1971 Ford Escort Mk1 Mexico

• First registered in mid-January 1971 and finished in the rare colour of Maize Yellow
• From its AVO Body Plate, we can establish that this is a genuine Aveley-built, 2-door Escort Mexico with a manual gearbox, in Maize Yellow and was Unit Number 1144
• The chassis plate confirms that it was built in January 1971 and shows the number 00003
• Fitted, as many early cars were with GT1600 badges, it has a boot mounted battery and retains its irreplaceable original rubber mats throughout
• The car appears totally original and unmolested with no evidence of competition modifications
• 31,584 miles indicated which, judging by the car's wonderful condition, may well be accurate
• On offer from a private collection, this is a great opportunity to own an original early sporting Escort with all the history and magic that the name Mexico implies

The Ford Escort Mexico was introduced in November 1970 and was so named because of the Ford Motor Company's success in the World Cup Rally, when Hanna had driven the winning car, and Escorts prepared by Boreham dominated the results sheet with 1st, 3rd, 5th, 6th and 8th respectively. This rally started in London on 19th April 1970 and finished some 16,000 miles later in Mexico. Originally Ford intended to use Escorts with the Twin Cam or BDA engine, but after reconnaissance work, it was decided that high speeds and high power were less important than reliability and ease of servicing, and therefore the 1598cc 'Kent' pushrod engine was used in the Escort shell. This engine is one of the strongest Ford ever made. It seems likely that Ford already had plans to produce a high-performance Escort to fit in the range between the 1300GT and the Twin Cam/RS1600, and their victory in Mexico provided an ideal platform to launch such a model. The engineers at the newly formed AVO (Advanced Vehicles Operations) quickly developed the 'Mexico', marrying the stronger Type 49 body-shell (as used in the more expensive Twin Cam and RS1600), which aided the car's sporty, rear-wheel-drive character, with the reliable and responsive Kent 'crossflow' engine and 2000E gearbox. So, effectively, the Mexico was basically a re-engined Twin Cam/RS1600 and the model was built from 1970 to 1974 at the AVO plant. Over the years there were some tiny detail changes and the 'Mexico' badge is only found on the wings of cars with pin-stripes, or no stripes at all, whereas on the cars with stripes all the way down the sides and across the roof, a '1600GT' badge is displayed on the front wings. All cars have the Mexico badge on the boot lid. The battery was located in the boot until September 1972, then moved to the engine compartment. The Mexico was the most successful and numerous of the 'Rally Sport Escorts,' and was an instant sales hit, with buyers loving its wide-wheeled stance, bold graphics, and rally-inspired DNA. 10,352 examples were built according to the figures from Ford, although in reality, the real figure is likely lower. It had a number of advantages on the road, in that it had decent performance, was easy to maintain, relatively easy to insure, and above all, it was great fun to drive, something which is still true today. There is a real sense of occasion as you settle down behind the wheel, and a sharp throttle response, precise controls, and raspy engine note only add to the drama.

The Escort Mexico presented here is potentially one of the very earliest surviving Mexicos, wearing Chassis Number BFATLC00003. In Maize Yellow, a launch colour for the model, and like so many down the years limited to only the first year of production, this appears to be a mostly original early Escort displaying many distinguishing features, such as the battery in the boot, 1600GT badging on the wings and the almost certainly irreplaceable rubber matting throughout.

As has been the case with so many of these early Rally Sport cars, this car has possibly been lost in the intervening years, with people not realising its potential at the time. As such it comes with little history, other than that our vendor has owned it for almost 12 years where it has sat in his collection as one of the stars of his Ford garage. From its AVO Body Plate, we can establish that this is a genuine Aveley-built, 2-door Escort Mexico with a manual gearbox, in Maize Yellow and was Unit Number 1144. The V5 tells us that the car was first registered on 13/01/1971 which would suggest that it must have been built in late 1970 prior to being delivered to a dealer and registered but the Chassis Plate clearly states that it was a January 1971 build and was Chassis 00003. Time for a bit of detective work.

The odometer indicates 31,584 miles which ties in with its last MOT showing 31,557 miles on 03/03/2014 and the interior appears to fit with that sort of mileage, however, although there is no record of the car being painted, the Maize Yellow paintwork looks as fresh as a daisy. Either way, this is a very desirable example of a rare and valuable car. Having had a replacement oil service, our vendor's technicians have assured us that 'the engine on this car runs like a peach.'

This is a great opportunity to own an original early sporting Escort with all the history and magic that the name Mexico implies, so please feel free to book an appointment to view this rare car.