When Ford came to replace the mid engined Sierra after a decade in production, product planners wanted to produce all new car that was packed with the latest safty features and advanced mechanical and electrical systems. The Sierra replacement was to be massive leap forward for the Blue Oval badge of Ford Motors. The only [...]

US market presumptions about Ford’s dull range and old fashioned engineering were dealt another serious blow with the arrival of the new 1988 Thunderbird coupe. It had more than a hint of European coupe thinking in its make up. Under Ford’s corporate, but nevertheless handsome, wind tunnel styling (which was clearly influenced by BMW’s 6 [...]

Success with the RS badged Capris and Escorts encouraged Ford to give the Sierra a massive image boost by creating the Sierra Rs Cosworth in 1985. Based around the three door body shell, engineers slotted a turbocharged 2.0 liter twin cam unit under the vented bonnet and up rated the suspension and brakes. The result [...]

The late 1970s saw much discussion and experimentation with aerodynamics in the automotive industry partly because of the fuel crisis, which put fuel economy at the top of the agenda. But Cortina man wasn’t prepared for the shock of the Sierra in late 1982. The square cut saloon was replaced with an amorphously hatchback that [...]

The Capri was famously summed by the Ford’s advertising line of, the car you always promised yourself. It rang true because two million buyers were clearly in agreement. Influenced by the success of Ford Mustang in the USA, the Capri offered European motorists some long bonneted glamour, with the promise of Ford reliability and running [...]

For such a short lived model the Coritna 1600E made a big impact, and is fondly remembered by misty eyed former owners as a Coritna with real character. The ‘E’ stood for Executive, an up market branding already applied to the Ford Corsair and the big Zodiac V6 which, later, would find a home on [...]

Determined to beat the Enzo Ferrari at his own game after its offer to buy the company was rejected in 1964, Ford turned to English racing car firm Lola to build it a mid engined GT car using a Ford V8 engine. Lola founder Eric Broadley wasn’t giving an entirely free hand, however; Ford wanted [...]

Brain child of hotshot Ford Executive Lee Lacocca, the sporty Mustang was based on the floor pan of the budget, priced Falcon range. Its crisp, pseudo European styling came in notchback, fast back and convertible forms, and could be ordered with a vast range of options that allowed buyers to tailor the car to their [...]

In 1963 Ford and Lotus got together to produce the classic, race winning Lotus Cortina. Ford supplied the basic two door Cortina shell, with front suspension to the Lotus factory at Cheshunt. Here Lotus installed its own 105 bhp twin cam engine, close ratio four speed gearbox and special rear suspension comprising coil springs, radius [...]

The Ford Sky liner’s retractable hide away hard top was one of the most audacious and memorable engineering gimmicks ever to find its way to an American car. A switch on the steering column started three motors that opened up the car’s rear deck, while another motor unlocked the top and another lifted the steel [...]