CHASING CARS
ASKING £3995 PRICE
ENGINE 1796cc/4-cyl/DOHC POWER 130bhp@6000rpm TORQUE 125lb ft@4000rpm MAXIMUM SPEED 130mph 0-60MPH 10sec FUEL CONSUMPTION 30-40mpg TRANSMISSION FWD, five-sp manual MoT 12 months on sale ODOMETER 68,622 miles
WHAT’S IT LIKE TO DRIVE?
This face-lifted Escort MkV starts instantly and settles to a smooth idle, revs cleanly and pulls willingly throughout the rev range. It sounds sweet enough; an aftermarket tailpipe has not affected the tone – this Zetec sounds like a CVH anyway – with no untoward announcements when pulling or on the over-run. The clutch is progressive if woolly – would have felt similar when new – and the rubbery feel to each ratio's selection is also correct. It’s like pushing a tennis ball through a slightly smaller-diameter hole yet it’s accurate enough. The brakes are light with good progression while a hard application pulls the car up straight. The steering seems to also be in good health.
BODYWORK CHECK
The vendor will address the areas where the metallic pink-ish Coral Red paint has suffered the ravages of time before sale. The most obvious are the door mirror caps and expected maladies around the sills and arches. It's a solid shell, however – the panel fit and shut lines are all good. The mohair soft top is in fine fettle with a good rubber seal around the glass rear window, latching tightly to the windscreen header and with good alignment to the small rear side windows. All of the glass is in good order and the alloy wheels show little kerb-rash and carry four identical budget-brand tyres with decent tread.
HOW’S THE INTERIOR?
The 'Wave' pattern – red/purple marble effect – bucket-style seats – which echo those fitted to earlier XR3s – are in good shape, comfortable and barely worn with deep wing-back rally-styling at shoulder height. The fascia is in great condition overall though it’s a pity that a former owner ditche
