Ken Block is notoriously known for performing wild stunts on almost anything with four wheels. Over the years he commandeered Subarus and Fiestas to star in his Gymkhana videos, but we might soon be seeing a different machine driven by Mr. Block. Developed alongside Hoonigan Industries, this is his new 1978 Ford Escort Mk2 RS.
“This Escort Mk2 is special to me, it’s actually my first Ford rally car. I purchased it in 2008. It was designed to compete in tarmac events, but unfortunately those are quite lacking now stateside, so instead of converting it into a gravel machine, I had my team at Hoonigan Racing Division extend on its tarmac capabilities and develop it into the ultimate rear wheel drive Gymkhana car”, said Block.
Based on the much loved Ford Escort platform, this is Block’s first-ever rear-wheel drive Gymkhana machine. And to fit this new Escort into his current line of race cars, he had sought the help of Kei Miura of Rocket Bunny to add a wider stance and wider arches all around.
This widened Escort is powered by a 2.5-liter naturally-aspirated four-cylinder ‘Millington’ engine that produces a healthy 333bhp and revs to over 9000rpm. All of them are sent to torcher the rear tires via a six-speed sequential gearbox.
“I’m stoked with how the whole thing turned out. My team and Graham Quick at Quick Motorsport in the U.K. did a great job on the build of the car, Rocket Bunny did an awesome job with the exterior styling,” Block added. While a “bigger video project” that involves the Escort will only kick off somewhere in 2016, enjoy this short video for now that shows Block serving some donut garage burnouts!
