Mk1 Mexico

Reading the bodies and Doyley thread made me reminisce the days of my ’74 Mexico in Sebring red. 86bhp to the rear wheels was great at an off camber roundabout to use opposite lock and snow on the road was great for self taught driving skills. Bilstiens all round, Janspeed exhaust that was always white inside, quick rack steering but must admit it wasn’t totally genuine I swopped my 5 1/2″ steel rims for rs alloys of an rs2000. Oil pressure gauge, round headlights not oblong,flared sump, corsair gearbox and the steering wheel was great to hold. Anyone on here had one ? I don’t want anyone trumping with a genuine RS1600 rs 2000 were ok but not any better

I had my heart set on one when I passed my test at 17. I cried when I found out the insurance premium I was so heartbroken. Ended up with a Mk1 handpainted 1.1l van 🙁

Very expensive now though.

Indeed, takes me back to the days of buying Cars and Car Conversions

No pics?

I always wanted one but I *DID* manage to own a Mini 1275GT which I loved.

Yes I have pics but not yet worked out how to share them on here I started reading the thread once. Getting back to triple c magazine I’m sure I still have lots up the loft alongside one or two escort magazines what a rip off they were no cars in them at all

Had a mk1 1100 4 door which I converted to 1630 Stage 1 engine. twin 40DCOEs Leda struts, RS alloys. Full dash. 3 rail box.

Learnt a lot of DIY skills on that car which have held me in good stead during the rest of my life.

Next car was a mk2 flat front mexico with a 2 litre pinto engine.

Lovely cars.

Indeed, takes me back to the days of buying Cars and Car Conversions

Somewhere I’ve got a drawing of Super Cecelia, complete with a Grumlin, done for me by the artist who drew Super CC.
I’m sure it’ll turn up one day, then I can get it framed.

Always loved them – never been in the right place or had enough cash to have one.

You should have stuck to Razzle redmex – “It’s kinky, it’s naughty, it’s only £1.40”!

Let me just clarify – when I say “stuck to”…..actually, never mind.

I had a T reg Mk3 1.6 GL Capri, that ended up as a 2.1 with a 270 deg cam.
Never got as far as twin 40 Webbers, I think it had the 38 DGAS from a 3.0 Capri. I got sick of changing gearboxes in the thing, but by heck could it accelerate (in a straight line).

I got rid shortly after an embarrassing episode at the lights in town one Friday night…
After revving the engine for the de-rigour drag race, I dropped the clutch only for the car to lurch forward & stall literally in the middle of the lights. After bringing rush hour Lichfield to a standstill I discovered the rusty front seat mounts had finally given way, tipping me backwards into the boot, (rear seat removed for weight saving, obviously). Embarrassingly I had become stuck, my shell suit bottoms snagged on the fake roll cage upright, constructed from a scaffolding pole.
After finally freeing myself I had to tip the seat out of the drivers door & crawl out onto the road in front of hysterical drivers.
Things went from bad to worse when I bought an XR3i.

Not the best pic but I will find better

had a yellow one m reg.. this was about 80 so only 5 years old.. had to sell it as is was sooooo rusty no floor on passenger side could never get girls to ride in it.. swapped for a solid mk1 cooper s twin tanks steels wheels.. that was a car that you could drive ..

My Dad’s mate had one of these:

That Lotus Cortina is lovely. It always reminds me of a story my dad told. In the sixties he had a friend who made a bunch of money building roads in Saudi. Whilst he was in Saudi his Cortina got stolen (he lived in Newcastle) and used for an armed robbery. The police eventually recovered it and the car has been expertly tuned. So a sort of bonus for the guy who had it stolen.

I had a burnt orange one in 1977, awesome car – still know where it is, oneday I may try to buy it back!

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Great thread, & to me those two pics are of proper classic cars!

Wish I’d kept & looked after my…..

The E not the ex!

A lad I was at tech college had a Mk1 Lotus Cortina the same as that one up there. Lovely car! (in those days anyway)

The colour to have Cyclelife.

A chap who lives down the road from me is really into his cars and has recently just got a Lotus Cortina like the one above and his 17 year old uses it as his daily drive! Madness as it is absolutely pristine!

It does get washed a lot though but it’s way too nice to be used every day.

This is mine, it’s a 74 last of the mk1, stipe is on now!

