In the gearhead world, there are two versions of the Ford Escort: the European model that is rear-drive, nimble, and howls without forced induction as it slides, flies and occasionally rolls through the forests, and the North American version, the one we don’t talk about too much for a reason. Usually, horrific memories of the automotive landscape in the 1980s and early 1990s has tons of Ford’s little cracker box in the background, and most of them were sentenced to a life of commuter hell before finding their respite at a junkyard. This particular early 1990s GT coupe, owned by Jordan Newbury of Ohio, apparently was good enough in it’s first life to earn a second. Most angels get wings…this Escort’s rewards were slightly better: a rear-drive conversion, a V8 swap, and a manual trans. We might be short on information, but good lord…nothing makes us smile more than seeing an Escort earning that “GT” badge, and while we suspect that the overall vibe was meant to be “sleeper”, there is nothing sleepy about an Escort that can’t hide it’s rear diff, runs on Mustang wheels and sounds like a Bondurant power slide car.
The whole “dare to be different” movement was meant to capitalize on how people appreciate a unique build more when it involves a car that nobody saw coming. Just like GM W-body coupes and Dodge Daytonas, when they are converted to rear-drive and given proper power, they suddenly become desirable. Or, at least, that’s what I’ll keep telling myself now that I’ve decided that I need an Escort 5.0. Wow…
Ford missed a trick not making one of these – then we could have had them in the UK too. Which would have been better than the crap Escorts we had to put up with!
there was an earlier Escort in our local classifieds i lusted after, a 1980’s 2 door with 351, 4 speed and 9 ” for 25k. total sleeper look too.