I should think so if it is 16v. They were still using a FI version of the old 8v CVH up until at least M-reg as SWMBO had one, PTE oe something IIRC. The Zetec engines have Zetec written on them so it should be self evident.
Most Ford Special Editions are base model spec with perhaps the addition of a sun-roof or different seat fabric, however a quick search brings up that it gets alloys, body coloured bumpers and a spoiler, so I imagine it starts at LX spec.
The early ones do not have Zetec written on them. But given it's a 16v 1.6, it will be the Zeta (or Zetec) enigne despite whatever letters are cast into the cam cover.
In news: snipped-for-privacy@news.btinternet.com, gs decided to enlighten our sheltered souls with a rant as follows
They're *s**te.*
Avoid all Escorts built after 1979. [1]
You'd be better off buying a Peugeot 306. A LOT better off.
Seriously, the Mk3/4/5/6 Escorts really were utter, utter crap. I love Fords, I've had probably about 70 of them, and I'd not go near any FWD Escort ever again [1]. They're sluggish, uneconomical, badly built, rust like f*ck, don't handle, don't ride particularly well, don't look very good, and were built to the lowest common denominator. Apart from the Vauxhall Astra, they were probably the worst European made car of the 1990s. Only slightly better than a Daewoo Nexia - and the Nexia probably has a better engine.
[1] excluding RS2000 Mk5 (1992/3) and RS1600i. [2] [2] The Cosworth wasn't very good either.
They are a money pit. The suspension is totally crap and things like wishbones and rear trailing arms need continual replacement due to split bushes. The 1.6 Zetec engine is an twin-cam affair with deisgn input from Kawasaki (apparently), but still only manages to put out 90 BHP. The small valves mean that it runs out puff at high revs - it also uses *more* fuel than the 1.8 version!! The steering is imprecise and tends to wander (a consequence of the s**te suspension). The body will rust right through in no time at all from the first sign of rust. Fuel economy is supposed to be mid 40's on a motorway, but you won't get anything better than low 30's. The gearbox is noisy and it can be difficult to get the thing into and out of gear.
About the only good thing you can say about them are that the engines are bomb-proof (at least, the Zetec is) and parts are relatively cheap. Apart from that they are a heap of crap.
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