FORD ESCORT

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22 | Escort Harry Calton, former head of Ford public relations, recalls the complexity of organising the Moroccan launch Ford was the first manufacturer to stage overseas press introductions taking advantage of uncrowded roads in countries where security and spy shots would not be a problem. For this was an era where everything was held back until the public introduction and any premature leak of information was regarded as a disaster by the sales and marketing fraternity. Discussions with the Moroccan Tourist Board promised much in terms of favourable hotels, simple customs and passport formalities and immunity from speeding fines ... However, despite these promises no one had foreseen the bureaucracy which had been instilled into the systems as a legacy of French rule and the tradition of everyone expecting a small financial inducement to speed up the job. Forty Escorts,spares and the necessary customs papers duly arrived in Casablanca one week before Christmas 1967. Yet, despite the Tourist Board assurances that the decisions had been made 70 documents needing 10 different signatures from varying officials, in order of seniority, were required before customs clearance was achieved. Christmas and Boxing Day that year remain memorable for all the wrong reasons. Despite the promised immunity from speeding tickets I was stopped every morning commuting from Rabat to Casablanca and handed a ticket. My international driving licence was the RAC version with the director of the RAC, Wilfred Andrews’, name emblazoned on the front cover. So, each morning Andrews got a ticket. The launch was a two-day, 1000mile (1600 Kms), drive to Marrakech and back with the great and the good of the Fourth estate competing for the performance models of the new Escort. Although the only prototype Twin Cam was reserved for TV, much to the disgust of the others. But good as its word the tourist board did provide a police escort for the exodus from Rabat, but 10 miles (16 Kms) outside the town this ground to a halt as the King of Morocco and his escort pulled rank and swept by en route to the golf course. Despite route guides, maps and Ford arrows at strategic points people strayed off route and one crew even ran out of fuel. After lunch the plan was for journalists to change cars and experience a different model, but the representative of the Birmingham Post explained grandly that his readers would not expect him to drive a base model and that only the Escort GT would be adequate and of interest to them. Miraculously not a windscreen was broken nor any paintwork scratched and 24 hours later the French and Belgian press set out on their own appraisals with similar results. The only exception was the precious prototype Twin Cam which a TV crew modified over rocks wrecking the front suspension anad rendering it only just driveable. In order to connect with the freighter returning the cars and spares to the UK local drivers were hired to ferry the Escorts back to Casablanca including the Twin Cam whose driver claimed it was the best handling car he had ever driven ...
Retired motoring journalist, Richard Feast recalls his first encounter with the Ford Escort. Eye witness: the road to Morocco The media introduction of the Escort in January 1968 was an epic of its day. As northern Europe shivered, the poor old motoring correspondents were obliged to tackle a gruelling three-day test drive across Morocco, taking in the Barbary coast, the Atlas mountains and some of the tourist highlights – and finest hotels – of Rabat, Meknes, Casablanca and Marrakech. Such a lavish launch was an indication of the Escort’s importance to Ford. The event was also significant for me – in more ways than one. The Escort was my first international new car launch. For a little-travelled youth from the flat, black fens of Cambridgeshire, a driving adventure in Morocco at someone else’s expense was the high life. Working for Motor Sport at the time, I was also one of the handful of hacks allowed behind the wheel of the racy Twin Cam version. Hmm, this was a very agreeable way to earn a living. Many more car launches in many more locations followed. From the perspective of retirement, few stay in the memory like the Escort in Morocco. Over the years, I came to understand how clever Ford’s product planners were when they conceived an affordable new family car. Working for Autosport, we reported on the Escort’s latest wins in races and rallies around the world. When I switched to What Car?, the model’s tremendous sales appeal meant it was seldom out of the magazine’s pages. Later, as European editor of Automotive News, I watched Escorts being made and learned what made it such a business success. The formula for the car we drove in Morocco proved to be the right one at the right time. On a personal level, I have another wonderful memory from that launch. My then-new wife met me at Gatwick airport on our return with the news that she was expecting our first child. Even 40 years on, that’s something one can never forget. Note: Ford of Europe has endeavoured to ensure that the information contained in this press pack is, to the best of our knowledge, accurate and based on detailed research. Escort | 23
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FORD ESCORT

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