Lot details

Year: 1971
Make: Ford
Model: Escort Mk. I 'Mexico' Estate
Registration: German Registered
Chassis No: tbc
Engine No: tbc
Mileage: 7,000
•: Circa £120,000 build in 2015 to replicate
•: Built to AVO specification for rally Escort Mk.I's
•: Vulcan AX-black 1800cc Crossflow
•: Subject to U.K. taxes

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. What many people won't know, is that AVO in fact built three Mexico estates, but the project was canned before they could go into full production, what we have here is a true labour of love project to create affectively the fourth example, to AVO specifications and with some nice modern touches.

Our vendor commissioned the build of this car in 2015, with the whole build being carried out by Retrotek in Derbyshire, the workmanship being described in Fast Ford magazine as 'flawless' and the car being describes as 'one of the finest period Mk.I Escort's we have seen for some time' by them too. The project began with a very solid LHD estate shell, which then had all Group4 and AVO modified panels fitted into place. An automatic transmission tunnel has been swapped in, to house the Type-9 five speed gearbox, along with a larger diff tunnel to house the Atlas axle. Next up was to fit a double skinned front bulk head and gusset it, in order to accommodate the Gartrac pedal box. The whole shell was seam welded and had AVO specification chassis skids and jack points added, to further strengthen the shell. A Gartrac front crossmember was also used, as it perfectly located a crossflow or BDA in the Escort Mk.I engine bay.

On the topic of crossflows, this example is fitted with a rather special one. The engine was built by Vulcan and is based on an AX-block, used specifically for competition, and is an 1800cc unit with steel crankshaft and forged pistons. These AX blocks are now extremely valuable, they were always used in competition so naturally, many have been lost over the years. The engine also has a Kent 254 camshaft and is fed by twin 45 Weber carburettors. Our vendor tells us the engine sounds absolutely magical, the redline is at 7,000rpm and it is said to be very fast, when required. Stopping power comes in the form of quite a trick braking setup, utilizing a twin rear caliper setup, with Monte-Carlo specification calipers, one set for braking and the other for the hydraulic handbrake system.

This Escort is beautifully finished in British Racing Green, which has been finished to an extremely high standard and the FIA-approved roll cage is finished in the same colour. The interior really is a masterpiece, trimmed by Aldrige and upgraded in many ways to suit the intended use of regularity rallying. The dashboard has been modified to a twin cowl setup, to accommodate the rally timing equipment on the passenger side, and extra gauges. The Recaro CS seats and dashboard have bee trimmed in beautiful green Connolly leather by Aldridge trimming and the whole package just looks excellent. A 75-litre alloy fuel tank is fitted in the load area, beneath a hinged floor, which has been custom made.

Our vendor has thoroughly enjoyed this car, it has covered less than 10,000km since the build was complete, but has seen action at Goodwood, and on the LeJog rally, which is a 1500 mile regularity rally through the UK which many regard as the toughest regularity rally in Europe. The car was said to perform absolutely flawlessly and was perfect for the job. Interested parties should note, the car is currently registered in Germany, so would be subject to some taxes if it were to be registered in the UK. The car is supplied to auction with a comprehensive file of works undertaken and must be seen to be fully appreciated, this is not your usual Escort Estate by any means. Consigned by Fraser Smith