When we first showed off Jordan Newbury’s 1993 Ford Escort, we didn’t have much to go on, except a low-grade YouTube video showing the car burning the back tires off with a soundtrack that is very un-Escort playing. That alone was enough to have us craving more information, but the overwhelmingly positive responses to seeing the former front-driver swapped around and fortified with 5.0 power guaranteed that I was going to hunt down Mr. Newbury for more information on the car. After all…who would have thought that kind of swap up in the first place? He responded earlier tonight:

“I spent my childhood riding around in Mom’s 1993 Ford Escort and Dad’s 1987 Mustang. When I got to start driving, I wanted a Ford Escort because it was a cheap and sporty compact car. As the years went on, I started wanting a Mustang, so I wound up with an Escort and a Mustang, and I loved them both. They were just like what my parents had when I was young. There were many days I would be caught in the Escort, my daily driver, when there would be some Camaro hot dogging around and I wished I had the power of my Mustang. That desire continued to grow. I got out the tape measure and started measuring the engine bays between the two and found that a 5.0 would actually fit in the engine bay of the Escort. I ended up selling my Mustang and that’s what started the build.”

“I stripped my car down to a shell, and it went off to the chassis shop for the full frame and cage. I spent a little over five years building this car with help from a few good friends. It spends most of the time on the street. I drive it to work once or twice a week for the 40 mile round trip drive. I have taken the car to the track a few times this season, trying to learn how to make the suspension work best and to dial the car in. My best pass so far has been an 11.51 @ 119.7 in the ¼ mile. It’s a really fun car to drive and ride in.”

A mid-11-second 1993 Escort. You can’t be mad, really you can’t. And looking at the hard stats on the car, it is even more difficult to hate on the Escort. The tube-chassis car is running a 408ci stroker Ford small block and a T56 Magnum trans, shoving power out to the 3.70 geared 9-Inch out back. The Mustang “Pony” wheels have been re-drilled to work on a five-lug application and the rear wheels are now 10 inches wide. If it weren’t for the air cleaner element poking through the hood and the bark from the pipes, the Escort could pass for a clean stocker at first sight, but once the engine fires up and Newbury proceeds to lay down some stripes, the jig is up and the jaws are down. Very badass!