INTERIOR

SEATS: (F) Sparco front seats, retrimmed

rear seats STEERING WHEEL: Sparco steering wheel,

Quaife gear knob INSTRUMENTATION: Autometer Tachometer,

speedo, fuel, voltage, oil pressure, and water temperature gauges; Innovate air/fuel-ratio

gauge POWER: Unknown

Starting off in the original Ford ‘Stark White’ hue, the car was always meant to be a daily driver and a means of A-to-B transport, but much like many builds, the snowball effect happened and contagiousness set in. Gaining inspiration from the UK Escort scene, James removed the original 1600 crossflow motor from the car and refitted the Escort with a Zetec engine, most commonly found in Ford Focus and Mondeo models. James told us that he wanted to keep it Ford in the engine bay and keep some cultural integrity for the Escort, “Everyone in NZ seems to put SR20 motors in these cars, but I wanted to keep it Ford.” Purchasing a set of engine mounts from the UK and a custom big winged/gated sump, the 2 litre Zetec engine was fitted in a north–south configuration, rather than its factory east–west layout. Ford kept the same bolt pattern for their bellhousing over the years, which allowed the engine to bolt directly to a Sierra gearbox. James decided that he wanted some more power and increased displacement to 2100cc. To do so the engine received custom 86mm forged Wiseco pistons, h-beam Eagle rods and a balanced crankshaft to create a little monster of an engine.

The three piece Simmon F90’s were originally custom made to fit a Lotus 7 kit car, measuring 16x7.5-inch

Sporting a Sparco steering wheel and seats, the car has been set up to look and feel like a race car. To complete the look of the interior, James plans on installing new carpets, which should clean things up and add a touch of comfort