This 1972 Ford Escort Mk1 was restored six months ago in the style of the flared Mexico cars and the finished product is quite impressive. Considering the prices of the real Mk1 rally cars, this one seems quite a bargain. Find it here on Pistonheads in London, England for £12,500.

The grille shape on these cars is an absolute classic, and when combined with flares and deleted bumpers these cars can have a terrific look with the right stance. The striking orange color and body stripes make it all the better. It rolls on 15″ Mini-Lites in impressive 8″ and 9″ widths.

Many Mk1’s have two or four driving lights mounted up front, but that shot above sure doesn’t leave us wanting for many changes. The six dial dash and deep suede race wheel look perfect and the cage works well in contrasting silver. A pair of Corbeau 1-piece buckets and Sabelt harnesses complete the package.

The engine is a 1700cc cross-flow with a Kent 244 cam and twin Weber 45’s. The exhaust looks beautiful, though judging by the radiator hose we don’t think it was totally finished at the time of this photo. Several videos are included of the dyno pass where the car made 132BHP on the rollers.

This is a fantastic little car that would be an absolute hit if it were imported to North America. These cars are fairly well known and used in the UK, but they are much less common elsewhere. At about $20k USD we’d love to get our hands on this one.