MK3 ESCORT
Thanks to an ultra-rare 16-valve CVH engine that screams all the way round to 10,000rpm, this mental, wide-arch Mk3 is a real head case!
CVH-powered Mk3 revs to an incredible 10,000rpm.
“The mysterious part turned out to be an experimental 16- valve head”
Guido Pittzen first got involved while working as an apprentice at a Ford dealership, doing quality control checks on mostly Mk3 Escorts. And going by his creations in later years, we can only assume he was in the boss’s good books when it came to attention to detail!
Five years later, Guido owned the RS1600i he had always promised himself, and during his ten-years of ownership it was transformed to full race-spec, painted purple, and ended up sitting on some very tasty Ronal Turbo rims.
Typically, when chatting to car enthusiasts in or about Germany, the subject of the legendary Nürburgring will crop up. When asked, Guido modestly replies: “Yes. I spent many years racing at the Nürburgring. I have completed over 1000 laps!” It’s fair to say the fella knows his way around the ‘Green Hell’ then.
It was at the legendary circuit where Guido acquired one of the Escort’s most interesting features – the insanely rare Schrick 16v CVH head conversion. Guido recalls talking to a Cologne plant engineer in the pits at the
Nordschleife, who asked: “Do you want to race a CVH?” After exchanging a knowing nod, the guy then explained: “I’ve got the part you need…”
losing your head
The mysterious part in question turned out to be an experimental cylinder head from German tuners Schrick, which converts the CVH to a 16-valver! One of only four made, these were originally sent out to Ford’s test centres where they were evaluated in mocked up cars. Plans for both full-scale production and a specific race series utilising the improved cylinder head were discussed. This all sounded reminiscent of the ‘80s XR3 turbo challenge in the UK – the forerunner to the official RS Turbo.
The similarities don’t stop there either. The Schrick head beefed up the N/A CVH engine to RS Turbo-rivalling power levels – an impressive 135bhp on an otherwise standard CVH shows just how well the prototypes worked. Sadly though, the project fell through as Ford were already working on their own 16v Zeta ( later known
as Zetec) designs.
The Schrick heads were then supposed to be scrapped when the project was halted, but at least two were smuggled away before they were binned! The head from the Cologne plant ended up with Guido via his new friend – and in later years the Dagenham-tested head was offered for sale online for several thousand pounds! Guido still has his eyes on it, but says the price being asked is ‘beyond crazy’.
After the purple RS1600i shell was sold, the engine – complete with Schrick head – was kept and a new project was sourced.
This Stratos Silver Mk3? Nope, not yet.
First came a Group A Escort, complete with weld-in cage, digital dash and various other race- derived features. Despite being 99-percent finished a few years ago, this project is still incomplete. The reason? That’s where the wide-arch silver machine comes in.
Originally built from scratch by Herbst Tuning as a prototype aftermarket-tuning package, it featured several unique design touches by the founder Herbert Striebosch. As it was built outside of Ford from a Motorsport shell, it’s actually listed as a ‘Herbst Escort’ on the logbook due to strict German laws!
Guido first spotted this car in the ‘80s at an autotest near the Cologne plant, and even though it was wearing a quite outrageous blue and red livery and spacedout Capri 280 alloys, he instantly fell for it, and those arches.
Sadly though, the car wasn’t to be spotted again by Guido for several years. During this time it was driven by Mrs Striebosch as a promo car, and she became quite attached to it, but not so much so that it wasn’t eventually sold. Two owners later, and after an aborted restoration attempt, Guido spotted the car once again, this time in the most unlikely of places. He actually noticed it in the background of an eBay listing for a 1.9-litre CVH engine (which turned out to be the original engine from the same car). Guido couldn’t believe it,
and was immediately on his way to meet the seller and view the car. The Mk3 was in a much worse state than the last time he saw it at the autotest event, but even though it was completely stripped and sitting upturned on an old mattress, the shell itself was in good condition and the epic arches were intact. Guido knew he had to rebuild it.
better over time
Fortunately tastes and trends evolve over time, so the horrible two-tone livery has been ditched in favour of a much cleaner and simpler Stratos Silver finish. The outrageous Group 2 front spoiler has been replaced with a much more pleasing custom design, and the original rear spoiler has been removed to make way for yet another ultra-rare part, an original RS1700T adjustable rear spoiler!
Add some gold BBS split-rims and it might sound like a crazy mismatch, but one glance just proves how well it’s worked.
It’s not all about the looks though, as underneath you’ll find custom top mounts, coilovers, uniball Group A arms and much more – all contributing to the ongoing quest for the ultimate handling Mk3. And of course, there’s that Schrick 16-valve engine as lifted from his previous RS1600i, further fettled to produce a genuine 192PS at the wheels. Plus, thanks to some lairy 278- degree cams (which are soon to be replaced by even lairier 300- degree items) this little 1.6- litre CVH revs all the way round to 10,000rpm!
It’s refreshing to see how Guido has abandoned typical tuning routes to create a unique car, made up from a wide variety of period parts and influences. It’s no wonder that he’s earned the nickname ‘Professor Futzemann’. The first part is appropriate due to his meticulous and expert work, but the second part roughly translates as ‘big kid’.
It’s also very fitting, as even in between discussing the engine’s pre-heater and 13:1 compression ratio, he can’t help but suddenly stand back and chuckle about really wanting to slam the already decked chassis even lower to the ground! Then a very noisy blast around the grounds of Cologne Airport at the end of our photoshoot just adds further confirmation that he truly is Professor Futzemann at heart.