The Ford Escort GT and its sibling, the almost-extinct EXP coupe, were two respectable offerings in the burgeoning sport compact car scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s. While the Escort was not a powerhouse, the overall package was pretty slick, and if nothing else, it looked like a car that could potentially embarrass you on the back roads. The Escort GT shown here on Facebook Marketplace was apparently found after being parked since 2012, and the seller believes it hasn’t seen much use over the last several years. It’s been repainted and someone went through the trouble to put all the GT decals back on. The asking price is $5,500.
That’s a fair amount of scratch for a car like this, but there really aren’t many left. And when they do pop up, it’s oftentimes in sorry shape. The seller’s car doesn’t appear to have much (if any) rust and the original details, outside of the paint, seem to be mostly accounted for. The side sill extensions, the 15-inch wheels, the rear spoiler, and the Marchal fog lights are still attached, which is even more amazing when you consider the respray likely wasn’t done by the most detail-oriented body shop. Is the paint original to the car? It’s hard to tell, so if you know the factory color codes, feel free to confirm or deny in the comments below.
The 1.9L “High Output” offered 115 horsepower, but truth be told, it wasn’t all that special. You could find similar power output in competitive offerings from Honda and Toyota, but both the Civic/CRX Si and the Celica GT-S were quicker cars and typically better handlers. Front-wheel drive Hondas from this era still dominate local autocross courses but you’ll never see an Escort GT. Even among the domestics, the Cavalier Z-24 was a more powerful option with similar levels of cosmetic dress-up and a 0-60 time in under 9 seconds. The Escort GT was over 10.
The fact that we see matching blue paint inside the door jams and the engine bay tells me this was a factory color that a previous owner attempted to improve upon with the respray later in life. Tan interiors tend to show a lot of dirt, and this one could use some cleaning. Blue over black would be quite fetching, but beggars can’t be choosers. The interior appears to be holding up well, but it’s a shame Ford didn’t jazz up the cabin like they did the bodywork. The seller has added loads of new parts and claims it runs great, but it’s not registered for road use so your test drive will likely be kept to a fairly limited loop.
Remember seeing many on the road back in the day. Lots of white ones w red decals.