On this day in auto history - August 25th

Wed 25th Aug 2021

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.

*Have you checked out some of the amazing deals Carsupermarket.com can currently offer on cabriolets? You could take delivery of one of these vehicles without leaving your home!

The tax values are provided by a third-party supplier and while every effort is made to ensure their accuracy please double check with your advisor. If the car was registered after 31/03/2017 then it is subject to new tax rules. All prices we display are for the cars second tax payment onwards. You can find out information on the cars first tax payment here

Cars registered on or after 1 April 2017

Rates for second tax payment onwards

Fuel type	Single 12 month payment	Single 12 month payment by Direct Debit	Total of 12 monthly payments by Direct Debit	Single 6 month payment	Single 6 month payment by Direct Debit
Petrol or diesel	£180	£180	£189	£99	£94.50
Electric	£0	N/A	N/A	£0	N/A
Alternative	£170	£170	£178.50	£93.50	£89.25

Alternative fuel vehicles include hybrids, bioethanol and liquid petroleum gas.

Vehicles with a list price of more than £40,000

You have to pay an extra £390 a year if you have a car with a ‘list price’ (the published price before any discounts) of more than £40,000. You do not have to pay this if you have a zero emission vehicle.

You only have to pay this rate for 5 years (from the second time the vehicle is taxed).

Check the list price with your dealer so you know how much vehicle tax you’ll have to pay.

Fuel type	Single 12 month payment	Single 12 month payment by Direct Debit	Total of 12 monthly payments by Direct Debit	Single 6 month payment	Single 6 month payment by Direct Debit
Petrol or diesel	£570	£570	£598.50	£313.50	£299.25
Alternative	£560	£560	£588	£308	£294