"There was, in the early days of the Ford Escort, a higher performance version for rallies and racing. The Mk. I Escorts became very successful as a rally car and eventually went on to become one of the most successful rally cars of all time. The Ford works team was practically unbeatable in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s; arguably the Escort's greatest victory was in the 1970 London to Mexico World Cup Rally being driven by Finnish legend Hannu Mikkola. This gave rise to the famous Escort Mexico special edition road versions in honour of the rally car. The Mexico was built at Ford's Advanced Vehicle Operations (AVO) facility located at the Aveley Plant in South Essex. As well as higher performance engines and sports suspension, these models featured strengthened bodyshells, making them an ideal model for rallying. Today, Mk. I Escorts are still popular in the amateur rally scene.
Originally registered on 12th February 1973 this is a rare opportunity to acquire a genuine factory Ford Escort Mexico with period rally history. The car left the AVO plant as a rally car prepared for a ladies team and painted blue, it has been well campaigned and even features in the Avon tyres advertisement of the period. In the 1970’s, the Escort was purchased by Jeffrey Goulden and along with D. Belvoir competed in the car, entering the RAC rally on the 9th January 1977. In the early 80’s the car was stored away and did not see the light of day again until 2015 when it was brought out and restored. The restoration was sympathetic retaining as many original features as possible, including some of the battle scars picked up during its race life. It has been repainted in one of the liveries the car wore in period. Power is supplied via a ‘breathed-on’ 1600 Kent engine, this is the original unit from new, with fuel delivered by twin side-draught Webers. It is thought the mileage of 21,187 miles is correct although not warranted. We are advised she drives well with impressive performance and great handling. A restored Ford Escort Mk. I Mexico with period rally provenance is an extremely attractive investment, this example is ready to enter historic rallying and is aesthetically a great car to look at and an even better one to drive."