RARE BREED

Few of us remember the Escort once wore a GTi badge – the moniker typically associated with French and German hot hatches. But with a peppy 113bhp 1.8-litre Zetec under the bonnet, alongside RS2000-inspired styling, it was a capable car – if not a little overlooked by similar Escorts wearing the RS and XR badges we Ford fans are more accustomed to.

With the exception of the legendary RS Cosworth, these later-generation Escorts are often ignored, which is a bit of a shame. Despite woeful reviews of the early 1990s, Ford persisted with development of its big seller, and by the end of production in Mk6 form, the Escort ended up as a decent car. The underrated GTi was just in the sweet spot.

That’s probably why the GTi developed its own group of fans and admirers. And Kylie and Dave Raspin fall squarely in that camp.

Kylie explains, “I’ve had a keen interest in this particular generation of Escort since its launch in