Mk II Ford Escort Drift Car Is Your Unusual Aussie Sideways Machine

And while we're here to give you a retro Escort racecar today, this has nothing to do with rallies. In fact, this Mk II is a drift car, taking part in competitions held Down Under.

Driven by a fearless bloke named Andrew Knight, this Escort used to be a circuit race, having a Ford Pinto engine pushed to 200 hp under the hood - ah, the sweet oddity of Down Under racers.

Nevertheless, for the 2016 season, the Ford has betrayed the Ford badge, going for an engine that's more familiar to the drifting world. We're talking about a Nissan SR20 unit, with the turbo four delivering about 300 hp.

Sure, that's about 30 percent of the power Formula D cars make, but let's not forget we're not talking about the United States' top-tier drifting competition here. Instead, we're dealing with a budget build and we respect that.

However, the contraption does need a few extra adjustments. For instance, the suspension could do with a setup that would see the car pulling less bouncing moves.

As you'll be able to notice in the video below, this Escort hops like a mad bunny, but this doesn't prevent the driver from pulling respectable slip angle - admittedly, the section of the track (this is Calder Park) seen here is reportedly in worse shape than what Aussies get on other circuits.

Packing the mandatory mods for a drift car, namely a hydraulic handbrake and a steering rack that allows for extreme angles, it's hard not to tip our helmets to this unusual sideways project. Fortunately, the clip below offers scenes from both outside and inside the car, so you'll get a full taste of the action.