Full Description
SORRY NOW SOLD – SIMILAR WANTED
An incredible RS Owners Club AVO Registered Mk1 Ford Escort Mexico.
EQUIPMENT
Advanced Vehicle Operations (AVO) Type 49 heavy-duty body, front quarter bumpers, strengthened chassis rails, strengthened flitch plates, reinforced front suspension strut top mounting plates, rear radius rods, safety glass, anti-burst locks, black painted aluminium grille, six pod sports binnacle, heater fan, two speed wiper. Fitted accessories; Wheel arch extentions, panard rod rear suspension set-up, external quick-release bonnet catches, front circular cooling vents, boot catches, FIA full roll cage, Moto-Lita leather steering wheel, battery and fuel pump isolator switches, Facet fuel pump, fire extinguisher.
EXTERIOR
Finished in the correct and early colour of Maize Yellow, (Code T), a rare launch colour available for only 11 months, this genuine AVO Mexico is stunning. Metal Bubble Arch wheel extentions, as available through the Special Build Programme, combined with black broad Mexico stripes gives the car a purposeful stance. The underside is spotlessly clean in body colour for those enjoying the show scene and hundreds of photos of the meticulous restoration will leave no doubt to the perfect credentials and AVO workmanship. Early car features such as the starting handle hole have been supplemented with additional cooling holes for both improved engine performace and asthetic pleasure. Detailed items such as the 1600GT badges, genuine FoMoCo rear lenses and twin-wire Trico Speedblade wipers are all in excellent condition. The original front grille and glass has some markings and the headlights are upgraded items. A very desirable Ford Rally Sport hero.
INTERIOR
Curvaceous Contour bucket seats are a sought-after competitions department extra and the headrests an additional option, all in perfect condtion. The cockpit is very clean with innate driver appeal thanks to a professionally installed FIA Safety Devices roll cage, Moto-Lita leather sports steering wheel, fire extinguisher and isolator switches. The 140mph speedometer, 8,000rpm rev counter, gauges and heater fan on both speed settings all function, although the rev guage is inaacurate. The headlining and door cards are in excellent condition and the padded dash has a tiny nick on the passenger corner and driver top. The raised Ford badge on the passenger door sill is still fitted and the boot area is spotlessly clean with the battery in the boot and stone deflector fittings as per early AVO Mexico examples. This package is hard to beat.
ENGINE & TRANSMISSION
Nestled between the AVO Escorts inner front wings is the jewl, a Kent XFlow Harris Performane Engine. With world renowned engine building performance since the 1930’s, the experience of the legendary Jeff Harris is respected throughout the Ford community. This Blueprint and built 1700cc engine runs 158.1bhp on a BD- Engineering Dyno. In brief it has a fully ported and polished head, matched inlet and exhaust ports, a 244 Cam with adjustable Vernier pulley, roller rocker fingers on valve train and fully lightened and balanced pistons, rods and fly wheel. The sound through the Twin weber 45’s and 105 speed full stainless MASS exhaust system is intoxicating! A fabulously clean engine bay with original VIN plate and Special Build body plate will please exhibitionists. A fully rebuilt 4-speed gearbox with SKF bearings along with fully rebuilt balanced propshaft and Fostek baby atlas axle allows for rapid progress.
WHEELS, TYRES & BRAKES
Period correct Minilite alloy wheels have a few tiny marks and wear sticky 205/60 R13 Toyo Proxes with ample tread. A braking system compromising of a Girling Powerstop remote brake servo is fitted at the nearside front of the engine bay resulting in the battery being located in the boot as per factory built early cars. AP Racing 4-pot calipers on front grip tightly.
HISTORY FILE
Built at Fords Advanced Vehicle Operations factory in Aveley in June 1971 this vehicle was first registered on the 3rd September 1971 and is well known to the AVO Club with its latest longterm custonion Mr John Savage, being an active member. Mr Savage sourced the car in 2010 through the AVO Club and an official valuation by the Club Valuer / Model Register is included in the history file at this time. Mr Savage then began a childhood dream of building his ultimate Mk1 Mexico with Bubble Arches and a period correct Harris Performance Engine. Being the Director of MKE Engineering, the largest independent engineering organisation of its kind in the South East, his expertise and contacts helped make this dream a reality, albeit at great expense! Witness to the programme of works are hundreds of digital photos leaving no doubt to the quality of workmanship. A history file reveals this cars journey and neatly presented photos in an album tell a wonderful story along with a five page magazine feature in Classic Ford dated June 2005. A collection of invoices, MOT certificates, magazines, workshop manuals, Escort handbook and old literature makes fascinating reading along with copies of HAVOC, the AVO Owners Club quarterly magazine for members. A superb car which really can be enjoyed straight away by a lucky new custodian.
HPI Clear.
