Rare Sport Compact: 1986 Ford EXP

If you want to manufacture a sporty car, there’s a few different ways to go. There’s the full-throated approach, where you actually build a performance machine with all the right boxes checked, from high compression engines to firm suspensions. But you can also build a car that looks sporty and yet has no meaningful performance credentials, and that’s fine – plenty of customers just want a car that looks the part. The Ford EXP resides somewhere in between, as it did get some additional horsepower over the years but mainly relied on its looks to get by. Find this 1986 EXP listed here on Facebook Marketplace for $6,500.

Ford knew that customers wanted two things in the 1980s: they needed cars that were more fuel efficient, but they didn’t want to look like they had purchased an econobox. I can imagine at the time that knowing the culture was favoring more sensible, small-footprint vehicles but that customers were struggling with buying a car that didn’t look luxurious or sporty made manufacturers scratch their head. How do you solve both concerns? Well, in the case of vehicle niches, you create the sport compact class, which makes it possible to enjoy decent fuel economy while still having a car that looks somewhat performance-oriented.

The EXP got a unique body kit with front and rear bumpers and side sill extensions; alloy wheels; an EXP-specific grill; bucket seats; and a center console. There were also no back seats, making it a true two-seater. However, there are limits to just how performance-oriented the EXP was: it didn’t have big sway bars or aggressive rubber, or did it have a limited-slip differential or a close-ratio gearbox. While those features were mostly limited to true performance models, other cars in the sport compact class did start to offer true performance components, like a the VW GTI 16V, the Toyota Celica All-Trac Turbo, the Nissan 200SX and others.

But, Ford did attempt to give the EXP some extra stuffing under the hood. Beginning in 1986, fuel injection was standard, and offered a decent 106 horsepower. In 1987, power increased further, rising to 115 horsepower. The later EXPs followed the Mustang SVO styling in some ways, with the flush-fitting headlights marking a shift away from the recessed design. However, sales never truly reached their intended goals, and the EXP was retired with the hot-to-trot Ford Probe waiting in the wings. If you’ve been on the hunt for an EXP, this one looks like a solid example – and the seller has a replacement front bumper to replace the damaged one.