By Classic Yorkshire contributor Tony Lofthouse
Thirty years ago, Ford Europe brought us the Ford Scorpio and with it a bold design that had people scratching their heads!
It’s lozenge-like headlights and bulbous rear end were just two unusual features of a car aimed at shaking up the nineties executive market. It was a sector already crowded with competition from the likes of Jaguar, Mercedes, Rover and Vauxhall.
The re-badged Scorpio was launched to replace the Ford Granada line and was largely based on the Granada. Indeed, the well-liked Granada initially carried the Scorpio name on its top models.
The car’s design did have the effect of ‘marmite’. Its rear tail light was certainly a talking point, but inside it had a lovely curved dashboard, lots of button and dials, comfy leather seats and a classy wood finish.
In terms of performance, the Scorpio was a pleasure to drive and, in 1986, it was the first mass-produced car to have ABS as standard. The pick of the engines is the Cosworth-tuned 2.9 litre 24-valve.
It’s fair to say this executive Ford was refreshingly different. Unfortunately, it was a step too far for many European buyers and in 1998 the pain came for its European bosses when production ended.
Nearly, 99,000 were made over four years and the car’s ‘legacy’ is that it did open the door to more bold Ford styling. The company’s New Edge design approach would see more striking models go into production like the first generation Ford Ka and 1998 Focus range.
Today, a good condition Scorpio can be picked up for as little as £3,000 (for 2.0 and 2.3L models) but for double this you might be able to find a Cosworth 24-valve V6 powered Scorpio.
Personally, I quite like the Scorpio. It looks better with the passing years and I like a nice ride, plush interior and plenty of chrome finish!