Tag: Ford

There have been a number of awesome Escorts built and raced over the years, but this Mk2 Escort race car and Austrian Hillclimb Championship contender is surely among the best of them all.

Feature from Fast Ford magazine. Words and photos: Robb Pritchard

Arches, splitters, wings, diffuser. It looks like something straight out of modern DTM. But the familiar rectangular grille with two round headlights is such a contrast of eras that it takes a moment for your brain to register what your eyes are seeing.

Pikes Peak may be the world’s most famous hillclimb event, but the sport is incredibly popular in parts of Europe too (the really hilly bits!), and because of the lack of rules regarding builds, it’s the place to see some seriously impressive race cars – such as this absolutely stunning Mk2 Escort race car. But it certainly isn’t just for show: this Escort competes in the Austrian Hillclimb Championship in the capable hands of its creator Christopher Neumayr.

The story starts with a 17th birthday gift from his grandma – a BMW 318 that, without going into any incriminating details such as speed limits, he managed to park on its roof on a quiet country road. The next two cars also ended up the same way, so Christopher’s dad, wanting to focus his son’s obvious need for speed in a more controlled environment, allowed him to use his precious RS2000 in a local hillclimb event.

“It was a really nice car. It was light so had a great power-to-weight ratio and handled really well.” Unfortunately, in one of his very first events something broke and pitched Christopher head-first into a wall at very high speed. He was lucky to come away with just a few cracked ribs and bruises. But the car? The impact was hard enough to push the engine and gearbox back so much that the rear axle was bent. Needless to say, there wasn’t much left to salvage…

From their hospital beds, many people would have looked at the photos of the mangled mess of twisted metal and pool of mixing oil and coolant flowing down the road, and decided that tearing up mountains at break-neck speeds might not be for them. But for Christopher (who might not be wired quite the same way as the rest of us) it was a galvanising moment that led him over the next few years to create this incredible Escort from the remains of the old. No sheer rock face was going to stand in his way.

The central part of the shell is the only part left of the original car, straightened, stripped and cut out to the minimum metal allowed in the regulations. Christopher chose to run in the E1 class for non-turbo cars, as a ‘charger would put him in the top class with 800bhp 4×4 monsters, which is not the place you want to be if you plan on competing with anything resembling a budget.

A Cosworth YB engine minus the turbo was the chosen powerplant, but it is far from standard. A Farndon crankshaft designed especially for non-turbo cars, coupled with the stroke reduced from 77mm to 72mm, allows it to rev to an incredible 10,000rpm. Cylinders were bored out from 90mm to 94mm and fitted with CP pistons from America, smaller bearings create less friction and weight, and the lengthened and balanced conrods were also from Farndon.

The head is quite special too: heavily ported on a CNC machine, it has bigger inlet and outlet ports and a special profile for the cams, which are bigger and more aggressive than the turbocharged YB designs. All this makes a healthy 304bhp on racing fuel with 187lb.ft of torque. And in a car that weighs much less than a tonne, it’s enough to hit 60mph in ‘about three seconds’!

A six-speed sequential gearbox – made by Tractive in Sweden – also features a pneumatic paddle shift that Christopher designed himself; modestly, he confesses it took a long time to get right. The rear 909 Ford Motorsport differential and independent suspension setup is from a WRC Escort Cosworth, and is mounted directly to the roll cage just like the works rally cars. How did Christopher  manage to work out all the engineering for such a complicated transplant? “I just looked at a lot of photos and saw what part needed to go where,” he says.

He also made the front uprights, but the geometry was hard to perfect. “If the setup didn’t feel right I tried a different way,” he says. But what he means by ‘trying a different way’ is completely scrapping the previous version and fabricating a new design…

The suspension is three-way adjustable by KW, with a custom setup specific for this car. Brakes are six-pots from Tarox, but the discs are tiny, as all hillclimb races are fast and uphill so there’s no need to carry any extra kilos of steel on the wheels.

Power is important, but perhaps more so is weight saving. With the minimum limit being just 790kg, if something is not needed it is not fitted. Christopher’s car is exactly 790kg.

Aerodynamic aids are also unregulated, and if you don’t think you’ve ever seen a Mk2 that looks quite like this then you’re right. All the bodywork is unique to this car. “The splitter and wings took a lot of work cutting away foam blocks to make the moulds. It was many hours of scraping and sanding before I had what I wanted, but after about a hundred hours I stopped counting!

“Many people have asked if they can buy a set from me. I have the moulds so I can repair the car quickly if I have an accident, but I won’t sell them. I like having the only Escort that looks like this.”

The huge rear wing and diffuser produce massive amounts of downforce. “A friend of mine has a virtual wind tunnel programme, so we entered in all the car’s dimensions as accurately as we could and ran it on the simulator, and it really helped with the setup of the car. Now I can understand how much the suspension is compressed at 200km/h without having to drive that speed in a badly setup car just to test it! I can go through corners unbelievably fast now.”

