RE: All-new Mk2 Ford Escort in development
Discussion
Ilovejapcrap said:
So if its a new shell engine etc and as such new car how can it be made road legal? I realise it does a SVA check thingy but does this side step laws made for new cars mass produced??
The rules for an IVA (replaced the SVA) are different to that for mass produced cars, and do not require airbags amongst other things. Daniel
Hi there,
Having spent a couple of years building my GBS Zero and working alongside the factory to get it through the IVA process, I can assure you Richard and the team there certainly know what they are doing.
The engineering side of their business is superb and I believe the plan with this project is for the cars to be built with all new parts and registered on new plates. The Duratec engines they are using are great and they can work to tune them to give some great performance figures.
Regards
Tim
Having spent a couple of years building my GBS Zero and working alongside the factory to get it through the IVA process, I can assure you Richard and the team there certainly know what they are doing.
The engineering side of their business is superb and I believe the plan with this project is for the cars to be built with all new parts and registered on new plates. The Duratec engines they are using are great and they can work to tune them to give some great performance figures.
Regards
Tim
leakymanifold said:
Honest question: Can someone explain to me why an ancient ford chassis is so desirable?
Fun. Huge fun to drive. One of the best gear-shifts (if not the best?) ever. Non-turbo, responsive, not over-powered, not overly-grippy so you can absolutely nail it every time and tail happy but in a predictable and forgiving way. Really a brilliant fun car - the kind of fun that 'progress' has all but gotten rid of. In response to question: "Why is an ancient ford chassis so desirable?" Nothing connects you to the road quite like a rwd Escort kitted out with high performance parts. The fwd Escorts that followed the MK2 aren't as much fun, and driver aids on modern cars are great for safety, but allows them to be driven fast by monkeys
sideways man said:
I used some motorsport panels when rebuilding the mk1 I pictured earlier, and the quality was perfectly acceptable.
The panels they supply are made by Magnum and as you say they are to a decent standard, I am using some myself at the moment for a MK1 resto.The shells, however, are not.
They are made in China and there is loads of debate going on about the quality and mixed reports.
Personally, I can't comment on them as i havn't seen one in the flesh.
Ritchie335is said:
sideways man said:
I used some motorsport panels when rebuilding the mk1 I pictured earlier, and the quality was perfectly acceptable.
The panels they supply are made by Magnum and as you say they are to a decent standard, I am using some myself at the moment for a MK1 resto.The shells, however, are not.
They are made in China and there is loads of debate going on about the quality and mixed reports.
Personally, I can't comment on them as i havn't seen one in the flesh.
Julian Thompson said:
WTFWT said:
aeropilot said:
leakymanifold said:
Honest question: Can someone explain to me why an ancient ford chassis is so desirable?
Greatest, and most successful rally car ever........and clearly you've never driven one on a loose surface, as if you had you wouldn't have asked such a silly question.As great as the Integrale was (and I was lucky enough to have a short go in the works car that won the '92 Monte
) its time was pretty much done after 92/3, so at best 6 years at the top, and they were too expensive for many privateers to keep running them beyond that. The reason the Escort is the greatest of all time, is its dominance between 1968 and 1981/2, and the fact that it was still winning rallies in the hands of club members and national drivers way beyond its sell by date.........its success and longevity is on another planet to everything before or since.
Just wish the people that get these Mk2 shells made would do a run of Mk1's as well.
Ford have seriously missed a trick here by not jumping on the retro bandwagon (and historic motorsport) and allowing licence replacement shells for Mk1 and Mk2 Escorts (and maybe Mk1 Cortina's) just as Ford have done in the USA for 1960's era Ford Mustangs.
In a way it's cool that these shells are available. I saw a couple at Autosport and they don't appear to be bad quality and certainly good enough for a competition car.
For me though, I am just a bit fed up of the MK2. On most rallies in the UK, they make up 25-25% of the entry list, which is ridiculous. The weight limits, lack of regulation on using modern parts and shear number of suppliers out there mean they can be made very fast and have a huge support network. While I understand it's supply and demand, I can't help but think that it's holding the sport back in some respects. There's not much incentive to build anything other than an Escort. The rest of the world seemed to move on from these cars, but we seem obsessed with them. I can't help but feel that it's time Motorsport UK took some action and incentivised the use of more modern cars. Rallying needs dragging into the present a bit.