Bought in 93 by me.

WP_20140707_001 by bolt_1970[/url], on Flickr

Bolt you need a some black in your alloys, I see the wee bit negative camber on the front wheel and it looks like my Sebring red colour maybe

Enjoyed watching this again over Christmas……

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/for-the-love-of-cars/on-demand/57591-001

Have nearly doubled in value since this was filmed only three years ago 😯

Doubled in price, halved in value for money. 😉

All these old cars were fun when they were new and innovative but now they’re just temperamental old cars. I briefly flirted with the idea of buying one of the cars from my yoof but my reflexes have slowed, my enthusiasm waned and if a 1219cc engine with Weber 40s at 7000rpm was already considered anti-social back then it’s now something I’d feel embarrassed about using on the public road.

@redmex ye it’s sebring red, it was a base model mex so originally came on steel wheels and has bullet end pinstripes, not the larger ones that say mexico.
Still a few jobs to do yet!

Well, I’m part way through reading ‘Two years before the mast’ and I’m dissapointed in the thread content.

I always lusted after a Mexico but ended up having a Ford Anglia (estate version), Cortina Mk II 1600 Super, Cortina Mk III 1.6GL and a Mk II Capri, gold with black vinyl roof and wide alloys.

Ford man through and through here.

Drive a VW SUV now #oldandboring

Edit: ooh, I forgot, I had a Mk II escort too

Mine, a ’72 in Daytona Yellow:

I sold it in around 2000, just before prices rocketed. It took ages to find a buyer and I eventually got £900 for it. That is incredibly depressing 🙁

I used to work in a Ford Bodyshop. Changed quite a few bodyshells on fancy Fords as the owners could not keep them on the road.
Seem to remember there were two types of Mexico. Standard road and a Rally version. the Rally had Alloy door panels like the Lotus Cortina and was a bit stripped out inside.
Happy days.

Dad had a “bigwing” Mexico on a j plate. It was our family car. He actually rallied it also. Used to get some funny looks going to the shops with a full cage back then. He turned it into a kit car and still rues the day he pushed the shell into the tip at work 😯

It was two types of escort shell the standard and heavy duty (hd).
The mex twin cam and rs models all used the hd shell, which had extra strengthening panels, mountings etc.

Fast fords have never been my thing but ccc was a proper car mag and is missed.

But a mk1 Capri ? No no no it would not end well

I never had one, but lots of mates had Fast Fords, nicest was a Signal Orange Mk2 Mexico, quite rare even then, the RS2000 was more sort over.

I know it’s not a mk1 or a Mexico, but it is a mk2 RS2000. Had some proper good drives in it, it is my friends, we take it to the Alps and it is more comfortable than a little van.

The best drive was driving back of Bourg Saint Maurice without a starter motor and handbrake. We cannonball’ed it back to Bristol in 11 or 12 hours… We expected problems as we only put the engine in 3 days before leaving, the starter motor is one part we thought would be ok. I heard a pinging noise, like a bolt hitting the road and said “Well… it can’t be that important we are still driving!” Turned out it was the bolts holding the starter motor body together.

This is up for sale if you have £20k spare

http://www.brightwells.com/popup-gallery/?id=100007683

Milkie, I love that picture!

Cars are just so boring nowadays.

Love the posts, great thread, brilliant photos.

Edukator you don’t have to drive at 7000rpm all the time, just on those deserted French country roads.

Brilliant photos.

Mk 1 Escort is the only one I never had having had Mk2 > Mk 6/7 whatever they went upto.

I have to admit the red RS looks great it’s the droop snoot for me or even the wee spoiler they had on the boot although the mk1 selling for 20k i bet its been round the block a few times, pulled out a few hedges and fences maybe had a new roof at some point, cills, floor panels.
Almost forgot Cibies who had them ?

That one at Brightwells isn’t even an RS ! It started life as an 1100.

And yet, even at £20k, you probably wouldn’t lose money on it long term.

If anyone wants to see Mk 1’s and 2’s in action, get yourself up for the Border Rally on March 18th.

https://www.msabrc.com/rallies/2017/border-counties-rally/

They usually have stages through both Innerleithen and Yair.

Fair few Escorts last year plus everything for modern turbo stuff to old RWD cars and other ex-works type cars like 6R4’s too all running on decent length forestry stages.