 mk1 Capri?

[@stepheng8779]

Peugeot do or did a similar colour recently. There's a couple of years old 3008 near us, looks nice.

[@timl1481]

Several years ago, my brother acquired a 2 door version in the same bronze finish, from an elderly neighbour of ours, who had purchased it new back in 1972. It was presumably a rare beast in that it was an automatic! He had it for a while and then sold it on.

[@jmurray01]

Never been a fan of the Escort for some reason, but what a beautiful example! Love the colour.

[@Kevinfordsynthesizers]

Thanks for this. Memories of the grinding torment of monthly drives in the 1980s from Ipswich to Sheffield in my 1970 1100 - ART333H. I could not believe the difference when I took delivery of a Cavalier 1.6L company car, it really drove home (yeah) the advancements in NVH elimination. I wonder if anyone dragged the old thing out of the scrap yard..

[@simonhodgetts6530]

My Dad had a mk1 Escort - I had my first ever ride in a car in it (home from the nursing home I was born in). However, this car, and a later Cortina Mk3 estate didn’t fare well on the rust front, and he switched his allegiance to Vauxhall, owning 3 FE/VX estates. I love the shape of these - the 1300E in particular- a very smart, and quite luxurious small car for the time, the concept copied by Vauxhall for the Magnum. I’m glad you made the point about the breadth of 70s cars that suffered from rust - it’s good to put the record straight that it wasn’t just Italian cars that rusted out within 2-3 years of manufacture!

[@brianreardon956]

Had my first formal driving lesson in a Mk1. Mind you I was driving around in a 100E Prefect at the time. 🥺

[@andrewwebster6025]

I learnt to drive on an 1100 more basic version, think it was a G reg. Found it very to drive and passed first time in 1973. A Mk2 GL was my first new car bought in 1979. Sold that to a friend of my Dads and that kept going for at least 15 years

[@andrewmarshall9340]

5'07" I think the red warning light is for hazards, one of many options that lucky owners of higher spec models enjoyed with Mk.1 and 2 Escorts. Reversing lights, heated rear screen, reclining seats and passenger side sunvisors were the stuff of dreams for drivers of lowly Escort Populars, and the dashboard had more blanks than switches! The Mk.1 only had the foot-operated screen wash/wipe, a 70s fad shared with early Mk.3 Cortinas, although this one has an electric screenwash upgrade. Simple, happy times!

[@gin9991]

Ahh yes I remember the foot operated screen wash, if you drove without shoes, which I did at the time , you could flick the outer ring around the bulb to just operate the wipers without the washer.

[@MrOvershoot]

Naughty Ian folding the paper down on the seat so the Avenger is facing up 👍 I approve TBH as a previous owner of 2 Avengers.

[@tonycox5625]

Had one of these, same year and model but in metallic blue, plus 2MK 1 Escort vans and 1 MK 2, and my nephew had a 1972 1300 sport. We loved our Escorts!😊

[@iatsd]

First car I ever got to drive, was allowed to go stupid in it, and really learn how to throw a car around. Port Hills above Christchurch at 3am on a Saturday night in the rain did wonders for your ability to think ahead, plan, and react to evolving conditions. And then we actually had an income and it was off club rallying we went, first in another Mk 1 Escort and later a 3L Chevette. God, I miss the 80's.

[@michaelkeen5010]

Learned to dive in a BSM 1300 L Mk1 Escort in 1972/3.

[@bunter6]

Always amazing how things come back round, that brown/bronze is so working class 70's but nowadays is a popular colour on high priced luxury brands. My dad had a green 1256 viva when i was growing up and it was a hateful thing, I think he eyed our neighbours Escort 1100L enviously.

[@ciaranburke3243]

Lovely hubnut my dad had the same car spec and colour in 72 when I was 7 traded it in for a 78 mk 2 1300 gl happy times 👌

[@johnf5817]

I never owned a Mk1 Escort (though plenty of Cortinas) but borrowed one in 1985 from Sanj who barely knew me during my first month at uni. This allowed me to get home and visit my mum who had just got out of hospital. It was a poverty spec 1100 but effortless to drive and will always be remembered fondly.

[@pcjtech]

Ah that takes me back to my first ever car a J reg red hand painted Escort 1100 L fantastic car and drove up and down the country with not one fault. Such an easy car to work on and great car to drive.

[@stephenswift9868]

Fantastic! My dad had a red one briefly, two door I think. I also rode around in a lot back in the day. These were flogged to death back in the day, almost disposable. In the time when MOT’s could be very dodgy!

[@grayfool]

And the memories come flooding back. I never owned an Escort or any Ford come to that. Many of my freinds and family did including my father. I have driven many though. They were quite noisy and a bit hectic at higher speeds. This was another car that was treated as a throwaway item in the late seventies and early eighties. Dirt cheap, usually very worn out, and always with added rot.

[@heikkiremes5661]

I love it!

[@vibingwithvinyl]

My grandparents had a dark red 1969 Escort 1300 deluxe. No seat belts or anything. I loved that car, too bad it rotted away. One of my uncles also had an Escort, but I think that was a 1300 GT. It was the same colour as the one in this vid.

[@michaelb9664]

I’m very surprised to learnt that the XL had a full compliment of instruments. Very nice!