This is the highly-modified 1978 Ford Escort Mk2 that was driven by Ken Block in a number of Hoonigan productions, as well as in Gymkhana Grid competition, and in the Gymkhana GRID Tire Test (see it embedded below).
The original Mk2 Escort was always a rally and racing weapon in the right hands, and this version built by Quick Motorsport turns the dial all the way up and snaps it off. It now produces 333 bhp and 246 lb ft of torque with a screaming 9,000 rpm redline.
Fast Facts: The Ken Block Ford Escort Mk2 Drift Car
- This is Ken Block’s former (heavily modified) 1978 Ford Escort Mk2, initially a right-hand-drive road car that was bought in 2008 and rebuilt by Quick Motorsport into a left-hand-drive drift machine for Gymkhana Grid. It later became one of the better-known Hoonigan cars through repeated on-screen appearances.
- The Escort Mk2 was launched in 1975 with a familiar unibody and live-axle layout, and became a major rally success. The model won Ford the 1979 WRC manufacturers’ title, while drivers including Björn Waldegård and Ari Vatanen helped cement its competition reputation.
- Mechanically, this particularly car is far removed from any standard Escort. It uses a 2.5 liter Millington Diamond twin-cam four-cylinder with EFI, individual throttle bodies, a Cosworth Pectel ECU, and a 9,000 rpm redline. Output is listed at 333 bhp and 246 lb ft, sent through a Sadev six-speed sequential gearbox.
- The chassis and cabin were also completely reworked. It has WRC-style independent rear suspension, Reiger three-way coilovers, AP Racing brakes, Fifteen52 wheels, a Rocket Bunny widebody, and a stripped race interior with cage, Recaro seats, hydraulic handbrake, fire system, and data logging.
History Speedrun: The Ford Escort Mk2
The Mk 2 Ford Escort was introduced for sale in January of 1975 with all-new straight-edged styling that was much more in vogue in the mid-1970s.
The Mk 2 Ford Escort was introduced for sale in January of 1975 with all-new straight-edged styling that was much more in vogue in the mid-1970s. Image courtesy of Ford.
Somewhat controversially they opted not to change much of the Escort under the new exterior body panels, it kept the same inner unibody and much to the chagrin of many it kept the same live axle on leaf spring rear suspension.
The same body options were offered as on the Mk 1, including a two door, four door, van back, and station wagon. The original engine options were offered too, though they were expanded on during production, with larger and more powerful engines being offered including the popular Ford Pinto 2.0 liter and the 2.0 liter Cosworth BDG.
Despite the rapid developments that were being made in the world of rally racing in the 1970s the Ford Escort Mk 2 proved shockingly resilient, in the 1979 season of the World Rally Championship (WRC) the Mk 2 Escort won Ford the manufacturers’ title, with Björn Waldegård taking the drivers’ title in his Mk 2, followed by Hannu Mikkola in a Mk 2 in second place, and Ari Vatanen in a Mk 2 in fifth place.
Vatanen would win the drivers’ title in 1982 in a Mk2 against the might of the Audi Quattro, a remarkable feat of driving by any standard, and a good indication of just how brilliant a properly sorted Mk2 can be.
Ford would replace the Mk 2 with the third generation Escort in 1980, this was an all new car with an all new unibody and a front wheel drive layout rather than rear wheel drive. None of the Escorts that were released after the original Mk 1 and the Mk 2 ever achieved comparable levels of popularity with their forebears.
The Ford Escort Mk2 Gymkhana Drift Car
This 1978 Ford Escort Mk2 is a two-door version that was bought in 2008 by Ken Block, the founder of Hoonigan Racing Division. It was originally a right-hand-drive car, so it was converted to left-hand drive and built into a dedicated drift car for use in Gymkhana Grid competition.
The conversion and build work was carried out at Quick Motorsport over in Hereford, England, where the steel unibody was reinforced, the suspension was extensively modified, and a race-spec drivetrain was fitted.
Above Video: This is the Gymkhana GRID Tire Test showing Ken Block driving this Ford Escort Mk2 from 2020.
After returning to the USA, the car received a Rocket Bunny widebody kit which included a series of lightweight carbon-fiber parts – including a hood, roof scoop, decklid spoiler, and trim alongside wheel arch extensions, rocker panel covers, a front air dam, and revised bumper covers.
The outside of the car is finished in black with Hoonigan graphics and an American flag livery on the hood, additional details include taped headlights, exposed hood locks, external charging terminals, and camera mounts at multiple locations to capture the action.
Power comes from a 2.5 liter Millington Diamond DOHC 16 valve inline-four with electronic fuel injection managed by a Cosworth Pectel SQ6 ECU, individual throttle bodies, coil-on-plug ignition, and a stainless-steel header and exhaust system.
Power output is at 333 bhp and 246 lb ft of torque with a wild 9,000 rpm redline. The engine is paired with a Sadev 6-speed sequential manual gearbox with an AP Racing twin-plate clutch assembly and a Geartronics flatshift system, and power is sent to a Ford Motorsport 9″ rear end.
The rear suspension was converted to an independent WRC-style arrangement with adjustable triangulated locating links and an adjustable sway bar. Reiger remote-reservoir, three-way adjustable coilovers and alloy hubs and uprights were fitted at each corner along with bash plates.
Braking is handled by AP Racing four-piston calipers and slotted rotors at all four corners, and the car rides on Fifteen52 17″ alloy wheels finished in white and shod with 235/40 Toyo Proxes T1 Sport tires.
Inside, the race-style cabin has a welded T45 roll cage with door bars, Recaro carbon-fiber racing seats with black covers and blue Sabelt harnesses, and an AP Racing floor-mounted pedal set. The Sparco steering wheel sits on an adjustable column ahead of a Cosworth/Omega digital dashboard display with Hoonigan Racing Division graphics.
It has an upright hydraulic handbrake lever topped with a Hoonigan-logo billet handle, a Lifeline Zero 2000 fire suppression system, a membrane switch panel, a flash-card data logger, and a Ken Block signature on the driver’s door panel. It also has a lightweight heated windshield and polycarbonate side windows, and an aluminum oil tank and anti-surge fuel tank are mounted in the trunk.
Power comes from a 2.5 liter Millington Diamond DOHC 16 valve inline-four with electronic fuel injection managed by a Cosworth Pectel SQ6 ECU, individual throttle bodies, coil-on-plug ignition, and a stainless-steel header and exhaust system. Power output is at 333 bhp and 246 lb ft of torque with a wild 9,000 rpm redline. Image courtesy of Trust-in-the-Machine via Bring a Trailer.
The build was revealed on MotorTrend in October of 2015, and the car was subsequently featured as part of the Hoonigan car pack in the Forza racing video game series. It was also displayed as part of the 2025 People’s Champ: The Impact of Ken Block exhibition at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, California.
The car was bought by the seller in 2021 and is now offered for sale with a binder of records, memorabilia, multiple sets of wheels and tires, spare parts, and a clean Utah title in the seller’s name. If you’d like to read more or place a bid you can visit the listing here.
Images courtesy of Trust-in-the-Machine via Bring a Trailer
Articles that Ben Branch has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
