Attack of the Clone

from MotorWerks Magazine - Volume 11, Issue 3

Skunkworks Nissan

So, on the way back from Harrop Engineering’s Ultimate Street Car Invitational we arranged to drop into Bowman’s Kilsyth, VIC shop and meet up with Hanrahan himself. After all the introductions were made we set the iPhone recording and asked Matt what had brought him to this point and asked why an Escort? He smiled as he said, “When I was 18 my girlfriend’s brother (Later to be my Brother in Law) had a Datsun 1600 rally car and he had a mate with an Escort RS2000. When I saw it I fell in love with it and when I was 22 I bought my first car, a 1980 MK2 Escort RS2000. This started my passion for working on and modifying cars. I have had a total of seven Escorts throughout my life but had never done any track racing. As what happens to many of us aspiring racers I got married and I started a family so the car was sold and it wasn’t until about 12 years later when I turned 40 and decided to get back into cars and build my dream car and go all out on it.” By then the Melbourne, VIC native had joined the requisite car club (The Rallye Sport Owners Club of Victoria) and had made many friends through the shared passion for small Fords so when he decided to build a car he contacted one of them and made a deal to buy a “rust free” shell that would suit his needs and build requirements. It was only a bog stock Mk2 Escort that came from the factory with a 1600 Kent motor but someone had already upgraded it to a two-litre Pinto at some stage. It had a big dent in the passenger B pillar and door but it wasn’t too bad and did not put Hanrahan off purchasing the car. Everything about the car was stock including the driveline and running gear and that suited Matt as he planned on replacing pretty well everything anyway, it was a great canvas to start on. The initial plan was for the Escort to become a Zakspeed clone, within reason. “While I would love to have built an exact replica”, he said. “We all know that would get quite expensive as anything Zakspeed is pretty trick with a lot of exotic parts.” His livery of choice was the Castrol red and green over black similar to what famed German racer Hans Heyer used during part of the 1975 Deutsche Rennsport Meisterschaft (DRM) 2 liter championship. Originally the car would have been run with an 1840cc BDA in Group 2 trim but Hanrahan located a mildly tweaked 2000cc Pinto on twin Webers to sit between the frame tails. Heading rearwards things have taken a bit of Aussie flavor with a W58 Toyota Supra gearbox. With Australia being so close to Japan there is plenty of stout parts around that are just shouting out to be used in

race cars. The Supra box is one of them and it has performed admirably. A one piece propshaft takes the power to the back axle that is fitted to another Japanese piece, a shortened Toyota Hilux diff with a Kazz LSD.

As you can see from the photo above the car looks outstanding in the Castrol colors. The Zakspeed Group 2 arches and chin spoiler with be joined at a later date by a rear wing from an Aussie Supercar to complete that Seventies era look.

I mentioned above that Matt had used parts available in Australia instead of those you would normally see on a car built in Europe. Over many discussions online with Antipodean friends of mine I found out that the cost of shipping and import duties sometimes forces ‘down under’ racers to look around and substitute parts that they can source locally.

The brakes were another place wher that was true with Hanrahan using 305mm rotors on the front with Brembo EVO 7 calipers, the rears being 297mm with Nissan R33 calipers.

Matt’s plans are to keep doing the Sprint Days series and in the future he would love to compete in a Targa Style Event as there are many of these running in Australia including the famous Targa Tasmania.

As with any racer or race car build there are always things that happen that stick in your memory. Matt related a couple of them to us recently, “Not long after the car was built and after the 1st track day I was jacking it up to change the oil when it slipped off the jack and crashed down and the jack pad snapped the edge of the engine block off which necessitated the engine to be removed and the block to be fixed. While it was very disapointing it happened I was just thankful I wasn’t under it at the time it came down, that could have been real nasty.”

His second memory involves an event at one of Australia’s most scenic race tracks. “I was doing a Sprint Day at Phillip Island Racing Circuit when I lost it on turn 2 doing around 130kpm (Tyres had overheated and lost grip after 15 laps) and started spinning down the centre of the track with all the cars around me ducking and diving to avoid me. I pushed in the clutch and ended up facing the right way still on the track so put it in 2nd and just putted around the track shaking from the adrenaline and just drove it straight up on the trailer. Sometimes you really have to be lucky rather than good, but I was done for that day!”

I couldn’t write this without thanking Sandy Bowman and his business AUS4WD who pretty much built the entire car including the roll cage, bodywork and paint and panel. His amazing work allowed me to have the car of dreams and his patience for putting up with all my many changes and wish list demands and constant drop ins too! I have been lucky enough to have many other mates drop in to give me a hand throughout the build and it is very humbling to have so many great mates help you out.

The Build List

1978 Ford Escort Mk2 Group 2 Zakspeed Replica

Engine: - 2000cc Ford Pinto - Extensively ported head - Forged rods - Tony law 3 piece headers - 2.25 mandrel bent exhaust system - 18” Auspac muffler

Drivetrain: - W58 Toyota Supra 5 speed gearbox - Twin plate 184mm clutch with lightened flywheel - Custom on piece driveshaft - Shortened Toyota Hilux differential - Kaaz LSD 4.3 :1 ratio

Brakes: -Brembo EVO 7 4 piston front calipers - 305mm vented front rotors - Nissan R33 rear calipers - 297mm rear vented rotors - Wilwood brake bias pedal box, hydraulic handbrake, proportioning valve

Suspension: - Gaz Gold coilovers, 275# 2.5” springs - Eccentric top mounts with sperical bearings - Bilstein rear shocks with reset leaf springs - Alloy anti dive bar - Superpro bushes - Insitu 22mm adjustable sway bar - Speedflow braided lines and fittings

Fuel System - Aeromotive 40 liter internally baffled alloy fuel tank - 4-6 psi electric fuel pump

Cooling System - PWR race radiator 12” Spal Thermo Fan

Aero / Body: - Zakspeed Group 2 arches and spoiler - Painted in Castrol colors as run by Hans Heyer - Rear wing coming

Interior/Safety: - 6 point Aus 4WD cage with side bars and strut bars - Cobra racing seats - OMP steering wheel

Electrical: - Rewired with Ez Wire 21 circuit loom - Stack ST8100 dash - Cartek Electronics GT solid state battery kill - Custom Switch Panel with Billet Automotive

Buttons - Electronic distributor - Corsa C EPAS power steering motor

Wheels / Tires: - Toyo R888r, 235 all round - Braid Classic Series 15 X 9 front wheels, 15 x 10 rear wheels