The class of 1980: The Ford Escort L Mk III in the test
The Ford Escort The third generation seems more like a good old friend. You used to see him all the time, but he has been a rarity for a long time. ford advertised the escort MkIII as “The Answer”. To what? To the golfof course! For customers, the first Escort with front-wheel drive was a novelty, for Ford the technology was old hat. Taunus P4 and P6 kamen with front-wheel drive in the 1960s, then in 1976 the small Party. It’s not surprising how smoothly the whole thing works.
With a 55 hp base engine and the L package costing 855 marks, our garbage bag blue Escort is the absolute norm – only one in ten buyers at the time opted for the no-equipment Escort. In the L, optional luxury manifests itself in the form of interval switching for the wiperadditional defroster nozzles, better sound insulation and trim strips. Despite their shockingly austere appearance and the naturalness of the controls, the Escort L and golf L very similar.
The cockpit is sparsely equipped and the tachometer has been retrofitted.
Image: Christian Bittmann / Car Whiz
The gear shift clicks, the steering is effortless, and the OHC four-cylinder engine, newly developed for the Escort, is more dynamic than expected. All of this seems functional and completely calm in the best sense of the word. Mediocrity doesn’t have to be bad, as the compact Ford makes clear on every meter of the journey. In terms of fuel consumption, acceleration, braking tests – the Escort is right in the middle of all the ratings. The plastics in the Kadett seem more valuable, those in the Golf seem cheaper. The pale blue furnished Escort is also somewhere in between in terms of feel and impression of quality.
The only outlier is in the styling. The Ford is the only one from the 1980 class to have a step on the rear lid. The stub, decorated as an “aero tail”, is intended to make parking easier, but can also be seen as an offer to a conservative clientele who had previously been used to buying their Escort with a notchback.
Plus/Minus
The Escort can offer a wide range of models. The range includes petrol and diesel engines between 54 and 132 hp and 1.1 to 1.8 litres displacement, two- and four-door hatchback models, the station wagon version Turnier as a two- and four-door model, as well as the convertible and the sporty RS versions. There is also – attention: exotic alert – the notchback version offered from 1983 Orion.
The Escort Mk III is a four-cylinder engine with a displacement of 1.1 litres, marking the entry level model. Like the front-wheel drive, the new cross-flow engine is one of the innovations in the series.
Image: Christian Bittmann / Car Whiz
Since restoration is not worthwhile outside of the top RS models, it is worth buying the better car despite the simple construction and cheap technical parts. Rust primarily affects the front panel and cross members, fenders and battery panels, wheel arches and end tips. Cars with sunroofs often suffer from completely dilapidated sills due to blocked drains; if there is water in the spare wheel well, it is usually due to brittle seals on the tail lights. The condition of the rear side members should be a deciding factor in the purchase. Repairs are extremely complex. Once they are worn out, it is time to retreat. Cars made in France and England are considered to be less well preserved than German vehicles.
Important question: original, yes or no? Escort tuning is still a topic today. The standard rubber bearings of the chassis are short-lived wear parts, reproduction parts are better. Actuators for the central locking system are hard to come by, the foamed dashboards tend to crack under strong sunlight, and parcel shelves without holes have long been a rarity. Michael Henkel from Dessau, owner of our Escort L in New Midnight Blue, is still looking for a suitable blue spare part. Does anyone have one? Then please get in touch! Comprehensive buying advice can be found online at www.ford-escort.de
Market situation
Because many fans tend to prefer the rear-wheel drive predecessor models, bargains are still possible on the third generation Escort, primarily of course on the standard versions with hatchbacks and small engines. But even convertibles are readily available, although the rare XR3 versions cost noticeably more. The small station wagon models are more expensive than the sedans, with the RS 1600i and its turbocharged version at the top. At the top, the Escort range is very thin.
Two slide controls and a rotary switch for heating and ventilation to the right of the steering wheel, simple and functional.
Image: Christian Bittmann / Car Whiz
Spare parts
It is likely that many wear and tear and Spare parts can still be found in specialist shops or on the Internet, but the Escort Mk III is already a case for the professional. A tailgate costs 200 euros from the specialist and a rear spoiler for the XR3i 250 euros (www.ford-oldtimer.eu). The prices are often surprisingly low: a water pump costs 27 euros, a wishbone for 20, a muffler for 42 and a shock absorber (rear) for 49 euros. The supply of spare parts is one of Ford’s strong points.
