Our theme for the November 7-9 2025 Classic Motor Show was the celebration of the 1970 Daily Mirror World Cup Rally, often referred to as the ‘London to Mexico’ World Cup Rally. And what a success it proved to be.
By the end of day three and the close of the Show, we’d welcomed many hundreds of visitors to the stand, each enthralled by the absolute scale of the rally itself, taking competitors across countries, terrain and Continents that challenged man, woman and machines to the very limit, as well as the sheer complexity of the organisation itself and the approach that the manufacturer teams and some privateers took in an effort to not only finish the rally but to win it as well.
Most of all, we were thrilled to reunite not two to three but FOUR famous Ford Escorts, each of which competed in the rally and started from Wembley Stadium on Sunday 19th April 1970 by bringing them together for the first time in 55 years.
Three ‘Works’ Escorts out of seven built or commissioned by Ford’s Boreham based `Motorsport Centre, and one rather exquisite little Escort 1300GT entered by privateers Doug Harris and Mike Butler, supported by Blackpalfrey Motor Club in Kent. These four cars proved the stars of our stand, bringing enthusiasts young and old, many with personal memories of the rally itself, and it was a privilege to see the joy they brought to so many at the show.
On Saturday, the second day of the Show, we were joined by journalist, broadcaster, former Radio 4 presenter and now well-known classic car auction valuer and litigator Richard Hudson-Evans. Richard has the incredible honour of having been a Ford Works co-driver in on of the team’s seven identical Ford Escorts on the 1970 Daily Mirror World Cup Rally himself, sitting alongside the late Colin Malkin in Car No. 85, FTW47H, seen above.
Not only did we reunite the four famous Escorts at the Show, but we also delighted in reuniting Richard with the very car that he last sat in and saw 55 years ago, as well as with the cars current owners and active long-distance rally competitors Simon Spinks and Jim Grayson. The three gentlemen chatted for hours about the event, the car’s long back story, the big accident near Belgrade that ended Richard and Colin’s rally and the simply colossal amount of testing, route reconnaissance and preparation that Ford UK carried out in order to maximise their chance of a really successful result on the rally. Best of all were two things that happened at the show…..firstly, Richard autographed the bonnet of his ‘old’ car at the request of delighted owners Simon & Jim….and secondly, PR man and Commentator Wayne Scott sat down with all three men and recorded a fascinating and revealing interview, which can be viewed here……
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZOdZ9bUskw
We’ll bring you more news about who else we met and what we learned at this year’s show, but in the meantime here’s some more information together with a photo of the most famous Escort of all, Hannu Mikkola and Gunnar Palm’s winning car FEV 1H, the star of Ford’s Heritage Collection and kindly loaned to us as the headline act on Stand 595, Hall 3A at the NEC.
106 cars entered the 1970 World Cup Rally. By the time the rally started, 10 had withdrawn or not made it to Wembley Stadium, and after over 16,000 miles in 39 days, just 23 arrived in Mexico City, exhausted, thrilled, challenged and full of memories of the most incredible life-affirming adventure most had ever known.
