This EXP generation exists because factory line workers built their own upgraded prototype off the clock and showed it to Ford's CEO — who approved it for production exactly as they built it.
Lead trim: Escort EXP Luxury Coupe 1.9 L CVH (90 hp) · up to 115 hp
Ford EXP1985–1988
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Nobody in Burbles has spotted a Ford EXP yet. See one on the street, point the app at it, and the first card is yours — with your @handle permanently credited on this page.
FactThis EXP generation exists because factory line workers built their own upgraded prototype off the clock and showed it to Ford's CEO — who approved it for production exactly as they built it.
After four years of production the first-generation EXP was discontinued during the 1985 model year, having struggled against newer, sportier vehicles with build quality and refinement inferior to Japanese competitors. In 1985 a group of Ford assembly employees took an EXP off the line and upgraded it with parts from the updated 1985½ Escort; the one-off "prototype" was presented to Ford CEO Donald Petersen, who approved it for production as a "1985½" model. Officially renamed the Ford Escort EXP, the second generation abandoned the controversial headlight nacelles and widely flared fenders for a version of the standard Escort's bodywork with flush-mounted headlamps and amber turn signal lenses, a model-specific front bumper with an integrated air dam and a single-slot grille; the Mercury LN7 "bubble hatch" became standard. Model years 1985½–1988: 94.2 in wheelbase, 170.3 in long, 65.9 in wide, 50.5 in high, 2,388 lb, with the 1.9 L CVH. The Luxury Coupe (1985½–1988) had low-back seats from the standard Escort, an overhead console, left remote mirror, tachometer and trip odometer, with a carbureted 1.9 L CVH making 90 hp through 1986 and a throttle-body Central Fuel Injection 1.9 L making 90 hp for 1987–88; the Sport Coupe (1986–1988), with 15-inch alloy wheels, dual electric mirrors, fog lamps, Escort GT suspension and brake upgrades, sport bucket seats, a console and a systems monitor, had a multiport-injected 1.9 L CVH of 106 hp (115 hp for 1987). After competitive two-seat rivals (Pontiac Fiero, Toyota MR2, Honda CRX), rising insurance rates and the front-wheel-drive Mustang that became the Ford Probe, Ford discontinued the slowest-selling of its three compact sports coupes; the final EXP rolled off the line in October 1988 after over 225,000 were produced.
Collectors Spotted in the Ford EXP Lineage
No member has published a public street spot of the Ford EXP yet — the First · Worldwide stamp is wide open.
Trims & Figures
3 published trims in the catalogue. A blank is a figure not recorded, not zero.
| Trim | Years | Engine | Power | Torque | 0–60 | Drive | Gearbox | MSRP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Escort EXP Luxury Coupe 1.9 L CVH (90 hp) | 1985–1988 | 1.9 L Inline-4 | 90 hp | 106 lb-ft | — | FWD | — | — |
| Escort EXP Sport Coupe 1.9 L CVH (106 hp, 1986) | 1986–1986 | 1.9 L Inline-4 | 106 hp | 114 lb-ft | — | FWD | — | — |
| Escort EXP Sport Coupe 1.9 L CVH (115 hp, 1987–1988) | 1987–1988 | 1.9 L Inline-4 | 115 hp | 120 lb-ft | — | FWD | — | — |
Owning one
We don’t estimate running costs for a car like this. What it costs depends on its condition, its specialist and how it is driven, and an average would mislead.
Owners’ builds
Nobody has claimed one yet.
Photographs
This EXP generation exists because factory line workers built their own upgraded prototype off the clock and showed it to Ford's CEO — who approved it for production exactly as they built it.
The second-gen EXP wasn't born in a design studio — a group of Ford assembly line workers pulled a car off the line, upgraded it with facelifted Escort parts, and showed it to the CEO, who greenlit it for production.
The EXP Turbo Coupe came out of the same Ford skunkworks that built the Mustang SVO, part of a 1984 push to chase young, affluent buyers.
American EXP buyers got a deliberately detuned engine: Ford's 1.6-litre CVH was tuned purely for fuel economy in the US, while the same engine made more power in Europe.
Rivals
Same body, same money, other badges — tap any card to flip.
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