The Ford CE14 platform was a front wheel driveautomobile platform used by the Ford Motor Company for its compact cars during the 1980s and early 1990s. The CE14 platform was heavily derived from the platform of the European Ford Escort. A stretched variation of the CE14 appeared in 1984 for the midsize Ford Tempo and Mercury Topaz. Front wheel drive is the most common form of engine/transmission layout used in modern passenger cars, where the engine drives the front wheels. ... An automobile platform is a shared set of components common to a number of different automobiles. ... The Ford Motor Company (often referred to simply as Ford or Fords; sometimes nicknamed FoMoCo), NYSE: F is an automobile maker founded by Henry Ford in Dearborn, Michigan, United States (where the company is currently headquartered), and incorporated on June 16, 1903. ... The Rambler American introduced in the late 1950s was an early compact car. ... The 1980s, in its most obvious sense, was the decade between 1980 and 1989. ... The 1990s refers to the years 1990 to 1999; the last decade of the 20th Century, but in an economical sense The Nineties is often considered to span from the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989 to the September 11 attacks in 2001. ... See also Ford Escort (North American) The Ford Escort was a sub-compact car manufactured by the Ford Motor Company from 1967 through 2003. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) is a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Ford Tempo was introduced in 1984 as a midsize car. ... The Topaz was the Mercury version of the Ford Tempo. ...