It was on this day in 1983 that Ford broke new ground by making its best-selling vehicle, the Escort - then on its third generation - available as a cabriolet.

In a move which was dubbed as ‘bringing open top motoring to the masses’, Ford relied on the expertise of German company Karmann to produce the Escort cabriolet and the results were impressive.

Available in both XR3i and Ghia specification, the Escort cabriolet represented the first convertible manufactured by Ford in Europe for 25 years and, though critics dismissed the vehicle as a gimmick, its enduring success saw other mid-range manufacturers follow suit.

Such were their appeal, cabriolet/convertible versions were available on the fourth, fifth and sixth generation Escort’s before the model was finally retired in 2004.

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