Reply to Rupert Trooper
The Opel/Vauxhall 2.0 16v engine, later badged Ecotec, was producing over 300bhp at around 9,000 rpm in Touring Car race trim - the 16v head was designed by Cosworth!
Yep that was a fantastic little car so was the Opel Manta, a real blast fun-to-drive car.
Ford designed the magnificent RWD GT 40 was conceived in Slough in England, who can ever forget the Ford 1-2-3 GT 40 when Uncle Henry rubbished the Ferrari brand as second rate rubbish.
Ford had massive success not just winning every British RAC rally in the 1970's when the little RWD RS 1600/1800 Mk1 & 2 Escorts made BMW CSL & Porsche 911 look a second rate rubbish brand on the rally circuits 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978 & 1979, Loeb may have been the best driver of all time, but the rally drivers voted the RWD Mk1 & Mk2 Escorts as their champion the greatest rally car of all time on a TV show l watched..
Already mentioned the RWD Capri/Escort Mk1 winning European Touring Car Champion back to back 1971, 1972 & 1973 made BMW CSL & Porsche look rubbish on the race circuits of Europe.
Ford used the magnificent Ford Lotus/Cossies not just on RWD European Touring Cars & RWD Rally cars they used them in RWD Formula One, Ford's mighty engines won Formula One Championships of 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1978, 1980 & 1981 Ford's engines made a Michael Schumacher's achievements look second rate. Yep that was the Golden age of Ford in Europe that with FWD will never ever, ever achieve again as FWD is a compromise can't handle power.
British Leyland had 55% UK market share back in 1968, along come the Britsh assembled RWD Capri/Escort Mk1 Cortina Mk3 Ford robbed it off of British Leyland the 70's with a lot of motorsportus credibilitus. Just as the Cortina RWD got phased out it left with 33% UK market share.
When it come to replacing their RWD Cortina's 10 years down the line Brits were only left with a FWD option from Ford, so they said to themselves if it's got to be FWD only we will buy from a then very minor player VW instead. The whole of British youth culture were wearing VW badges in acid filled raves and the rest they say is history VW became the No1 seller of cars in the UK and Ford UK market share dropped from 16% as the last crap British made FWD Escort rolled of the production lines in 2001, to 2013 where it carried on eroding to just under 13% market share BMW 3 & Mercedes C that sold 0 cars almost in 70's whizzed past the Mondeo in the sales charts.
VW stole all the UK market share cake and now sell the most cars in the UK. Ford Mondeo & Focus survive on Hertz & Avis company sales in the UK, don't appeal to the British private buyer only the Fiesta does both who pissed off the Cortina buyer "Ford". VW are the new kings of the UK sell the most cars, they sold next close to nothing when Cortina was king, the rest they say is history now we have crap VW cars & crap beastie music.
Everybody in generation X started wearing VW badges in the UK buying VW's kept them No1 biggest UK seller of cars the boomers traded in their Cortina's for VW products as a protest of being driven into FWD Fords, or brought rear-wheel-drives like BMW or Mercs instead, Ford's top spot was lost as sales continue to erode slowly, damm Beastie Boys sod you. But who killed off, ****ed-up the RWD Cortina with 33% UK market share - "Ford" (Bob Lutz might have been behind it as Ford CEO, he also helped GM sail onto to the rocks of bankruptcy and scuttle the good ship GM that killed off so many jobs & brands with "crap cars" that else somebody mentioned at GM)..
You can dress the mundane Mondeo pig up in Vignale clothes, but it's still looks a fat pig!! Mondeo is already get rapped with folk that buy a BMW 320D & 520D in the EU that are better value close to that price of a top of the range Ford Mundane, Vignale Mondeo will cost more, end up pushing even more ex Ford buyers into Beamers in the EU? Folk don't buy good cars, they buy status badges these days sad to say. What Ford should do is add Aston Martin RWD add unlimited power to the Mondeo drivetrain that really would be a blast to drive give it some motorsportus credibilitus, put the cat amongst the BMW & Mercedes Benz buying pigeons.
EU Sales Jan-Oct (High profit yields Ford need)
RWD BMW 3 Series 171,620 (No place for a RWD in huge $20 billion losses FWD Opel line-up) Outsells all Opel's except the Corsa.
RWD Mercedes Benz C-Class 101,662
RWD Mercedes E-Class 89,922
RWD BMW 5 Series 90,469
FWD Mondeo 42,219 (Nearly all Hertz/Avis company type buyer low no profit margin sales)
Who is supposed to be the mass producer, who is supposed to be the high quality low volume producer these days?
Baby boomers private buyers shifted out of Cortina/Taunus's (350,000 sale buy October in late 70's) into quality RWD makers cars today as they paid down off the mortgage.
VW now sell the most cars in the UK (Private generation X beastie boys & pissed off Cortina drivers - if you forced me to buy FWD it won't be a Ford), where did the all 33% Cortina Ford UK market share go 2013 13% Ford UK?
Hope you have a very happy Christmas Rupert wish you well, l am off for Christmas now. l wish hope everybody at GM Ford & Mopar has a very happy Christmas and hope you all have a very successful new 2014.