1973 Ford ESCORT (Mexico Replica)

With three former keepers, this fabulous early Ford Escort has been the subject of a painstaking and expensive restoration to better than ‘Mexico’ specification over a number of years.

Now offered for sale, this is a rare opportunity to buy a fully sorted Mexico replica that is better engineered than any rivet-counting, 100-point, factory faithful restoration will ever be.

The works have only recently been finished off, as you can see. It has barely seen a wet road, let alone a November pass of a Kielder Forest Stage. A blank canvas for you to write its next chapter on.

The project started with a sunroof-free bodyshell, which was stripped and refurbished before being fitted with new front and rear panels, a new/old stock bonnet, new wheelarches and outer sills, and Mexico wings. The 21st century then contributed RS top plates and an Alan Dent gearbox tunnel to accommodate the Type 9 ‘box. See gallery for photos of the underside.

The car was then sprayed in Monaco Blue before being finished off with new quarter bumpers on the front, a nearly new genuine rear bumper and front grille, bonnet pins, new door and window seals and Mexico stripes.

And yes, it looks even better in the flesh than the photos; this car redefines cool, and looks utterly perfect. If Steve McQueen was a car, he’d be this Monaco Blue MK1 Ford Escort Mexico.

The interior has seen the same attention to detail having been fitted with an Alan Dent roll-cage, new OMP period racing seats, six-dial dashboard, fire extinguisher, Springalex replica deep-dish steering wheel, and various bits of new trim. All the 'base' Excort stuff like the dashboard and clocks look to be in excellent condition as well. 

Brilliantly, despite the fitment of a five-speed Type 9 gearbox, the gearknob shows only four speeds, just like the original. If the guy building it goes to these lengths, then you know he hasn’t skimped on the really important stuff, don’t you?

Think of those recent factory recreations of a Jaguar E-Type Lightweight, but done in a factory in Aveley (experts, you know where I mean!). Well, the car does now live in Essex!

The car runs a 1600c Pinto engine cooled by a larger alloy radiator and Fiesta ST fan. The power feeds through a five-speed gearbox (complete with a rose-jointed, quick-shift linkage) via a one-piece heavy duty propshaft and an RS axle geared with a 3.54 differential. The uprights come from a 2.8-litre Capri and have been refurbished with new discs, pads, and calipers. The front Alan Dent crossmember features adjustable track control arms, a heavy duty steering joint, and a quickrack.

The rear leaf springs also come from a 2.8-litre Capri and the whole set-up has been lowered by 1.5 inches and fitted with heavy duty anti-tramp bars. New gas shock absorbers have been fitted on all four corners and the wheels are 7x13” Superlights shod with new Yokohama tyres.

There is not a huge amount of paperwork to come with the car - this one is sold on current condition. There are a couple of recent invoices plus a handwritten set of notes that spec the car and list the parts acquired and work carried out all available in the gallery; the total bill was in excess of £12,000 – and that was just the cost of the parts.

Please visit the ‘Records’ section of this listing where you will find more than 80 photos on top and underneath for you to drool over. It will also come with a new, 12-month MOT.

It may not be a genuine Mexico but: it did start with an excellent Escort shell. It does have stripes on a rather natty period blue. And the engine is a proper Escort number. And nothing can change that handling. And the quality of the works does seem high. So....

If you’ve been following the MK1 Ford Escort market, you’ll have seen just how stratospherically they’ve been doing. However, the vendor isn’t greedy, and we’ve agreed a guide price with him of £17-18,000 and with genuine Mexicos being over double this we can't help but feel this is good value. Don’t forget that the reserve, as always with our vehicles, is set at an even lower point.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this car can be seen in Essex; to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car, AnyVan for transporting it, and Footman James for classic car insurance.