The Ford Escort GT remains a curiosity among the 90s sport compact set. In a segment dominated by boy racers that featured hopped-up engines, suspensions, and body kits, the Escort GT seemingly checks all of those boxes. While not a stalwart on the road course or autocross circuit like the Hondas and never really embraced by the aftermarket like the VW GTI, the Escort holds its own spot that has kept it from being abused or tackily upgraded; unfortunately, there aren’t many left. Find this well-preserved and low-mileage Escort GT here on eBay with bids to $8,000 and no reserve.
The seller is someone I follow on Facebook, and they have amassed a respectable collection of 80s and 90s survivors, so this Escort GT is right up their alley. Despite only having 60,000 miles, it has been repainted in the past, which is slightly disappointing. I noticed this respray led to the “GT” decal on the nose panel going rogue, so I’d want to track one of those down ASAP. The wheels are beautiful, and the same goes for the GT-specific body kit. Obviously, when it comes to painting a car with special body panels, you’ll want to make sure it’s been re-installed correctly.
The interior is pretty typical for a 90s econobox made by one of the Big 3, which is to say pretty low-rent. However, the seller’s car has held up better than most thanks to the limited use. The Escort GT stood out for its punchy 110 b.h.p. four-cylinder engine, along with a slick-shifting 5-speed manual, and a slightly firmed-up suspension. In traditional era-correct fashion, automatic seat belts came standard, which were a reminder that the government should never try and save Americans from themselves. The seller notes that lots of extra spare parts will come with the Escort, including rolls of carpet, and extra set of wheels, headlights, and more.
The underside looks extremely clean and dry. While I can’t say that the Escort was any more or less likely to rust out, I would speculate that when a cheap (yet sporty!) car like this one did get crunchy, owners didn’t make much of an effort to save them. That seems one of the biggest differences between the Escort GT and its peers: owners didn’t work nearly as hard to save cars like these as they did with the likes of the CRX/Civic Si, VW GTI, Mazda Miata, and others in the same category – which makes it all the more special to find an example as clean as this one.
Jeff…. You hit the nail on the head with this. I remember these being very popular actually when I was in high school and in my early 20s. I’m going to say huge props to the previous owners who kept this Escort this nice and preserved. The paint looks really good, interior too. The underside looks absolutely incredible. Rust was actually what did our ’94 Escort in unfortunately. Personally, if this were mine, I wouldn’t change a thing. And I think it would be great to take it out and enjoy it on a nice day, take it to a Cars and Coffee, or what have you. Thanks Jeff, I’m glad you wrote this up. There just aren’t many of these left, and especially in this kind of condition.
When my 94 Ranger had to be in a shop for a week due to a AC warranty issue they lent me a 5 speed Escort. It was a blast after driving trucks and jeeps for 16 years. Have owned and enjoyed small fwd manual cars ever since, paired with a mid sized 4wd. Used to be able to own both for the price of a full sized truck.
Surprised at the good money this is bringing, but many have memories of these. In a few more years anything in good shape with a stick will be desirable.
Wife had an 86 when we dated and married. Car went with us all over the Eastern coast as we transferred around in the Navy. It ended up being my daily after she bought a new Nissan after college grad. Had rust in the roof gutter, but we fixed it up. Only ever needed a timing belt and ran like a scalded dog. Wonderful memories.
Nice little time capsule. There are those who will never allow themselves permission to enjoy the delights of a car like this.
Really nice Escort!! Do not see them this nice anymore!!
I liked these cars so much, that I owned two at different times. One a 1988 and the second a 1990. Both in BLACK. I agree with the seller that these Escort Gt’s are becoming rare and hard to find. I also think this 1990 Gt is a very nice car!! If it was black, I would be bidding and my wife could be upset with me later. lol Good luck with the sale, and I’ll be watching……
Pocket rockets 🚀 🏁👍
The 2 tone cladding and the GT label was really working for Ford in the early 90s.
Nice that this one is a manual.
Thee GT’s only came in a manual. Nbd
Thanks, I wasn’t aware of that. Good for Ford, since they probably could have sold a lot more with an auto trans,
I had the Mercury XR3 version. It was a fun car to bomb around the back roads of southern WV, where handling is more important than power. It certainly had an impact on my tastes, as I still like (and daily drive) four-banger hatches with manual transmissions.
Thanks for profiling our 1990 Escort GT! Just a quick note of clarification – no front logo is missing. The 1988.5 to 1990 models never had “GT” logo on the front grill area. Only the 1986 to 1988 models with the asymmetrical grill had a “GT” logo.