Evolution of a Mk2 Escort rally car

Lopéz

Lopéz

Lopéz

Man of Honour
Joined
17 Oct 2002
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Ottakring, Vienna.
This is my mate's Mk2 Escort he's owned since 2003


Stage 1:

Nice clean road car. No grotty welded on patches, all repairs are with new spot welded panels to factory spec. Running a 2.1 Pinto, twin 45 Webers, bolt in roll cage, Spax adjustables.

Mk201.jpg


Mk202.jpg


Mk203.jpg



Stage 2:

Lots and lots spent here. Fully seam + stitch welded where appropriate, 5 linked rear axle, full Group 4 shell minus the arches, 2.4 Holbay engine, split 48 Dellortos, Quaife Pro gearbox, baby Atlas LSD, full weld in cage, Prodrive seats, FIA belts, HID lights, flocked dash, Bilstein coilovers etc.

Mk204.jpg


Mk205.jpg


Mk206.jpg


Mk207.jpg



Stage 3:

Arches, Duratec engine on throttle bodies, etc etc - will try and get more pics. Yum yum yum!

Mk208.jpg


Some will say it was a shame to do this to a genuine Stratos Silver Harrier, and in a sense I'd agree - but it was just a case of using the best possible available base car.
 
What Duratec? 2.0 or 2.3?

They're getting 150bhp/litre out of them naturally aspirated. Hell of an engine.

Once again driving home the fact that Ford don't design good engines :p

Liking it with arches. Needs Allycats or Revos though ;)

*n
 
penski said:
What Duratec? 2.0 or 2.3?

They're getting 150bhp/litre out of them naturally aspirated. Hell of an engine.

Once again driving home the fact that Ford don't design good engines :p

Liking it with arches. Needs Allycats or Revos though ;)

*n
Click to expand...

I can't honestly remember - last time I saw it in the flesh it was having the bulkhead adjusted to clear the Duratec properly.

It has a set of brand new Revos, they were actually on it the day before that second lot of pics were taken but the conditions were drier than expected for the rally so the wheels were swapped over before scrutineering
 
Fantastic, always wanted a Harrier! Needs a BDA for that forest bark but looks great. I gaurantee that will be flipping great fun on the gravel, so easy to hold sideways for 300 miles, or more if your petrol lasts!
 
Lopéz said:
The bonus with the Escort is that it's almost unbelievably well catered for in the tuning and aftermarket here in the UK.
Click to expand...

True.

That said, if I could get a mkII that already had coilovers all 'round, adjustable topmounts and decent axle location for a price that wasn't 'obscene', I'd jump at the chance.

As I've said before, the reason I chose a Chevette over an Escort was that (at the time), I could get one for 1/3-1/4 of the price of a mk2 in similar condition and that it would cost £500-750ish to get an Escort to handle like a Chevette (neutral and progressive rather than all-or-nothing). And I'm a skinflint :D

I haven't driven a stock Manta...How do they compare?

*n
 
By design I suppose the Manta is a naturally understeering car, which worried me at first because I instantly thought "AARGH, CAPRI!"
But it drives nothing like a Capri. Steering positive, follows its nose, progressive oversteer which is very very much throttle controlled (barges like the Volvo are more momentum controlled) In fact it just feels like a big Chevette.
 
Lopéz said:
By design I suppose the Manta is a naturally understeering car, which worried me at first because I instantly thought "AARGH, CAPRI!"
But it drives nothing like a Capri. Steering positive, follows its nose, progressive oversteer which is very very much throttle controlled (barges like the Volvo are more momentum controlled) In fact it just feels like a big Chevette.
Click to expand...

The benefit of proper front suspension and an absence of cart springs, I suppose :)

I keep getting dirty thoughts about a Modified Production class Manta to show the Escort lot up in sprints/hillclimbs.

2.4 CIH lump with a cut down 24v head to give 16v.

8krpm, 300bhp. Win. :D

*n
 
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