Thats a myth, - if you search Ford's parts database you can come up with loads more than 500 cars for starters, and thats just in the UK. If you count those sold in other territories the figure is much higher. Getting figures from the DVLA is also not as simple as it sounds as you have to ask them to search for all possible permutations of Escort RS2000 4x4, and one 4x4 I've seen didn't even have 4x4 mentioned on the log book. Finally - the 4x4 Escort was not a limited edition and it would have been truly remarkable if they just happened to sell exactly 500 over three years. They sold all 500 RS500 Sierras in next to no time. If RS2000 Escorts were selling at less than 200/year then Ford's bean counters would have axed them like a shot.

Ford did also made a Mk5a/Mk6 1600 Zetec 4x4 which was sold in Scandanavia and other areas of Europe prone to ice. Check the capacities and fluids section in the back of your handbook and you'll find it listed. This could be one of the reasons why the 4x4 drive train is so weak - if was originally designed to work with a 1.6...