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Written by Ollie Kew
Why It MattersRallye Sport. That"s what Ford"s RS moniker stands for, and the Escort wears the letters more proudly with greater credibility than most, because it"s arguably the greatest off-road racing car of them all. The MkI overspills with so much pedigree, it couldn"t be contained in the RS1600 model, so Ford created this the Mexico to pay homage to Hannu Mikkola"s victory in the gruelling 1970 London to Mexico World Cup Rally.That said, the MkI Escort Mexico isa bit of a fibber. For one thing, the iconic colour daubed over it is called Sebring Red, when it"s clearly as orange as a tanning sponge. And really, it was never properly badged as an RS either, despite the subtle lettering lodged in the 13in alloys" hubcaps. Below the MkI Escort RS1600 in the range, the Mexico was a lesser performance model. This car"s modern ancestor is really an appropriately orange Focus ST not the ultimate performance version, but a nicely rounded, decently entertaining halfway house. But what we have here is really a genesis point for Ford"s blue-collar performance cars.Photography: Mark RiccioniThis feature was originally published in the March 2016 issue of Top Gear magazine.
Date written: 29 Feb 2016
More of this article on the Top gear website
ID: 2336
Why It MattersRallye Sport. That"s what Ford"s RS moniker stands for, and the Escort wears the letters more proudly with greater credibility than most, because it"s arguably the greatest off-road racing car of them all. The MkI overspills with so much pedigree, it couldn"t be contained in the RS1600 model, so Ford created this the Mexico to pay homage to Hannu Mikkola"s victory in the gruelling 1970 London to Mexico World Cup Rally.That said, the MkI Escort Mexico isa bit of a fibber. For one thing, the iconic colour daubed over it is called Sebring Red, when it"s clearly as orange as a tanning sponge. And really, it was never properly badged as an RS either, despite the subtle lettering lodged in the 13in alloys" hubcaps. Below the MkI Escort RS1600 in the range, the Mexico was a lesser performance model. This car"s modern ancestor is really an appropriately orange Focus ST not the ultimate performance version, but a nicely rounded, decently entertaining halfway house. But what we have here is really a genesis point for Ford"s blue-collar performance cars.Photography: Mark RiccioniThis feature was originally published in the March 2016 issue of Top Gear magazine.
Date written: 29 Feb 2016
More of this article on the Top gear website
ID: 2336
