Witness A One

Aug 04, 2023

The Late Brake Show has discovered a 1974 Ford Escort Mexico that's been with one family since new.

The Late Brake Show host Jonny Smith has found an incredible amount of barn find classic cars over the last couple of years, but this one is particularly special.

Located in Cumbria in the UK, this is a Ford Escort Mexico that has been under the ownership of one family since it was first bought new back in 1974. Belonging to the Cradock family, husband to Anne, Tim Cradock, sadly passed away a few months before Jonny could look at the car.

But Jonny still went up to meet the family and to see the car, and unearth it from its garage. It’s a car that holds a special place in the hearts of the family, having been their sole car for many years.

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Manufacturer

Ford

Production Years

1970-1974

Configuration

Inline-Four

Displacement

1,601 cc

Power

86 Hp

Torque

92 lb-ft

Fuel

Gas

Notable Applications

Ford Escort Mk I

The family has been a Ford family for many years, so they have effectively owned Ford's almost their entire life, so the Escort Mexico fits right in with them. Despite the fact it was the daily driver for the family, Jonny takes it out of the garage and sees it is in perfect condition for a barn find.

It went everywhere with them, taking them to the hospital, on camping trips, and more before it was finally retiring in the 1980s. Ever since then, it lived in this garage just sleeping and awaiting discovery.

It has been out and about a little bit since then. It went down to the wedding of one of the sons in the family, as well as getting taken to a few local classic car shows.

For the last seven years, it has laid dormant in its garage, with it only coming out once for photos for the insurance company.

There are signs of a bit of dirt and dust on the car, but as its family has loved it since new, it's not like a traditional barn find that has had years of neglect.

The roof, however, has let a little bit of water in, and there is a tiny bit of rust at the front of the car. A sticker on the car from new says “End Rust: Guaranteed Corrosion Protection” which was an extra you could pay for to have a bit of rust protection added to it.

The Escort has had a minor bit of restoration work in the past, but for the most part, it is in the same condition it's been in since the 1970s.

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Ford actually produced the Mexico to celebrate Ford’s win in the huge marathon rally from London to Mexico in 1970. A whole group of Ford Escort RSs entered the rally, and one ultimately won the event for Ford.

Being the marketing geniuses they were, Ford decided the best way to celebrate the win was to create a production Escort Mexico edition.

In 1974, the production run for the Mexico was coming to an end so the Cradock family was able to get their hands on it for a slightly reduced price.

In a testament to their dedication to the car and how meticulous Tim was, wife Anne brought out the full-service history for the car to show Jonny including an old Haynes manual for the Escort Mexico, which has had so much usage that the spine is now gone.

Jonny is able to see the full, original bill of sale complete with the entire service history and certificates for the Escort. It shows how meticulous Tim was at looking after the Escort, and it is a testament to how much the entire family loved it.

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Sadly, the time has come for the car to move on. As Anne says, it is time, money, and space, and sons Dan and Ben have families to look after.

As much as they would love to take on the car and keep it in the family, they haven’t got the time to do so. Tim though did keep it in great condition, mostly because he just loved the car so much but also because he was a big fan of how you could maintain and tinker with cars from this generation. This is something that is a bit harder to do with many modern vehicles.

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The car comes out of the garage, and it does look largely original, with a few exceptions. The engine had a rebuild at 110,000 miles while it did sadly go down an embankment at one point.

Thankfully, Tim who was driving it was okay although a Land Rover did try its best to write the car off after a rear-ending. The insurance company wanted it written off, but Tim did not. A repair was then carried out, meaning it lives on to this very day.

Checking out under the hood shows an engine that has years of use and wear but without any significant rust or dampness. It looks a bit crusty and corroded but it's not as bad as it could have been.

Jonny even manages to check out a variety of original spare parts for the car as they seek to get it running again. Jonny is happy that the engine is in a good enough condition to start as it has not sat in the garage for decades not getting run.

Jonny and the Late Brake Team attempt to get the Ford started, but it is a little bit reluctant at first, with even the dash lights not coming on when the ignition gets turned.

Jonny thinks one of the starter motor solenoids is actually broken, meaning the simple task of starting the Ford wasn’t so simple.

We won’t ruin the process he went through to get it going, but Jonny is able to get the engine to start and turnover, much to the enjoyment and delight of the entire family. The car will now get sold, and the family is hoping it will find a new owner who loves it as much as they do.

Source: The Late Brake Show YouTube Channel

Covering anything from JDM cars to classic jets. Contributed to HotCars since the Autumn of 2018.