Ford Escort Mexico
Ford turned a marathon rally win into a simpler, cheaper road-going Escort with the competition shell and a tough Kent engine.
1970 Ford Escort Mexico · Calreyn88 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Research pending
A matching completed auction sale has not been verified for this exact year, body, trim, engine, transmission and market.
Joyride shows this gap instead of substituting an asking price, unsold bid or mismatched special vehicle.
More than a set of wheels.
Hannu Mikkola and Gunnar Palm won the 1970 London-to-Mexico World Cup Rally in a heavily prepared Escort. Ford answered six months later with a road model carrying the destination's name. Advanced Vehicle Operations built the Mexico at Aveley from the reinforced Type 49 shell and RS1600 running gear, but replaced the expensive Cosworth BDA with the proven Cortina 1600 GT crossflow engine. It offered an accessible route into competition and a practical fast family saloon.
Look a little closer.
Buyers could order World Cup-style stripes, turning the rally victory into a moving billboard.
Photos show an example of the model or generation. The pictured vehicle’s year, equipment, or modifications can differ from the specification described here.
A rally result became a road-car name
The winning rally Escort was not itself a production Mexico: it used a larger 1.85-litre crossflow engine, dry-sump lubrication and lightweight panels. The road car borrowed the concept—strong shell, simple engine and durable running gear—while using steel and glass, a 1.6-litre wet-sump engine and ordinary road equipment.
Source: Motor Sport · Matters of moment, December 1970 ↗AVO made the special Escort special
The Type 49 shell carried extra reinforcement around vulnerable areas and MacPherson-strut mounts. AVO combined that shell with the RS1600's brakes, suspension and gearbox, then used a less exotic engine. That is why a genuine Mexico is more than stripes on a standard two-door Escort.
Source: Motor Sport · Ford's Advanced Vehicle Operations in action ↗Where these facts come from
- Motor Sport · December 1970 launch report
- Motor Sport · Escort Mexico from AVO
- Motor Sport · AVO factory report
- Automobile-Catalog · 1970 Ford Escort Mexico
Selected facts checked for this edition. Some source pages link to broader model families. Last reviewed 2026-10-03.