Meet the Owner – Steve Cokayne and his 2000 Escort 55D 1.8 Diesel Van
05 February 2025
To begin, a little history of the MK6 Ford Escort…
The sixth generation Ford Escort was introduced in January 1995. Based on the Mk5, which had been introduced in March 1992, the Mk6 had new front lights, bonnet, front wings, front and rear bumpers, wing mirrors, door handles and various restyled radiator grilles. The interior was heavily revised with an all-new dashboard. Entry level engines were revised, with the 1.3 receiving the updated Endura-E engine with the 1.4 replaced by the updated CVH-PTE unit. Handling and ride were also much improved with revised suspension set up from that on the previous Mk5 models. Some special trim levels of the Escort include: Azura, Freedom, Serenade and Cabaret. In 1998, Ford announced an all-new car, the Focus, which replaced the Escort and superseded the Escort name that had been in use for 30 years. The Escort range was reduced to just “Flight” and “Finesse” editions and sold for a further two years in parallel with the Focus. The three-door hatchback model was dropped.
The highly popular Escort 55 & 75 vans remained in production longer than the car version due to commitments from Ford to supply the vans to big fleet buyers Royal Mail, British Telecom and British Gas until the Ford Connect was released in 2002. Competitive prices kept Escort car sales going until the last one rolled off the assembly line in July 2000, with the vans being built on the same production line (hence why the paintwork on the vans were better than on the cars) at the Halewood Plant with remaining van stocks sold into 2002. Having previously owned and driven Escort vans back in the day I know they work well as daily drivers as the practically of the small van is obvious. Now rare and loaded with nostalgia, people can relate to them in one way or the other as at one time they were everywhere.
The 1.8 Endura DE diesel engine used for the van is a famously durable engine built with a no-nonsense cast iron block, but with aluminium parts to reduce weight. Producing just 60bhp, this engine was not high performance but had unparalleled economy particularly in the light Escort van. Good fuel economy and the lack of complex electronic computer systems make the van a pleasure to own and drive. The final Escort vans were also fitted with the improved iB5 version of the venerable BC-series 5-speed transmission. The last Escort vans were the best to drive, with power steering and a revised suspension set up giving improved handling and ride. The interior was hugely revised from the previous Mk5 model following heavy criticism of the low-quality plastics used for its interior Mouldings - the Mk6 featured an all-new dashboard arrangement of higher quality.
Finished in the cost option Metallic Amparo Blue, this particular 2000 Escort 55D 1.8 Diesel Van was a special order for Ford Dealer T.C Harrison in Sheffield back in early 2000. The dealer had received the commercial vehicle brochure (which I have a copy of) from Ford Head Office and had wanted the exact van as in the brochure to showcase the new colour and options including the metallic paint, heated mirrors and electric windows, body side mouldings, mudflaps, and heated glazed rear windows.
The van was then displayed for a couple of months in their commercial vehicle showroom but didn’t sell, firstly because the colour wasn’t to everyone's taste, as most business buyers required either a white or red van for signwriting and company logos etc. Secondly, the van with all its optional extras was considerably more expensive than the basic van that was available in large volume.
It was decided that the van would be moved to the showroom at T. C Harrisons car sales department a couple of miles away to be put on display there. It was then in late March 2000 spotted by its previous retired keeper who actually didn’t use it as a van but used to take his wife shopping, return home, wash it and put it back in the garage until the next trip or the occasional holiday away.
After 22 years of cherished ownership, he reluctantly decided to part with it and it came into my ownership in December 2022, after I promised him that I would continue to preserve and enjoy the van as much as him and his wife did. I met up with the previous owner in March 2024 as he was on holiday where I live and reunited him with his old friend and presented him with a hand drawn picture of the van that I had made.
Since then, it has been widely shown and appreciated, including being a finalist on the Lancaster Insurance pride of ownership stand at the Practical Classics Classic Car and Restoration Show in March 2024 and on display back in the showroom with the original supplying dealer, with awards being collected from classic car shows along the way.
Howmanyleft.co.uk shows that 111 of these 2000 Escort 55D vans were licensed at the end of 2023. Given the condition and high specification, this may be one of the best remaining examples, if not the best in some eyes.
Light commercials may be outliers in the classic car space but there is strong interest in the category, as evidenced by high asking prices for low mileage examples. This is particularly true of Ford models, such as the Transit, as they are such an integral part of the fabric of British motoring history and mint unrestored examples are so hard to find.
All the Escort vans presented at auction since 2021 have been white or red, following a commercial past, usually with BT or The Post Office. Vans finished in optional metallic shades are few and far between and show their privately owned heritage. As with the prestige brands, rare metallic colours are more desirable and the rarest shades command premiums well more than the option cost new.