1973 | Ford Escort Mexico

“The Escort in the Barn”

1973 Ford Escort 1600GT Mexico

Fully restored barn found rally car from the south of France

Arguably the best Rally Mexico in Europe

The Ford Escort became a Rally legend when Finnish driver Hannu Mikkola and Swedish co-driver Gunnar Palm drove an Escort to victory in the grueling 16.000-mile London to Mexico world Cup Rally overcoming deserts, mountains, and extreme conditions.

To celebrate this achievement, Ford introduced the Escort Mexico, a special production model featuring a strengthened bodyshell and a reliable 1.6 Litre Kent engine, bridging the gap between everyday usability and motorsport performance. The Mexico quickly gained popularity among club racers and enthusiasts for its durability, handling and ease of modification, becoming a favorite in both amateur and professional rallying

A barn find - the ultimate dream of any classic car enthusiast. Who hasn’t read stories of people finding a priceless classic, forgotten by the world, in a shed somewhere, only to be fully restored and brought back to its former glory? It’s precisely this kind of situation that Dick Waaijenberg, former Dutch rallying champion, found himself in when he stumbled across a Ford Escort Mexico in La Croix-Valmer, a small town in the south of France. The car was used for local rallies before being abandoned in a shed with only 6300 kms on the odometer.

In 2017, Dick finally managed to purchase the Ford and brought the car to Provily Racing in the Netherlands to undergo a complete -money no object -rebuild which has seen the car being finished in fully Rally Spec. and “like new” order.  It was also given new and up-to-date registration paperwork by the relevant Dutch authorities and has covered just 200 kilometers since.

Some Highlights.

·         An original AVO built Escort Mexico in full Rally spec.

·         Full bare metal professional nut and bolt restauration.

·         Report with 150 pictures from barn find to finished restauration.

Specification

·         Full Rally spec engine

·         Dual Weber carburetors

·         Competition close ratio straight cut gearbox

·         Plate type LSD differential with short rally ratio

·         New roll cage installed by van den Heuvel Rallysport.

·         New tank, seats, safety harness, fire extinguisher etc.