The Ford Escort still has such large a presence on the global motorsport stage that you'd be forgiven for forgetting that this model is actually 50 years old in 2018. Today, as in the late 1960s, Escorts compete in rallying and historic touring car races the world over, scraping hedges and banging bumpers as well as they ever have.
On its 50th birthday, if you were to add up the international, national and club level wins achieved in an Escort, it'd probably be Ford's most successful competition car by a long margin - and it's not like the tally is showing any signs of slowing in growth.
To some purists, the rear-drive Mk1 and Mk2 Escorts will forever remain the best of the bunch, born before the rise of all-wheel drive rallying. Even Ford itself appears most fond of the early cars, as is evident in its new video, which features them exclusively.
In it there are several legendary names from the Escort's motorsport past and countless clips of vintage video from its rallying and racing days. Which only means one thing: time to get the kettle on. Or whatever else you might fancy at this time of year...