Some hillclimb events have faster courses than others, so like in many high-speed, high-technology racing series both the wing and diffuser can be adjusted. Weather conditions affect setup as well. If it’s a wet event everything is tuned to maximum downforce.

Generally the courses are short at just a few kilometres, so getting off the line as quickly as possible is key to getting a good time. The three-piece BBS wheels are the same size front and rear, as the MBE ECU’s traction control measures the turning of the front wheels to control the spinning of the rears. The ECU programme has eight vectors for changing the start mapping from wet to totally dry. It saves a couple of seconds per run… and cost €4000. Christopher estimates he’s invested over 1000 hours into the build. “I finished it when the car was as good as I could get it, because who wants to drive a crappy car?” he shrugs. Apart from the time, the cost just in parts is around €70,000.

The first race was in May 2014, and it was terrible. “There were problems with the electrics, with the engine, and the ECU was completely confused with the traction control.” It was another 18 months of development to get everything working properly – a year-and-a-half working until 2am, designing, fabricating and testing.

Christopher’s gritty never-give-up attitude finally paid off when he came away with his first win, three-and-a-half years after the crash. “It was such a great feeling,” he smiles. There were so many times that I wanted to give up because getting the car as fast as it needed to be just seemed so far beyond me, but a lot of friends and fans encouraged me, and that always motivated me.”

And Christopher’s not finished there. In his quest for ever faster times up the hill, he’s recently started a WRC-spec Mk7 Fiesta build, which he reckons is on course to set him back a cool €250,000!

In the meantime, Christopher is content to keep getting his hillclimbing kicks from his awesome Escort.

Tech Spec: Mk2 Escort Race Car

Engine:

Naturally-aspirated Cosworth YB 2.0-litre with shorter stroke (72mm) using custom Farndon crankshaft and conrods and custom CP forged pistons (94mm bore), CNC-ported cylinder head, custom high-lift cams, throttle bodies within custom carbon airbox with intake kit, four-branch exhaust manifold into custom exhaust system, dry sump system with custom breathers and tanks, MBE ECU with custom wiring loom, custom cooling package, 10,500rpm rev limit

Power:

304bhp and 187lb.ft (on race fuel)

Transmission:

Tractive six-speed sequential gearbox with custom paddle-shift, twin-plate AP Racing clutch, Escort Cosworth rear cradle with 909 Ford Motorsport 9in rear diff

Suspension:

Custom three-way KW Suspension coilovers, Escort Cosworth WRC independent rear suspension conversion

Brakes:

Tarox six-pot alloy callipers with custom non-vented discs

Wheels & Tyres:

BBS 10x15in three-piece split rims, Avon super-soft slicks

Exterior:

Custom carbon fibre panels incorporating one-off bodykit (moulds all owned by Christopher), custom aero package including adjustable rear wing and rear diffuser

Interior:

Full motorsport weld-in roll cage, excess material removed/weight saved, carbon panels, single competition bucket seat with Sparco belts

This stunning Sapphire Cosworth is unlike any other, thanks to a homebuilt 764bhp YB engine and a sequential gearbox that help it cover the quarter mile in just 10.3 seconds…

Feature from Fast Ford. Words: Simon Holmes. Photos: Matt Woods

Over the years, it’s fair to say we’ve seen plenty of well modified Cosworths pass through Fast Ford pages. Both heavily fettled track cars with race specifications, or full road cars hiding huge power have become fairly regular, which is no bad thing. But of all the massively modified YB powered Fords we’ve featured, we don’t think we’ve ever come across something quite like Jon Gamble’s Sierra Sapphire Cosworth 4×4.

For a start, it’s putting out a serious 764bhp, thanks to hefty sized, twin-scroll BorgWarner turbo producing 2.5bar of boost. It then sends all that horsepower through a trick six-speed sequential gearbox and down to the Tarmac via a set of stunning centre-lock wheels that look they’ve come straight off a RS500 touring car. That little lot alone is enough to firmly place this Sapphire Cosworth ahead of virtually any other of its kind, but then there’s the fact it also happens to be a true road car, with a full interior and tyres to prove it. Yet this tidy Sapphire covers the quarter mile in a blistering 10.3 seconds and, perhaps most impressively of all, was largely built by Jon at home in the garage.

Only a handful of fast Fords, let alone Sierras of this type have ever been able to boast those sort of credentials, as it takes a serious amount of time, money and effort to create what is quite simply one of the best Sierra Sapphires we’ve seen.

The journey to bring the car to this level wasn’t short or easy either, as Jon explains to us that he has owned the car for some 14 years. He originally bought it as a toy, for use as a hobby in his spare time, back when the Cosworth was the best choice for modifying, long before the Focus ST and RS models became so popular.

Jon sourced the car from Ebay and when he first got hold of it, it was completely standard.

“Apart from a set of alloys and 360bhp chip,” he recalls. “I didn’t really have any real plans for it back then exactly, it just grew as I went along.”

