BDG ESCORT SPORT
Classic Mk2 gets dream BDG power.
Sometimes it takes just one flash of inspiration to rewrite your future. For Andy Bonsall, this particular lightning bolt struck at the Race Retro show back in 2008: “I vividly remember seeing a white Den Motorsport Mk2 Escort,” he recalls. “It had a 2-litre BDG, 8x13 inch Minilites, semi-slick Tarmac tyres – I was totally awestruck by the way it looked in its black-and-white colour scheme, and the level of finish on the car was perfection. It was at that moment I knew I needed a Mk2 in my life.”
That dream was clearly cherished with great affection, given the magnificent creation we have before Chris’ lens today. And since Andy is from a car-mad family, this end result was always written in the stars. “My Dad used to do some rallying in his younger years and has always been into working on cars,” he explains, “so from an early age I’ve been around car mechanics — and we now share a unit where we always have projects on the go. My seven-year-old son is an absolute petrolhead too, and enjoys riding his motorbike and anything to do with cars; shows, computer games, helping me out in the unit…”
It was in 2012 when the dream started to realise itself, with Andy buying this 1976 1600 Sport in factory-standard and recently-restored form. In the quest for more power, the 1600 Crossflow made way for a hot 1800, which remained in situ for the next six years as Andy made the most of Mk2 ownership, gently upgrading and refining the car and taking it on a lot of club tours and track days.
“The 170 bhp Crossflow was super-reliable,” he says, “but having grown up watching rallying and hearing Mk2s flat-out through the forests, I always had a dream of putting a BDA or BDG in the car…” And so, in 2018, that’s what he did. Initially the plan was to find a BD head to convert his existing Crossflow, but having taken advice from various quarters, he concluded that if he was going to do it, he should do it properly. “A quick call to Mark Solloway of Historic Rally Sport in Carmarthen was all I needed,” Andy grins. “They’re responsible for building some of the best Group 4 Escorts for the likes of Hannu Mikkola, Mikko Hirvonen, Bjorn Waldegard and Kenny Brack to name a few. They now provide newly-cast blocks, heads and all other components to any spec, so working with Mark, I decided on their 2-litre Historic-spec engine kit — which was literally boxes of new components matched and ready for assembly. Mark advised this spec of motor is capable of 10,000 rpm — more than able to handle any abuse I’d be giving it on the road!”
Shipped and stripped
With the parts ordered, the Escort was stripped down from a fully-functional car to a rolling shell within a fortnight, and since it was in bits anyway Andy reasoned that he might as well fix and
upgrade as he went; quite organically, the project morphed from an engine swap to a full rebuild. The shell went off to North Wales Rally Services for an engine bay freshen-up and the necessary fab work for the BDG, while friend and local engineer, John Hardman was tasked with the engine build — and dragged in for the car’s reassembly, too!
“John has over 50 years’ experience building competition engines and cars, so I wanted him to check everything to make sure it was right,” says Andy. “Being able to work alongside him at my unit was a great learning experience, and thoroughly enjoyable.”
Taking inspiration from that old Race Retro dream, the brief was subtlety, cleanliness and lightness, all with a crisp black-and-white theme; period-correct mods with a relatively unmodified external appearance to mask the firepower within. The suspension and transmission have been massively upgraded to suit the BDG’s howling fury, with particular attention paid to the finer details to ensure it’s as sublimely crafted as it is thoroughly capable.
“THE BDG SOUNDS GLORIOUS I CAN’T WAIT TO GIVE IT THE FULL BEANS ONCE IT’S RUN IN”
GAZ Gold coil-overs and decambered leaf springs join a Twin Cam anti-roll bar and all manner of hardcore motorsport-derived upgrades, while the Type-9 gearbox has been rebuilt with a Quaife straight-cut gearset, running back to an English axle, 3J Driveline NXG plated diff with 4.1:1 gears, and 18-spline shafts. Hardman made a custom loom, keeping all wiring neatly hidden, while Andy set about refitting the interior with fresh new carpets, headlining, bucket seats and dials.
Bring the noise
“In May the day came to start the BD,” says Andy. “The excitement and nervousness built as I waited to turn that key for the first time… the engine fired into life and sounded so sweet and smooth just ticking over — the noise these BDs make is so distinctive, and I was massively relieved to hear it running!”
The mighty AP Racing brakes were fitted up front to cope with the extra power, and the rear axle was removed ready for narrowing to tuck the 8 inch wheels under the pristine unrolled arches.
“The car was previously running the 8x13s, but with stretched 175/50 tyres,” Andy continues. “I really wanted to get the 8s fitted with a chunkier tyre tucked under the arches — for me this was a key thing for the overall look that I’d had in my mind since seeing that Escort back at Race Retro. My tyre of choice was the Historic FIA rally-spec Pirelli P7 Corsa Classic — a 225/45 would give me a nice flush fitment without too much stretch, and the tread pattern would also give it that motorsport look. These tyres are usually fitted to rally cars with wider arches to accommodate them, but I’d already bought them, so it was a case of make them fit!”
So Hardman set about narrowing the rear axle, milling new steel ends which would take a larger Atlas bearings, and then removed the lowering blocks and built up the spring saddles, allowing the deletion of the blocks. This helps mitigate any movement and ensures perfect axle location, and the guys also changed the diff ratio from 3.89 to 4.1 to allow for the taller tyres. A few tweaks were carried out on the front end to get the tyres tucked under the arches and make sure the
geometry was spot on, and with that final flourish the completed package was ready to rock.
“So far the car has done about 100 runningin miles, and still requires a proper rolling road set-up to iron out some minor flat spots on the DCOE 48s,” Andy explains. “More miles are required to get it fully run-in before giving it ‘the message’ at 9500 rpm! I expect the engine to make around 240-250 bhp with the current jetting set-up — but it’s a balancing act making sure its driveable on the roads. It’s all about the noise with the BD, I’ve only taken it to 6500 rpm and it sounds glorious, even though it’s just getting into its stride – I can’t wait to give it the full beans!”
Living the dream
Every element of this build is flawless and superbly chosen, but it’s that BDG engine that’s the crowning glory. The sound, the revs, the potential… and most of all, the fact that it’s a dream come true. A chance meeting with a hot Mk2, and a mere decade or so later Andy’s built one of his very own. It’s like a fairytale, isn’t it?