The squarer-styled Escort Mk.

II appeared in January 1975 with the first production models having rolled off the production lines on 2nd December 1974.

Unlike the first Escort (which was developed by Ford of Britain), the second generation was developed jointly between the UK and Ford of Germany.

Codenamed ‘Brenda’ during its development, it had the same mechanical configuration as its predecessor; the estate and van versions even used the same panel-work as the Mk.

I but with the Mk.

II front end and interior.

The car used a revised underbody which had, in fact, been introduced as a running change during the last six months of the life of the Mk.

I.

The car was a success with just four body styles competing in a variation of market niches where rival manufacturers had multiple models.

The ‘L’ and ‘GL’ models were mainly purchased by the private sector; the ‘Sport’, ‘RS Mexico’ and ‘RS2000’ in the performance market; the ‘Ghia’ for an untapped small car luxury sector and ‘base...