Fast Fords

The family median means nothing across six generations. Ford Escort prices from 1,479 recorded auction sales, what the ordinary saloons, the Mk1 and Mk2 RS cars, the 1980s hot hatches and the RS Cosworth each make, what a genuine identity is worth against a replica, and why the figure swings from year to year.

The Ford Escort RS Cosworth was a rally homologation special wearing an Escort suit over Sierra Cosworth four-wheel-drive bones, its whale-tail wing the defining fast-Ford image of the 1990s. A guide to big-turbo and small-turbo cars, the rally record, the replica problem, buying checks and values.

The Ford Capri 2.8 Injection gave the Mk3 a fuel-injected 160 bhp Cologne V6, Bilstein dampers and a proper chassis, and became the Capri enthusiasts want. A guide to the 1981 car, the five-speed, the Injection Special, the 280 Brooklands run-out and the Tickford turbo, what goes wrong, and what they are worth.

The Ford Mondeo ST220 put a 223 bhp 3.0 V6, a six-speed gearbox and Recaro seats into the Mk3 Mondeo and turned a rep's saloon into a car worth keeping. A guide to the ST220 and the Mk2 ST200 that preceded it, the saloon, hatchback and estate, the ST TDCi, what goes wrong, and what they are worth.

From the rear-wheel-drive rally Escorts to the Capri V6, the XR hot hatches and the mighty Sierra Cosworth, the classic fast Fords are some of the most loved and fastest-rising British classics. A plain-English guide to the main families, how they differ, what they cost, how to choose, and how to avoid a cloned car.

The Ford Escort Mexico was named to celebrate Ford's victory in the 1970 London-to-Mexico World Cup Rally, an affordable, tough, rear-wheel-drive homologation special built to take the Escort's rally success to the showroom. A guide to the Mk1 and Mk2 Mexico, what to look for, and why originality matters more here than on any ordinary Escort.

The Ford Escort RS2000 was the rally-bred hero of the rear-wheel-drive Escort, a light two-door with a torquey 2.0-litre engine and, in Mk2 form, the famous droop-snoot nose. A guide to the Mk1 and Mk2 RS2000, what made it a motorsport legend, what to look for when buying, and how to spot a car that is not what it claims.

The Ford Escort XR3i was the fuel-injected hot hatch that outsold every rival and defined performance motoring for a generation of British drivers. A guide to the XR3 and XR3i, the Mk3 and Mk4 cars and the cabriolet, how it compares to the Golf GTI, what to look for, and what they are worth now.

The classic Ford Escort ran across six generations from 1968 to 2000, from the rear-drive rally cars to the front-drive hot hatches and the mighty RS Cosworth. A guide to the Mk1 to Mk6, how the generations differ, the everyman saloons and the celebrated fast Escorts, the booted Orion, and what to look for when buying.

The Ford Sierra RS Cosworth turned an ordinary family Ford into a Group A touring-car weapon, with a turbocharged Cosworth engine, a whale-tail wing and, in RS500 form, near-unbeatable race performance. A guide to the three-door, the RS500, the Sapphire and the 4x4, the theft and cloning problem, and what to look for when buying one.