Ford Escort RS2000

Model In Depth...

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  Ford Escort MK1

  Rating: 8 / 10

  Price: £1000-£20,000

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Fancy owning a motorsport legend for road and track use? Paul Davies looks at true classics that made their name on rally stages and race tracks, and still provide a fine drive today

Blame it on Ford’s resounding success in the 1970 World Cup, the one from London, through Europe and South America to Mexico City. Four years after the euphoria of 1966, England failed in its efforts to hold on to football’s greatest prize, but the Blue Oval took four out of the top six places on the world’s longest rally - and a new car was borne.Hannu Mikkola and Arne Hertz came out clear winners in Central America with the hybrid 1850cc, pushrod-powered version of the Escort BDA, and it set Ford thinking. In double quick time (rumour has it that the only ‘development’ the finished car had was a blast down the famous A127 Arterial Road in Essex and a half an hour ticking over to check the cooling ability!) the Escort Mexico appeared, with the simple buteffective 1600cc engine from the Capri GT replacing the complex (and expensive) 16 valve alloy head BDA in the Mk1 bodyshell. And queues formed at the special Rallye Sport dealers who sold the car. Within a short time, the Mexico had established itself as the car for club motorsport. Simple to maintain and run, eminently tuneable, strong and reliable, it spawned one-make race and rally championships and was the springboard for many a driver aiming for the top, such as 1979 world F1 champ Jody Scheckter. At the instigation of Ford motorsport supremo, Walter Hayes, a special ‘bespoke’ factory was established at South Ockendon, Essex, in 1970. Ford AVO (Advanced Vehicle Operations) assembled first the RS1600 and then the Mexico on the ’mini’ production line.
Then, in 1973, came the RS2000 with the 2.0 power unit from the Mk3 Cortina GXL , which proved to be an even bigger seller. But a year later, with the coming of the Mk2 Escort, AVO closed. The fans could not understand it. In only four years Ford had created not one, but two legends and then it had shut up shop. The new shape RS2000 was a great car (the Pinto-engine Mexicos that followed, not so accomplished) but it wasn’t the same heart-thumping thing. In essence the Mexico (and Mk1 RS2000) were versions of the RS1600, with the same, famous, strengthened ‘Type 49’ bodyshell. The three-rail gearbox and ratios, 3.77 rear axle, front disc and rear drum brakes, coil-spring strut front suspension, leaf sprung live rear axle, and rack and pinion steering were all pure RS, too. Only detail trim changed. It was the engines that made the difference. The 1599cc ‘Kent’ cross-flow unit with single, dual choke carburettor produced 86bhpin the Mexico; the 1993cc single overhead camshaft unit of the RS2000 (which started life in the USA in the Ford Pinto) was rated at a (then) heady 100bhp.Nowadays Mk1 Mexicos and RS2000s are much sought after, for road or historic motorsport. In a way they were Ford’s ‘Mini Coopers’, and like the Mini a whole industry grew up supplying tuning parts - something that’s still going on. Not bad for a car made in a ‘skunk factory’.