A two-seater coupe doesn’t come along for $5k every day, so you’re best off paying attention to this opportunity to grab one up if this is your jam. Check out what could soon be your 1982 Ford EXP via this ad on craigslist. Notice anything fun? How about “4-speed” and a red topcoat? Dig further and you’ll see sporty body styling that most people have forgotten about with the passage of time. You’ll have to find a way to Concord, CA, and thank tipster Barney when you get there if this car turns out to be a dream-fulfiller for you.
Frankly, I’m not sure there’s a giant market for a roller skate like this, but the price isn’t punishing, and you’re going to have some fun for sure. The old saw, “It’s more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow” might be just right in this context. What’s an EXP? First, off, it’s an “Erika Project Personal,” if you break the name down. Say what? Well, “Erika” was the European code name for the Escort, and X stood in for a Ford project car. If you get the car, I think your first move is to figure out a better name for it, and tell everyone that that’s what “EXP” means. Even “Experimental” just as a word sounds better, don’t you think?
So what was being experimented with? The more pedestrian Escort on which the EXP is based, produced from 1980 into the new Millennium in the US market. The EXP was made by FoMoCo from 1982 to 1988 over two generations. This car is obviously one of the originals. When introduced, it made due with a 1.6-litre, 70-horsepower overhead-valve four-cylinder engine (advanced technology for the time), though early on in the first sales year, an 80-hp variant became available. The engineering is front-wheel drive, which used to be a disappointment, but is now more or less what most drivers have grown up on. As mentioned above, you’ve got the chance to shift gears yourself as a way to make the driving experience more engaging.
One piece of good news, from a buyer’s perspective, is that this car is already in California. Being an 80s model and still being subject to emissions testing, it’s comforting to hear from the seller that it passes smog. It does appear to present some wear-and-tear needs, though the interior seems to have been preserved, perhaps due to the fact that only 58,000 miles have rolled by. I’m guessing that the 5K starting price is a stab in the dark from the seller, and that you might get the car at a more buyer-friendly number. If you like this somewhat brave body styling and dig the fancy seat skins, then maybe make a play for this runabout.
Always thought they were good looking little cars. 👍
Having went to the mat with a ginger gf named Erika years back, I’d leave it as just to remember the explosive time we shared…
This model, was my sister’s first car! Silver with burgundy interior, 4 spd. Fun car! Good times, good memories!
My roommate in college had one of these, an ’83 in black and silver two tone. I used to drive it all the time. It is basically an Escort with a sporty body and drives accordingly. Even with a manual , it wasn’t all that fun or quick, but it did do its job, which was to be a commuter car.
It’s been years since i’ve seen one. I cannot imagine very many are left.
There’s an excellent article on these in the latest issue of Collectible Automobile. I was shocked to learn that Ford intended to sell 250,000 of these per year. They were supposed to be commuter cars, but they wound up being longer, heavier, slower, less fuel efficient, and much more expensive than a basic Escort.
Not to mention, back in the ’70s-’80s, a lot of insurers charged extra on any 2-seater car, assuming 2-seaters were all higher-performance “sports cars” along the lines of a Corvette, Jaguar E-type, or Datsun Z/ZX. No sense in taking a “sports car” insurance hit for a car that was anything but. The Honda Civic CRX was another victim of this practice.
i remember these things on the road i knew they were a Ford and had a small engine but that’s about it. 5 digit odometer so i don’t believe the milage claim
Ah, I do remember these guys. Most kids would get Escorts, though. I always thought this looked like a frog. This would be a hoot to own, you’d definitely be the only one at cars and coffee…
Had an 83 LN7, the Merc version with the bubble back glass. Definitely a cult following for these.
In 1982 I was looking to replace my first car (1977 Chevette). A coworker of my Dad had a used car dealer license so the plan was to go to the big auto auction in Springfield Missouri. If it was a lightly attended auction they would allow used car dealers to bid on new car dealer auctions. One car that caught my eye was a 82′ EXP. Yellow with a black interior. Loaded big time. A new car dealer had the top bid ($6,450?) so the plan was to offer him a few hundred above what he paid but of course he declined. I’m sure he could add at least a thousand bucks to the price and resell it easy on his used car lot.
P.S. It wasn’t a complete waste because I spied a 1981 Mexican VW Beetle at a Chevy dealership on the way home. Within a week I bought it.
My first new car was an ’82 with the same interior as this one, white outside. 4speed and TRX wheels/tires (ouch!). The wheezy 1.9L made it a momentum piece for sure but handling was above par for the era, not saying much there. It got t-boned and repaired, sold it for a pittance before tires had to be replaced. Unloved at the time and virtually none prowling the streets today. That said, I am not looking to relive the memory . . .
