Mad About Cars

The Ford Focus RS is due to go on general sale soon, with a price tag of £24,995. The car is keenly awaited by performance Ford enthusiasts, as it is the most powerful production Ford ever to be sold in Europe. Despite the car being front-wheel drive, the immense power is handled by an ‘Automatic Torque Biasing’ limited-slip differential along with ‘RevoKnuckle front suspension system’. The performance figures are staggering for a hot hatch, with an expected 0-60 time of less than six seconds, and with the car’s top speed likely to exceed 160mph. Power comes from a highly modified version of the Focus ST engine, the 2.5 petrol engine benefitting from a new camshaft and revised cylinder head to increase the power by an incredible 80bhp.

Like many of the world’s premier sports cars, the Focus RS has undergone extensive testing at the Nurburgring to ensure the handling of the car is a match for the immense power. The car comes with all of the usual refinements expected from such a car, with air conditioning, CD player and Xenon headlights. Other option packs will be available at extra cost, to include a leather interior, climate control and touch screen satellite navigation.

As one of the most radical cars to ever carry the RS badge, the new Focus RS will surely become a modern classic in the forthcoming years.    

Ford’s next generation Ka is set to be introduced to the market in the following few weeks, wit the hope that the second generation of the popular supermini will prove as much of a hit as the original.

The Ka was first launched in the UK in 1997, and was an all-new car in many aspects. The car featured bold, futuristic styling compared to other models in the Ford range at the time, and whilst Fords at the time were often criticised as being rather dull, the Ka heralded a new era of exciting new models such as the focus. It is argued that the Ka helped kick-start the popularity of the supermini, with the likes of Citroen, Toyota and Peugeot all bringing out successful rivals to the Ka.

The new Ka is to compete against Fiat’s 500, the 2007 European Car of the Year. Whilst the Ka will rival the 500, it infact shares the same underpinnings as the 500 and will be built at the same factory, with both models being produced at Fiat’s car plant in Tychy, Poland.

Ford designers have created a bolder new shape for the Ka to bring it in line with more modern rivals, yet the car still incorporates design features from the original Ka in its design. The new model aims to be far more refined than the original, and by sharing the same underpinnings as the Fiat 500, it is expected the new car will be enjoyable and responsive to drive.

The new car has been eagerly awaited, yet many in the press are not as impressed with the vehicle as they were with original, perhaps with Ford raising the benchmark of their cars in recent years, the new model is not so groundbreaking. However the car has already made its mark on film, making a cameo appearance in the new James Bond film Quantum of Solace.

With Ford reeling from the negative press given to the Escort during the early 1990s, the car was heavily revamped in 1995, with the Mark 6 version being launched in 1995. The car shared the same body shape as the Mark 5, but featured various revisions including an all new, smoother front end, and redesigned interior of far superior quality than that of the Mark 5.

With expensive insurance premiums killing off the ‘hot hatch’ traditional performance models such as the XR3 had ceased production in the early 1990s, however with the Mark 6, Ford introduced two so-called ‘warm hatches’, which lacked the sporty looks and extreme power of the hot hatch, but offered improved performance over the standard with somewhat cheap car insurance premiums.

Escort’s Si model was launched along with the Mark 6, with firmer suspension and a peaky 1.6 engine allowing the car to deliver a good level of performance. The Si was later replaced by the Escort GTi. Launched in 1997, it remains the only European Ford to date to have been sold carrying a GTi badge. Featuring a modern 1.8 Zetec, and interior upgrades such as half-leather seats, the GTi was to prove a moderate sales success.

However by 1998 the car was essentially an eight year old design that whilst still remaining popular, had been poorly received at its launch and was dated compared to its rivals. Ford responded by designing an all new medium-sized car, the Focus, which would replace the Escort.

The Focus was initially sold in 1998, however with the car so radically different from the Escort; Ford opted to continue selling the Escort for a short period.

The new Focus proved to be a huge hit, leading to the Escort range being reduced to a handful of special edition models before it was quietly phased out in 2000.

Whilst the Escort fell behind its rivals in its latter years, the car struck a chord with the British public as a cheap, reliable car. For this it will be remembered as a car which helped turn Ford into Britain’s most popular choice of car.

By 1990, the Ford Escort had proved to be a popular car amongst the public for over 20 years, and the new Mark 5 version was eagerly awaited by both the press and the motoring public.

Launched in September 1990, 10 years after the groundbreaking Mark 3 version, the Mark 5 once again featured a radical new bodyshell and interior.

Rivals at the time included the all new Rover 200, which itself was a radical new design with all new engines.

Although the Escort continued to be a huge seller, the car was seen as a flop, with Ford receiving widespread criticism over the new car.  The car was seen as a cheap replacement for the well regarded Mark 4, with many accusing Ford of placing too much of an emphasis on cost-cutting, to the detriment of performance and build quality, which many owners felt was questionable.

Ford attempted to redress some of the criticism by face-lifting the car in 1992, which included a new ‘oval’ front end, along with a new range of engines to try and compete with its rivals. However, the Escort’s once secure sport as Britain’s most popular car was lost as rivals such as the Vauxhall Astra, VW Golf and Rover 200, which offered superior levels of build quality, handling and performance, became more popular.

However, the Mark 5 saw the release of arguably one of the finest Escorts ever, the Escort Cosworth. Designed as a replacement for the Sierra Cosworth, the Escort Cosworth brought the Escort back as a leading rally car. Although the world rally stage was dominated by cars from manufacturers such as Subaru and Toyota, the Escort Cosworth helped keep Ford as one of the leading rally teams during the 1990s. Production Escort RS Cosworths were produced until 1996 before EU noise regulations led to its demise. The car is very rare and collectable, far more than standard Mark 5 Escorts.

1986 saw the launch of Ford’s Mark 4 Escort, which retained many features of the successful Mark 3, but with many styling alterations, including a more modern, smoother front end and redesigned interior.

In many aspects, this reflected the car’s development during the 1970s, where the Mark 2 version was very similar mechanically to the Mark 1. However Ford worked hard to develop the Mark 4’s handling, redressing concerns raised over the Mark 3’s questionable handling.

The car was redesigned to compete with its rivals, many of whom produced new cars during the 1980’s including Vauxhall’s all new Astra, and the Mark 2 Volkswagen Golf, both of which were launched during the mid 1980s. Ford also introduced a new 1.4 litre petrol engine during this period, which was to prove popular and was used across the range, along with upmarket versions of the Ford Fiesta.

With many of the car’s handling problems in the Mark 3 now cured, the Mark 4 version of the car was a huge hit with buyers during the 1980s, as the car cemented itself ahead of its rivals as being one of Britain’s most popular mod-sized family cars.

The Escort had a long history as both a reliable everyday family car and also as a sporty performance car, and the Mark 4 was little different. Ford continued production of the XR3i, and the car was one of Britain’s leading hot hatches during the original hot hatch boom of the 1980s. The RS Turbo version of the Escort was also updated, and was one of the most desirable hot hatches during the 1980s. The Mark 4 is still regularly seen on the road, although a good majority of Mark 4 Escorts have now reached the end of their useful lifespan. Sports versions of the car however, such as the XR3i and RS Turbo still remain desirable, and whilst many have been abused at the hands of boy racers, well maintained versions continue to hold their value and original, unmodified versions of these cars may well become a desirable collector’s car in yeas to come.