The second-generation North American-spec Ford Escort never lit the world on fire. In a world where Civics, Corollas, and heck, even the Ford Taurus shared the road with the lowly Escort, there was no chance the moniker could match the heights it reached in Europe. But when you can't beat em, join em. That's why this Honda K24-swapped 1994 Escort GT just makes logical sense for some strange reason. We're sure a long-retired Ford engineer somewhere is rolling their eyes.
In its day, the second-generation Ford Escort was just as much Japanese in heritage as it was American. All thanks to a fruitful collaboration between Ford and Mazda. With the underpinnings of the world-traveled Mazda B platform, which the Escort would use throughout its second generation from April 1990 to March 1996. With the choice of an uninspiring 1.8-liter Mazda B-Series engine or a slightly more enthusiastic 1900 cc Ford CVH four-pot with electronic fuel injection, hardly anyone nowadays even remembers these motors ever saw the light of day.
There wasn't much more power to be squeezed out of either of those engines, at least without risking a spontaneous disassembly somewhere in the drive train. On the other hand, we know on good authority that a Honda K24 four-pot can accept as much boost as someone's willing to go through the trouble of producing. That's why a K24, complete with a massive AGP 5757 turbocharger and the oil pump out of an Acura Type S motor, is under the hood of what can effectively be called a restomod given this Escort's age.
A full 25 PSI of boost pressure is maintained through a Hondata KPRO v4 ECU module; it's good for 571 horsepower to the tires. That's 85 more ponies than a 2024 Mustang GT. In a car that weighed south of 2,500 from the factory, the results of this engine swap are nothing short of profound. For most builds, that's where most people would pat themselves on the back and call it done. But for David Burton, the leadnig man and mastermind behind this project, there was a sense that something "more" was in store for this cute little Escort.
Using the transmission and rear differential out of an early-model Honda CRV, Burton was able to convert his Escort GT into a fully functional all-wheel-drive vehicle. Just like that, what would've been a very impressive engine swap and little more is suddenly a poor man's Nissan GTR. An AWD tour-de-force that uses its diminutive weight and size to run faster quarter-mile times than cars tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars more expensive than itself. We're talking to the tune of 10.037 sec at 140.80 mph, or very nearly a full second faster than the 2024 BMW M3 Competition. Congrats to David for building one of the most clever restomods we've seen in a long time. Check out 1320 Video's profile down below if you want to learn more.
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