http://cache.gawker.com/assets/base/img/thumbs140x140/jalopnik.com.png http://jalopnik.com/tag/1981 ford escort http://jalopnik.com/tag/1981 ford escort It's hard to believe there was ever a time without Ford Escorts in North America, but the '81 was the very first (and, miserable as those early Escorts were, they were much better cars than the Pintos they replaced). The SS was the top-of-the-line Escort for '81, with a whopping 65 horsepower driving the front wheels. Thanks to a short flash of a baseball score (and super-obsessed baseball geeks), we know this advertisement was aired on May 23, 1981.

]]> Jalopnik-387007 Fri, 09 May 2008 11:00:00 EDT Murilee Martin http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=387007&view=rss&microfeed=true