The first modifications on the Sapphire Cosworth came in the shape of a Spec-R intercooler and a twin-scroll BorgWarner turbo set up from Nortech Performance, both of which are companies Jon has formed trust in over the years thanks to their good reputations. For most other things, Jon works on the car himself where possible, which explains how and why the Sierra began to develop quickly into a very serious machine. This evolution was further helped by his interest in drag racing, which developed around 8 years ago.

“It began with ‘Run What You Brung’ events with my sons and has become more serious since then,” he reveals. “My aim became to make it the fastest Sierra on the quarter mile, but I still wanted to keep it street legal and useable.”

Sure enough, Jon used to drive the car to Santa Pod, before racing it and then bravely driving home again, but as the power and performance rose, the odd breakage did occur. In fact, it was when the build reached a very respectable 521bhp and the gearbox blew that Jon admitted that he should start trailering the car to events if it was going to be driven hard. It was also at that point Jon became more serious in bettering his times, and the build promptly grew from there.

In 2019, Jon took a huge step up when he built the new engine in his garage at home, which featured some serious components, such as a steel crank, linered block and a tasty ported head, which helped it produce a colossal 707bhp on pump fuel and 764bhp, together with 604lb.ft of torque, on more potent 110RON race fuel.

To go with all that the new found power was the heavily uprated transmission Jon had selected to replace his last broken gearbox. It was not only better suited to the job but also improved the car’s performance on the strip, thanks to lightning fast gear changes.

“I went to a sequential gearbox when Oppliger Motorsport brought out a new six-speed that fitted in the old MT75 casing,” recalls Jon. “It also meant I could flat shift when racing and the gearbox made the single most amount of difference to the way the car drove.”

As four-wheel drive Cosworths are prone to weak drivetrains, both the front and rear differentials have also been beefed up to suit using Quaife items and so far proven reliable despite the numerous hard launches at Santa Pod.

At this point, despite the huge performance, the car had always retained a standard look, with the bodywork complimented only by a set of understated Compomotive wheels finished in black. But that look changed more recently when Jon opted to mix things up a bit and fit those awesome centre-lock split rims. It was an inspired choice.

“I don’t know of, or have ever seen, any RS500 touring car replica wheels on a Sapphire Cosworth, so thought why not!” he tells. “The wheels are made up by MT Motorsport, who made the centres and uses genuine BBS inner and outer rims. They’re wrapped in 215/45/17 Toyo R888R tyres all round.”

Although they’re wheels usually associated with track day cars, the polished lips and gold centres suit the car well and those in the know realise they’re a serious bit of kit, which is perfectly in keeping with the car’s look.

But whilst there are subtle hints on the outside, the interior remains virtually completely standard with a full trim both front and back. However, There are a couple of tell-tales for eager-eyed Ford fans, such as the gauges, harnesses and that extended gear lever that hints there’s a special gearbox hiding beneath it.

Despite the huge power on tap and tasty transmission, Jon does still use the car on the road when he finds the time and isn’t at Santa Pod. Although the ballistic performance of a true 10-second street car does require a lot of respect and self control.

“I still take the car out to meets at Ace Cafe and to shows when I can, and had it on track at Ford Fair too. It’s a right handful!” he confirms. “I like the whole driving experience. It’s like riding a very fast motorbike in terms of speed and stopping distances.”

With a best time of 10.3 seconds at 141mph on road tyres so far, there’s certainly a lot more to be had from this Sierra just by swapping over to a set of drag radials, but Jon isn’t in a rush to make that move just yet, keen to keep it street legal. There are plans to improve the car further, with talk of a side exit exhaust system, lightweight body panels and an increase in power in order to see the quarter mile time fall. We’re guessing this will be one of those projects that continues to evolve, and we’re certainly looking forward to where it goes next.

Tech Spec: Modified Sierra Sapphire Cosworth 4×4

Engine:

YB 200 Ductile linered block, CP forged pistons, steel rods, Arrow steel crankshaft, ported head, uprated cams, adjustable pulleys, big wing sump, BorgWarner 91/80 EFR twin-scroll turbo, twin TiAL external wastegates, Nortech Performance twin-scroll tubular exhaust manifold and 3.5in exhaust system, Spec-R intercooler, rad and WRC style breather set up, Roose Motorsport silicone hoses, custom intake with K&N filter, Autronic SM4 ECU

Transmission:

Oppliger Motorsport six-speed sequential gearbox, Quaife front and rear diffs with 3.6:1 ratios, TTV twin-plate 230mm three-piece clutch kit

Suspension:

GAZ Gold coilovers, front compression struts, custom front strut brace, poly bushed

Brakes:

AP Racing four-pot calipers and 330mm discs at the front, standard calipers and 300mm discs at the rear

Wheels & Tyres:

BBS inner and outer split rims with MT Motorsport centres, 215/45/17 Toyo R888R tyres all round, MT Motorsport centre-lock hub adapters

Exterior:

Original Smokestone Blue paint, RS500 style front splitter, quick release front bumper on Aerocatches modified for airflow

Interior:

Original dark cloth trim, Willians four-point harnesses, Stack gauges, digital gear indicator