If you’re Gordon Murray, creator of the original McLaren F1, several Formula 1 race cars, and the GMA T.50, what kind of car do you build with your almost limitless resources and deep knowledge of automotive engineering? The answer, perhaps surprisingly, is a Ford Escort.
We’re talking, of course, about the European Ford Escort, which proved hugely successful as an affordable compact sedan and championship rally machine. Still, a plain white economy car isn’t what you’d expect from one of the world’s greatest engineering minds. A closer look under the skin reveals it’s not your typical factory Mk I Escort. In fact, almost no part of the car has remained unchanged.
In a video from The Late Brake Show and shared by Engine 1, Murray performs an in-depth tour of the car. In place of the original 1.6-liter twin-cam is a 2.3-liter Duratec, which is based on a Mazda four-cylinder developed during the time Mazda was owned by Ford. The difference with this one is that it was built by Cosworth to deliver 240 to 250 horsepower and can run like the dickens.
Any old yutz can swap a motor, right? Sure, but on the other side of this Escort is a custom independent rear suspension where a solid axle should be. Murray explains that to best match the engine’s added power (original Escort twin-cams made about 115 horsepower) the suspension had to be redesigned to lower the roll center. Otherwise, the car would be overly pleased. Murray admits that the suspension is probably not stiff enough for track use but is perfect for street riding, absorbing bumps but not getting a tire bounce when fired at it.
The car was built in collaboration with a British shop called Retro Power. They started with a good but rusty shell found in South Africa. The floor was so Swiss cheese Murray could see the road below, but the body was straight. In a few years, Murray and Retro Power will have stiffened and sorted the chassis and refined the final product.
The car is packed with pieces that showcase Murray’s signature attention to detail. For example, the six-speed transmission is from a Mazda Miata, but he tilted the lever slightly so that his hand would automatically fall on the gear knob when he let go of the steering wheel. Murray also removed the back seat so he could sit further back. The interior has a custom dashboard with a touch of Murray’s tartan pattern.
Murray was adamant that he didn’t want it to look like a hot rod, so he kept the look of steel wheels with hubcaps, although they appear to be a size larger than the stock and wrapped in meatier Yokohama tires. The Fender badges read “Cosworth” in the same size as the original twin cam badges. To counteract the parachute effect of the rear panel, he cut two thin slots to mirror the factory slots on the front. A performance exhaust is perhaps the biggest clue to onlookers that this is not a standard Escort.
The whole car weighs just a hair over 2,000 pounds. Part of that is made possible by a carbon fiber hood and trunk. However, the exhaust manifolds get so hot that they had to install a heat shield between them and the hood so they don’t melt the resin. That part of the hood even has some gold foil insulation, a reference to the engine room of the McLaren F1.
Murray says he wanted to build the Escort because he grew up with Fords like the Anglia and Cortina. It’s not about brute force or 0-60 times. As with anything Murray does, it takes into account the type of driving the owner will be doing. What he ended up with is probably the coolest and best-sorted Escort Mk I in the world.
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