However, that's a bit off-topic, as this is a road car project. A Group 4-looking car, with a bit of trim to make it acceptable as a road car, then a nice modern engine and 'box will make this a lot of fun on the road, and quite a useable 'classic' car. £60k is a decent chunk of money in isolation but, compared to other cars of this nature, it's not bad at all. I would have thought that the 2.5 Duratec will do an easy 220-240bhp with throttle bodies and cams, so that's quite potent in a sub-1000kg car.
For me though, I am just a bit fed up of the MK2. On most rallies in the UK, they make up 25-25% of the entry list, which is ridiculous. The weight limits, lack of regulation on using modern parts and shear number of suppliers out there mean they can be made very fast and have a huge support network. While I understand it's supply and demand, I can't help but think that it's holding the sport back in some respects. There's not much incentive to build anything other than an Escort. The rest of the world seemed to move on from these cars, but we seem obsessed with them. I can't help but feel that it's time Motorsport UK took some action and incentivised the use of more modern cars. Rallying needs dragging into the present a bit.
However, that's a bit off-topic, as this is a road car project. A Group 4-looking car, with a bit of trim to make it acceptable as a road car, then a nice modern engine and 'box will make this a lot of fun on the road, and quite a useable 'classic' car. £60k is a decent chunk of money in isolation but, compared to other cars of this nature, it's not bad at all. I would have thought that the 2.5 Duratec will do an easy 220-240bhp with throttle bodies and cams, so that's quite potent in a sub-1000kg car.
Jon_S_Rally said:
IWhile I understand it's supply and demand, I can't help but think that it's holding the sport back in some respects. There's not much incentive to build anything other than an Escort. The rest of the world seemed to move on from these cars, but we seem obsessed with them.
Have you seen the amount of them being used in Scandanavia and mainland Europe on events?Even some of the recent WRC drivers have had a Mk2 built up to use themselves on events - because they are fun. I know people that have returned to rallying because of it, as modern cars are too boring, too expensive and just not fun. If anything its the opposite of what your saying.
Jon_S_Rally said:
However, that's a bit off-topic, as this is a road car project. A Group 4-looking car, with a bit of trim to make it acceptable as a road car, then a nice modern engine and 'box will make this a lot of fun on the road, and quite a useable 'classic' car.
No its not a road car project......its a comp car project that will be put through NIVA to allow to be road registered so use not confined to single venue events, so will be registered as a new car, and therefore its not a useable 'classic' in any way.jason61c said:
Thing is, why would you have one of those build by gbs(not a great reputation) when for less money you could get a listerbell stratos?
Parts accessibility, ease of repair on an event, better balanced chassis for rallying..........you know, all the same reasons as 40+ years ago really.Jon_S_Rally said:
I can't help but feel that it's time Motorsport UK took some action and incentivised the use of more modern cars. Rallying needs dragging into the present a bit.
Maybe a fraction of 1% of rallyists have any intention of going fully international or attempting to make a career of it. Everyone else does it for that unfashionable fun stuff. If Motorsport UK forced me into a Citroen C2 I would crash it into their HQ and piss on the head honcho's desk.
I'm sure a highly developed Mk2 is a great bit of kit, but a £60K Escort Mark 2?
I can remember when you could hardly give away 2 door Escort 1.3s and Mexicos were hardly 'desirable'
I can't help thinking a lot of Mk2 desirability is 'blue collar nostalgia', the same as with the Capri. My memories are mostly of tatty Escorts that you could open with virtually any key on your keyring!
If you want a great handling RWD car with a six speed Mazda box, save yourself a bundle, buy an RX8 and factor in a rebuild every 5 years!
M
I can remember when you could hardly give away 2 door Escort 1.3s and Mexicos were hardly 'desirable'
I can't help thinking a lot of Mk2 desirability is 'blue collar nostalgia', the same as with the Capri. My memories are mostly of tatty Escorts that you could open with virtually any key on your keyring!
If you want a great handling RWD car with a six speed Mazda box, save yourself a bundle, buy an RX8 and factor in a rebuild every 5 years!
M
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