The first generation of this iconic model was first unveiled in the UK in 1967 and its official presentation to the public and its press took place at the beginning of the following year in January at the Brussels motor show.

This model was the natural successor to the successful Ford Anglia, a model we have already talked about here on autoblog.pt.

The automotive giant has always had a goal for Escort, that is, the European market as its main commercial target. Its production started in the city of

Halewood in England in 1967, on that assembly line the first Escort to leave that year were all right-hand drive, only later in September 1968 did Ford start production of the left-hand drive models in a factory located in Genk .

There were some differences between the models produced for the United Kingdom and the rest of Europe, which stood out for the front suspension with other settings, as well as differences in the steering, the braking system, and other rims, all of this in the versions produced in the factory in Genk.

Later in 1970 the continental production of Escort moved luggage to another factory in West Germany in the city of Saarlouis. In addition to these countries, Escort has also been produced across borders in countries as diverse as New Zealand and Australia.

Escort's success was enormous in the overwhelming majority of European countries, but in England the success was really overwhelming, becoming the best-selling car model of the sixties.

In June 1974, when the Escort was 6 years old since it was first marketed, the American brand announced to the world that it had produced 2 million of the model, a milestone that Ford had never achieved outside the United States. of America. About 60% of these cars were produced in the United Kingdom.

Ford_Escort_MkI_1100_1972

The rest were produced in West Germany at a slower rate of 150,000 units per year, and where production dropped to 78,604 last year (1974)
the model was produced.

The Ford Escort was distinguished by rear-wheel drive, a 4-speed manual gearbox (optionally, in some markets it could be equipped with a 3-speed automatic gearbox), a front suspension with a MacPherson frame and a simple spring-mounted rear axle leaf (popularly known as wagon springs).

In addition, the Escort was the first model of the brand to use a conventional steering system (with pinion and rack) as we still find in many modern cars.

Ford Escort Mexico MkI

In terms of design, the Escort had a modern aesthetic, and its line was inspired by the traditional Coca-Cola bottle, with its side line using the same shape as the famous container.

In addition, the model had a front grille that distinguished it from other cars, giving it a distinct and contemporary look for the time.

The Escort was initially marketed only in the two-door body, with the name (version) of De Luxe and was distinguished by the round headlights and the interior rubber carpet.

The Super version had rectangular headlights, conventional fabric carpet, a lighter and an engine temperature gauge.

In March 1968 the two-door van was introduced in the range, which contained the peculiarity of folding the rear seat, allowing a larger loading area.

The drive unit of this version was the same as that which existed in the two-door Escort, but the clutch was larger (190 mm in diameter), the rear springs were thicker, as well as the braking system (drums) was substantially larger and more powerful. in order to better control the extra weight it could carry compared to the conventional model.

In the following month, in April 1968 the version of the van with side panels instead of glass was introduced in the range, and the following year (1969) the 4-door version first appeared.

Looking at the engine chapter, the Kent Crossflow engine was the main unit of the model, both in the 1.1-liter configuration and in the 1.3-liter version. There was a 940 cc drive unit for some export markets, but very few were sold when compared to the units described above.

One of the most desired engines was the 1300 GT version, that is, a “spicy” version of the 1.3-liter Kent unit, which had a Weber carburetor. In addition, this version received an improved suspension to keep up with the increased power and performance of this unit.

Other differences in relation to the conventional model included extra instrumentation inside, such as the rev counter, a battery charge indicator and another with the oil pressure level.

This upgrade version of the 1.3 was also available on the Escort Sport, the latter had wider wings at the front, but in terms of interior equipment it was i