I had a Mk1 Escort, it was the only car I sold for more than I paid for it. Stupid underpowered engine common to British cars but made really silly by putting a cross flow head on the old block meaning that the distributor was under the inlet manifold and adjusting/changing the points was a nightmare.
Had fun with it none the less however when my daughter arrived I had to go back to a HJ Holden Kingswood with more room and an agricultural but sensible 3.5litre straight six.
I agree Bruce all Escorts were not the same, and I think the sought after ones now are the Escort RS, weren’t they very successful rally cars?
OK, they were but that was too long ago. The Fiesta never got off the ground on the US market as planned. Sales figures in Europe had been falling continuously before the production of the car was stopped two years ago. With profit margins also going down, Ford didn’t earn enough money with its bread-and-butter cars which is why it stopped manufacturing traditional cars also including the Focus. Six per cent market share in Europe does not keep the company afloat. VW’s share is still 25%. Ford’s crossover and SUV models are just more viable. I was astonished that the boss of Ford Germany is quoted as having said that the company intended to stop manufacturing confusable and boring products.
Actually Ford are doing very well in the UK Dachs, with the Fiesta being the best new car for 23…
In total, 1,516,560 Ford Fiestas were on the road in the UK last year, said the trade body. The Fiesta was also named the best selling new car of the year for 2022 with 288,639 finding homes.26 Apr 2023
According to wiki…
Actually, as I look at the front of it it kind of makes me think of a character from Star Wars 
No wonder when the need to be economical forces car makers, among other things, to make the move from wide base tyres back to cycle tyres that are even faintly reminiscent of hard rubber tyres with which any car looks ugly and will be mocked at.
Now it’s your post that is quite comprehensive for a change… 
. The figures I’ve found for 2023 state that 979,000 Fiestas were on the road in Germany compared to 1,800,000 in the UK (even more than are given in your source). That’s twice as many indicating that it had always been far more successful in the UK than in Germany. My source also reveals that the vast majority of Fiestas is 14 years old which was when sales plummeted. It suggests that it had been a successful car (your point with which I agree) but needed to be phased out due to declining sales figures over many years so that Ford didn’t earn enough money with it (my point). After all, a question of perspective and focus.
He’s got character and I think he’s cute……
Absolutely agree, it looks exactly like someones visited the car breakers and put various panels in various colours on it! all the more surprising it rolled off the production line like it
The patina/rusty look has been trending, i do believe in America it is known as Steam Punk, the rusty, patina look, without the corrosion
Thats enthusiasts for you
Escorts had various successful entries into WRC from the original Mark 1 Escort Mexico through to the Escort RS Cosworth etc, ironically, the Cosworth engine was from the Sierra (another ugly car) RS Cosworth, just thrown into the Escort, something to do with WRC rule changes which stated to enter as rally cars a certain amount of road legal cars had to be made
Super fast road cars though, or as i call them, road rockets, same with the Lancias, Audis etc through to the Subarus, Mitsubishis etc, all road rockets at their time
I can only tell a car by it’s badge these days.None of them seem to have their own individual style.
Thanks for that Darren, you forgot to mention the success that Paddy Hopkirk had with the mini cooper S…The mini was so successful that I had three, one after the other. I even put an 1100 engine in one to make it a bit more lively. I think the cooper S was 1275 though with twin webbers.
This is one of them…With Mrs Fox posing…
How could anyone forget the Minis, they had great success as you say, my first car was a Mini 1100 special, the Cooper S was always the most sought after though, remember the Innocenti too? the Italian touch to British Engineering, great memories
@OldGreyFox When it comes down to being plug ugly, the ultra-versatile Arcadian takes some beating. Reliable, yes … versatile, yes, but above all, really ugly. What appealed to me was the easy maintenance and bolt-on body parts; oh yes and the very cheap to run category too. When I sold mine, she made more that I paid for her 
I think the skoda designs ,have really got top marks the past few years !
My new Peugeot, people said it looks like something from outer space with the lights, but i love the new peugeots
It looks like a hybrid with such a large front Cosmos. I agree about the Skoda’s, and also Suzuki have some very nice designs, especially the Across. However, I wouldn’t touch a hybrid with a bargepole, the Technology is all wrong… 
Mines petrol foxy …
I would never get a hybrid either
We have until 2040 to make up our mind now lol
I’ll be 90 years old 2040 Cosmos, I doubt I’ll even be here by then…Never say never though…
