FORD'S Escort replacement, the Ford Focus, swept the board in the race to win the title of European Car of the Year 1999.

The mid-range car fought off opposition from its arch-rival, the Vauxhall Astra and the Coventry-built Peugeot 206, but emerged as the clear winner.

Two thirds of the judges - motoring journalists from 21 countries across Europe - agreed on the Focus as the overall victor.

Patrick Fuller, editor of Autocar magazine which sponsors the award in Britain, said: "The Focus sets new standards for handling and refinement in its class and I'm sure it will pose a serious challenge to the VW Golf's traditional sales supremacy in this class."

The Focus is available in three-door, four-door, five-door and estate bodystyles and comes with a wide range of engines, including 1.4, 1.6, 1.8 and 2.0-litres, as well as a 1.8-litre turbo diesel.

Jac Nasser, chairman of Ford of Europe, said the company was "immensely proud" of the award.

He said: "We wanted the Ford Focus to take us a step beyond the opposition, particularly in terms of design, package and driving dynamics. We regard this award as a strong endorsement of the new direction we have chosen to take." In second place was the Vauxhall Astra; 3 Peugeot 206; 4 Audi TT; 5 Volvo S80.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.