I don’t think overhead valves were “advanced technology” in the 80s. Even overhead cams, which this doesn’t have, were not high tech. This would be a good candidate for an engine swap. Imagine a Honda Civic drivetrain.
had 1 ‘in the day’. Dad always bought Mom a ‘small car’ after the ‘slip on ice’ (read fender bender/but totaled by insur. as it was 7 y/o) she had w/the late ’50s country squire/ranch wagon – whatever it was. I was a teen by this time so maintained the family ‘heard’.
I puda escort seat in the back (I dont think it was used for anything but groceries) as there was already spots on the fl pan for bolts (tight squeeze).
I think it hada hatch in back & the CVH motor. The Lima (& 32/36 Weber) would B my choice. Auto fine (tho my switch from 5 speed recently still of mixed review – due to no engine breaking/less advantage free wheeling top gear VS no need to clutch anymore). I’d daily it… (for 2, 3 K$ tho)
I had an 82, then traded it up to the EXP Turbo in 84. Much more fun to drive. Someone hit the front end and I finally traded it on an 89 Bronco II. Wish I had kept both the turbo and the Bronco II.
I’ve contacted the seller as I’d like to restomod it. Maybe change to RWD and put in a 5.0.
The most fun you could get in a 4banger Ford in those days…maybe. Certainly sporty enough. I always liked the style. But then again, I was in my mid teens in those days and liked damn near anything I could get my hands on to drive lol. Really thought they should have had more engine, though. Even the Pinto had a 2.3 by the time they were finished with their run, or maybe even…I can’t recall for sure…a small V6? Does anyone remember? And a sport wagon version would have been cool!
These things are rare ~ because nobody bought them. Nobody wanted them then, nobody wants them now. Overpriced and underpowered with poor fuel mileage. Nothing outstanding about them.
I bought one brand new with HO engine and leather interior as my first NEW car. Yeah, it wasn’t fast and my first front-wheel drive car (which I DO NOT like), but it did handle well. I replaced it with an ’81 BMW 528i a few years later.
We had an “82 burgundy automatic, which was fine ,but discovered that due to an engineering defect, it couldn’t be aligned properly.
When I was racing SCCA Showroom Stock,I considered buying
one of these to race,as Ford would pay $200 to be the highest placed
Ford in a National race – I figured I could make the payments with that
kind of money.
Of course I also considered racing a Pinto or a Gremlin.Racing on
a budget in the early ’80’s – good times.
Three guys at work each bought one when they were first released by Ford. They were gaga over them. LOL. They made claims that it got better fuel mileage with the windows up, AC on, than AC off with the windows down. LOL I had an old (for the time) Dodge Challenger. No AC, with windows down, I didn’t care!LOL
Never had one of these but I sure do remember them. Don’t think I’ve seen one in about 40 years. I think it was a love it or hate it styling type of situation.
A good friend of mine had one of these in the early 80’s, he crashed that one shortly after he got it. He must have liked it so he went and bought the LN7 version. I got to drive that one once and I thought it was a pretty good running car. Handled really well on the twisty two lanes from Bennet Springs to Harrisonville late on a weekday night. If you wanted to visit that part of the state back then you went at night. Those two lanes sucked then. Have to admit the 4 lanes helped traveling but the drives are missing something now
One of my wives had one of these. The few times I drove it impressed me for a compact Ford product. Had me hunting for an SVO after that.
One of the perks of being the top salesman at the Ford Dealership I worked at in 1981 was a choice of a demo. Did I choose a Mustang or a Thunderbird? No, I chose the first EXP that came in. Medium blue, TRX wheels, sunroof, and a 4-speed. As stated above, it was not overly fast, but it was fun to drive a car that nobody else had.
I dated a girl who bought one of these. It always reminded me of the Fiat X1/9. I completely forgot about these until seeing this.
Rare face, seen it for the first time ever right now.
Thanks for educating :)
I worked at a Ford Dealership in the early 80s and bought one of these. Would like to see the back better to determine the current actual model. Base models had cloth…I am guessing it is a GL but the wheels don’t match, they look like base model wheels. My wife drove it a bunch of miles to school and back, and as crazy as it sounds…I kept records, ours did get better mileage with the windows up and AC on than the opposite. Guessing the ac drained very little energy and the windows almost parachuted the air. Makes no sense, but I did keep records. The only problem we had with them were the timing chains breaking. The pistons were close to the intake valves and when the timing chain broke, everything knocked into the other and ruined the engine. It didn’t happen so much when the chain broke…it happened while folks cranked the engine trying to restart the car.
So many times Escorts and EXPs would get towed in…and all we had to do was crank the ignition for 3 seconds and that familiar whine would happen and you would turn to the owner and tell them…need a new engine. Ford Warranty did not like replacing those engines for free, let me tell you. It happened so much at 60000 miles, just outside the warranty mileage. Engine aside, the car actually handled pretty well. Shifted much like a Honda transmission. The pictures in the ad don’t really help one determine the shape the car is in. But $5000, I don’t think I would pay that.
Did anybody try to contact the seller? I made a few inquiries with no response.