When Ford unveiled its (now classic) Escort XR3 to the world
ON November 24, 1980, the world’s media descended on a then-unfinished strip of the M4 near Bridgend to try out Ford’s most daring model yet.
Stretching as far as the eye could see, the first batch of the all-new, cherry red Ford Escort XR3 gleamed in the sunshine, lined up one after another after leaving the Ford plant in Bridgend.
Now, nearly 40 years later, photos of the ’80s boy racers’ favourite toy have been unearthed as they begin to make their comeback as a classic car.
“This was the first front-wheel drive Escort – the MK1, MK2s were all rear-wheel drive like the Cortina and the Fiesta,” Paul Nieuwenhuis, independent motor vehicle analyst said.
“In Germany they had been doing it since the ’60s but the Escort was the best selling car in Britain at the time so it was a challenge to get it right.”
At a time when sports saloons and fast family cars were the latest craze, Ford had been under pressure to match its biggest rival – the Volkswagen Golf GTi.
In an age where image was all important, it ended up a defining choice for petrol heads of the time.
In 2013, Classic Motoring wrote: “The battle lines were well and truly drawn by 1983 and it became as much as a class war as it did a performance shootout. On the road the XR3 was as quick as the Golf, although the road test cars seemed peppier than the ones bought in the showroom.
“But the Golf vs Escort rivalry extended further than who was fastest around town, it also signified your social standing in what was to become an image conscious decade.
“By the time the XR3 was introduced Volkswagen had already established the Golf as a cult car and the GTi was simply the icing on the cake. In true classless tradition, as with the Mini, everybody from dukes to dustmen felt good with a Golf.
“In contrast, to many the Escort was simply a Ford with a bit of fancy chintz, a blue collar car. Nevertheless, at £5,750 when launched in late 1980, the sexily winged and alloywheeled XR3 was a resounding success, not simply with enthusiasts but also people who just liked the look of this Escort.”
By the early 1980s, XR3s accounted for a third of Escort sales. From there it wasn’t long before it became Ford’s best-selling car, and later one of the best-selling cars in Britain.
Mr Nieuwenhuis, who is from Cardiff, said: “Although Ford fans have focused on the MK1 and MK2 Escorts which work as alternative rally cars they are so expensive that people are taking an interest in the XR3 generation.
“The earlier Escort versions may costs £40,000 or £50,000 but I think a turbo XR3 is valued at around £10,000 or £15,000 and a XR3 at between £5,000 and £7,000.”