The Big Picture

There’s no single big event planned YET, but you can still celebrate

We celebrate 50 years of the venerable Ford Escort.

January 2018 marks the 50th anniversary of the Ford Escort but this year’s show diary is surprisingly devoid of a oneoff special event to mark the half century. Parent company Ford UK told PC that it is planning something but has not yet decided what it is or where it will be.

Two events on the same weekend at Castle Combe and Brands Hatch Circuits on September 22-23 will celebrate the car’s sporting achievements. The 50th anniversary of the original Ford Escort MKI twin-cam will be a key theme of the Castle Combe Rallyday on the Saturday. The following day, the Historic Sports Car Club will mark 50 years of the Escort’s presence in saloon car racing with two special one-model races at Brands Hatch on September 23.

Earlier in the year, further potential Escort outings include the Kent All Ford Show at Aylesford Priory on April 22, the Classic Ford Day at Whitewebbs Museum, Enfield on April 30, Simply Ford at Beaulieu on May 6, Santa Pod’s Classic Ford Day on June 4 and the Old Ford Rally at Gaydon on July 15.

Introduced to the world at the Brussels Motor Show in January 1968 the model was reinvented six times before being replaced by the Focus in 1998. Escort production commenced at Halewood during the closing months of 1967. By June 1974 two million had been produced – the Escort being the second most popular car in Britain in the Seventies.