page_title: Ford Bantam
section_title: First generation (1983-1990)
hierarchical_section_title: Ford Bantam / Background / First generation (1983-1990)
caption_attribution_description: English: A Ford Escort Mk.III-derived Ford Bantam, pre-facelift.
context_page_description: The Ford Bantam is a coupé utility/pickup produced in South Africa. Production of the Bantam spanned three generations, with the vehicle produced in South Africa for sale within the South African market.
context_section_description: The first-generation Bantam was introduced in South Africa in 1983. It was intended to compete for market share that was, at the time, almost entirely monopolised by Nissan's B140 1400 Bakkie (which had been derived from the B110 sedan), with the remainder accounted for by the recently released Volswagen Caddy. The Bantam (named after a breed of fowl known for its small size and courageous, defiant nature) was based on the Mark III Ford Escort. It featured a South African-developed load box, tailgate, rear lights, rear quarter windows and leaf-sprung, dead-axle rear suspension.
  Like the Escort on which it was based, the Bantam was initially available with 1 296 cc and 1 598 cc carburettor-fed versions of Ford's compound valve-angle hemi (CVH) engine. Faced with criticism from the South African market regarding noise, vibration, harshness and unreasonably high fuel consumption, Ford South Africa opted to discontinue CVH engine installation. Subsequently, South African Escorts and Bantams were fitted with crossflow variants of the technically obsolete Kent engine.
  The Bantam was initially produced at the Ford plant in Struandale, Port Elizabeth. Upon Ford's apartheid-era divestment from South Africa, Bantam production was relocated to the Samcor plant in Silverton, Pretoria. The exterior tailgate panels on pre-divestment Bantams and Rustlers have 'Ford' or 'Mazda' script pressed into them, while post-divestment vehicles have 'MMI' script.
  Within the South African market, the Bantam was also available as the Mazda Rustler.
caption: First-generation Ford Bantam with aftermarket alloy wheels
exif: {"Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)"}