Escort 2 and 4 doors
Made feats in motorsport
The Ford Escort was a formidable success, and is still sought after as a hobby and vintage car. "Good looks" and simple mechanics are not the whole explanation. I also believe that Ford's investment in motorsport helped to create a good image. Escort appealed to the feminine and beautiful as well as the tough and sporty.
One of the great achievements that would forever mark Ford fanatics was the 1970 World Cup Rally. It was won by Hannu Mikkola and Gunnar Palm with a tuned Escort 1600 (Kent Crossflow). It gave the idea for the legendary Escort Mexico model – one of the toughest mk1 Escorts.
Simple, cheap and stylish
So simple – so stylish! The all-new Escort was introduced in 1967 for the 1968 model year. It was built in the same way as the Ford Cortina mk2, that is, MacPherson front, leaf springs and rigid rear axle, Kent Crossflow OHV engines, rear-wheel drive – and rack and pinion steering – which the Cortina mk2 did not have. Everything was simple, worked well and was cheap to produce – in the good Ford spirit. What makes the first Escort special, in my opinion, is the great design with Coke bottle shapes along the sides and where the headlights and grille were shaped like a "Lohengrin" chocolate or meat bone.
Engines
The engines in the Escort mk1 were the so-called Kent Crossflow The OHV engines that were also used in the Ford Cortina and later the Ford Fiesta. The standard engines were the 1100 (50 hp), 1300 (56 hp) and 1300 GT (72 hp). The Escort Mexico got a 1600 (Kent Crossflow) from 86 hp. They were produced by Ford AVO (Advanced Vehicle Operatios) in England together with the special cars RS1600 and RS2000.
About the pictures
The picture in the main image is a Mexico that was exhibited at the Oslo Motor Show two different years, last time in 2024. The white rally car (C-17104) is a Twin Cam photographed at a public event at Drammen Travbane under the auspices of NMK Drammen. There is more information about this car at rallybasen.no . The car with registration number "HJ" participated in a car meeting in Hønefoss. It is a 1300, probably GT. The orange car is a 1974 Escort 1300 L. It is pictured at a May 17 driveout at Revetal. The white over red car with registration number "DR" was exhibited at a Ford meeting at Sundvollen Hotell. It has a 2-liter engine. The rally-rigged E-1597 was exhibited at the Oslo Motor Show 2024. The dark gray car was photographed at the Hoftreffet 2021. It also has a 2-liter engine. The green car with vinyl roof is an Escort 1300 E that participated in the Enfield Pageant of Motoring. The British-registered blue car in RS livery is an RS2000 photographed at a car show, Brooklands, England. The red car with rear window louvre (salmon stairs) participated in cars & Coffee Ringerike 10 years in 2025.
Rebuilt cars
Now it was not the Escort Mexico and the RS1600 or RS2000 that dominated the traffic scene in the early 70s. They were rather ordinary Escorts with 1100 and 1300 engines, often with extras such as decorative rings around the wheel covers, matching grill covers in the winter and roof rails. Cars for all and sundry – which were driven until there was nothing left, literally. Among today's mk1 Escorts, it may seem that there are almost only Mexico and RS2000 in operation. If you take a closer look at the cars at the seams, you often find that they are often standard cars - Aunt Dagmar's Escort 1100 DeLuxe - converted to the supercars of yesteryear.
Escort Estate
It is safe to say that Escort's first station wagon put beauty ahead of space and functionality. Like the Anglia, only 3-door station wagons with their characteristic side windows were made.
The car in the picture has been photographed at RøhneSelmer in Lillestrøm on two occasions.
Ford's Advanced Vehicle Operations
The Ford AVO Owners Club was founded in the 1980s to bring together owners of cars produced between 1968 and 1975 under Ford’s Advanced Vehicle Operations. They were a popular fixture at this year’s London Classic Car Show. According to the club, they include the legendary Ford Escort Twin Cam, RS1600, Mexico and RS2000 models, as well as the Ford Capri RS3100. Here are some photos from the show.
Click on an image to view in a larger format.
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