Ford introduced the third generation of the Escort in 1980, and it was available in a few body shapes, including a three-door version.
It was the most significant change for the compact-sized vehicle built by Ford in Europe. The design team started with a blank sheet of paper. Unlike its predecessor, the new Escort had to be front-wheel-drive. It was the second FWD car built by the European branch of the American carmaker. The other one was the first-generation Fiesta.

Patrick Le Quement started the work for the Escort range in 1976 and imagined it with straight lines and a wedged shape. He tried to move over from the older version’s flowing lines to a hatchback design, a trend that grew since the launch of the VW Golf in 1974. Unlike its German competitor, the Escort featured rectangular headlights and a very short decklid behind the rear window. For the three-door version, the design team made fixed rear side windows and longer doors.

Inside, the straight-lines design with rounded corners. Soft materials were added to the contact surfaces, such as the door’s armrests. Depending on the trim level and engine version, the carmaker installed a tachometer in the instrument cluster or not. The top-of-the-line XR3 featured a center console used for the stereo-cassette player, an ashtray, and a storage compartment.

Ford installed a wide range of engines under the hood, including a turbocharged gasoline unit that offered 132 hp, and it was way faster than its main rival, the Golf GTI. But the reliability issues made the other German sells better.