Introduced as a sporting ‘hot hatch’ version of the MK III Ford Escort, the XR3 was developed as a rival to the VW Golf GTI which was enjoying particular popularity in the early 1980s. The petrol heads of the time soon took to the XR3i, loving it for its racy appearance and performance. When it was first developed in 1980 it comprised a tuned up version of the 1.6 with a twin-choke carburettor, upgraded suspension and a few cosmetic upgrades, including that very desirable spoiler. It was to be a couple of years later that the fuel-injection XR3i arrived!
It makes a roaring entrance into this edition of the Globe in a pale blue grey metallic colour scheme registered A248 HMV from 1983. The interior seating is a slightly deeper grey shade. Apart from the silver strips along the skirt of the car, the exterior trim is black including the bumpers. Not to be missed though is the XR3i lettering in red across the nearside section of the boot. Now that was a cult car!