BOG IE BUILDING ULTIMATE FORDESCORT
Scottishace willdebut newcarin Irelandin December
British Rally Championship frontrunner David Bogie will debut a newly-built modified Ford Escort Mk2 at the Killarney Historic Rally in December, labelling the car “extra special”.
Long-term Escort fan Bogie has driven a Millington-engined Ford Escort Mk2 in recent years, most notably winning the Donegal National Rally in 2016.
But that car was originally built for gravel, and is therefore heavier than most of the leading modified Escort Mk2 cars in Ireland.
Bogie and his Escort guru Hamish Kinloch have built a new car, starting in 2017, with Kinloch given “free rein” to develop a top-spec machine.
“If it wasn’t for Hamish we wouldn’t have built the second car, his enthusiasm and dedication to building the car, we’ve more or less given him free rein with it,” Bogie told MN.
“He [Kinloch] treats that car more like his own, I think we’re going to get to the stage where I’m going to have to ask him if I can use it!
“We wanted to take advantage of Hamish’s enthusiasm and put together something that is really special. I get as much enjoyment out of people appreciating the car. I go to rallies and show it off and let people appreciate it because I’m a rally fan at heart.
“I love going to the rallies and having a look at nice Escorts, there’s that sense of pride, proud to show it off. To build something modern, reliable, different, and improve the areas where we can, that was the aim.”
The car will have a prototype 2.5-litre Millington engine, with a six-speed Tractiv gearbox and traction control, in-line with most modified Escorts currently competing.
But Bogie confirmed to MN that there would be a few optional extras which would mark the car out from the Escorts already competing.
“There will be a bit more aero on our car, a bit more carbonfibre, a lot of one-off carbon panels made for the car, just to make that it that little bit different. Visually we’ve tried to make it different to the current car. I’m sure people will say ‘I don’t like this and that’. Yes, it would be nice to make the car completely different, but I wanted it to be a Mk2. We could have taken it greatly away from what the car is but I wanted to stay with the traditional look making it different where we could.”
Despite its title, the Killarney Historic Rally has a rally for modern cars as well, which annually features a fierce battle for top modified honours.