Available in two- and four-door sedans, station wagons and even tradesman’s panel vans, the first generation Ford Escort, released in 1968, fulfilled the needs of so many people throughout the world. With a choice of four-cylinder engines ranging from a 940-cc through to a SOHC two-liter engine the depth of the buyers’ pockets was also taken into account. It was a conventional rear-wheel-drive vehicle with MacPherson strut front suspension and a simple live rear axle mounted on semi-elliptic springs. Its shape could be best described as having the “Coke bottle” silhouette that was so popular during that period. Also very distinctive with the first Escort was its grille that looked like a stylized horizontal dog bone.
Produced through to 1975, the first generation Escort was assembled in such diverse countries as England, Germany, Australia, Belgium, New Zealand and Israel. It was a popular car when new and remains so among classic car enthusiasts.
However, like so many cars, the Escort wasn’t initially produced to satisfy a competition need, but more so to fill the gap left by the demise of the aging Ford Anglia.
In line with Ford practice, a more sporting version was made available not long after the model’s release. Called the 1300GT it was fitted with a tuned 1.3-liter engine, Weber carburetor, uprated suspension and comprehensive dash instrumentation.
It was only when Bill Meade, chief mechanic of Ford’s Advanced Vehicle Operations commented, upon seeing an Escort, that it could well be fitted with a twin-cam engine from a Lotus Cortina that the future of the model was changed forever. It also wasn’t long before the Escort found its way on to the world’s competition stage.
Fitted with the Lotus-produced DOHC 1,557-cc engine, the Escort in the late 1960s became almost unbeatable in the British Saloon Car Championship. Also, in the world of international rallying, the Escort became one of the most successful rally cars of all time with the Ford works team being virtually unbeatable in the late 1960s and early ’70s.
Perhaps the most celebrated rally win of all for the Escort was in the 1970 London to Mexico World Cup Rally. While the DOHC-engined cars were winning races, Ford wasn’t prepared to trust it for a 16,000-mile journey around both Europe and South America, so seven cars were constructed using the well-proven, crossflow Kent engine coupled to a five-speed gearbox.
Win it they did, and in fact Ford Escorts also came 3rd, 5th, 6th and 8th in the event that finished in Mexico City.
Namesake
The win in the World Cup Rally gave Ford’s marketing people the perfect opportunity to promote the Escort even further by launching a namesake model. A gap in the product lineup was clear between the 1300GT and the Escort Twin-Cam, a gap that was comfortably filled by a new model called the Ford Escort Mexico.
Designed and built by Ford engineers at the newly formed Advanced Vehicle Operations (AVO), the model featured many of the components that were on the Rally-winning cars, such as the body being the same as used for the Twin-Cam, while the power train was the 1600-cc Kent crossflow engine and four-speed gearbox. Introduced in November 1970, the Ford Escort Mexico proved to be a good seller with 10,352 examples being made.
The Mexico soon proved to be the ideal competition car for the car club enthusiast. In 1971, the Escort Mexico Challenge was introduced in the UK that was not only highly popular, but extremely competitive as well.
Contemporary reports reveal that not only did the Mexico provide good performance for its price, it was easy and relatively inexpensive to maintain and, above all, it was enjoyable to drive.
The Ford Escort Mexico continued in production through to the cessation of the first generation of the Escort in late 1974. However, that didn’t mean that the Escort name was discontinued, as Ford continued to produce Escorts right through to 2004, which by then was in its sixth manifestation.
“Our” Mexico
It was originally purchased new in the UK by Australian motor racing legend Bob Holden, who initially used the car for some European touring. Bob is probably Australia’s longest serving motor racing competitor having started in the early 1950s, won at Bathurst in 1966 in a Morris Cooper S and is still going strong in historics.
Bob brought the car back to Australia with him and removed its 1,600-cc engine for use in a rally car. In its place he installed an Australian-built, Ford Pinto-based, two-liter engine and fitted that with the original Mexico manifold, alloy sump, alloy bellhousing and so on. So apart from being a larger engine, everything else was the same.
It had been used as a rally car by various owners until it was in need of some TLC. A restoration was commenced by a previous owner who, unfortunately, didn’t have the wherewithal to complete it. It was then confined to a shipping container for storage until rescued by its current owner. While it was in good condition mechanically and also in the body, quite a number of the original Mexico fittings had disappeared. Over time, such items as correct manifolds, wheels and trim were found and fitted to the car.
As contemporary reports said about the Mexico, it was certainly found to be fun to drive in a very typical late 1960s and early ’70s way. No sitting back and being cosseted as you would in a more modern car as the Mexico demanded to be driven and only then would you know its capability. The engine is free-revving and the gearchange is slick, with the pedals being well positioned for a little “heel and toeing.” It’s a car of the period with little sound deadening, so that the staccato bark of the Ford engine can be heard and enjoyed. Like many cars of the period the suspension is taught and the slightest road undulation is felt through the seat. The Mexico is a car for those who like to drive, as it likes to be driven.
Specifications
Production 1970 – 1975 Chassis/Body Unit Steel Wheelbase 94.5 inches/2,400mm Length 157 inches/3,988mm Width 61.5 inches/1,562mm Front & Rear Track 52 inches/1,321mm Weight 1,876 pounds/851 kilograms Suspension (F) Coil sprung independent, McPherson struts, track control arms and anti-roll bar (R) Live axle, semi-elliptic leaf springs, radius arms and telescopic shocks Engine Cast Iron inline-four Displace. 1,599-cc Bore/Stroke 80.97 x 77.6mm Compression 9.0:1 Induction Weber carburetor Power 86bhp @ 5,500rpm Transmission 4-speed manual with synchro on all Brakes Front Discs – Rear Drums
Performance
Top Speed 100+ mph 0-60 mph 10.8 secs Average Fuel Consumption 27.0 mpg (imp)
Valuation
Price at Launch £1,150 Excellent £37,000 Good £22,500 Average £11,000 Poor £4,000
