Unique Escort-based truck with a fully-fledged Zetec Turbo!
Watching his two sons playing with a little black Hotwheels toy inspired Jano from Oddkidd Creations to build this life-size, super-cool, Zetec Turbo’d pick-up truck for them all to enjoy together…
You may have already seen from other features in this issue, this month we’re looking at unsung, unloved, and often (incorrectly) overlooked models from the Blue Oval stable. And what you see here definitely fits the bill, not because there’s a more powerful, more sporty, more expensive model in the same range but simply because most UK Ford fans won’t have even heard of it. What it is, is a Ford Bantam – an Escort-based pick-up truck...
The man who built this crazy creation is no stranger to 80s and 90s Escorts… enter Jano from Oddkidd Creations. “I’ve always loved Bantams. I’ve got a Mk2 version too – based on the Mk4 Escort – but I use that as a proper truck carting old engines and car parts about, so I wanted to build something that was a bit nicer, something I could take to shows and enjoy taking my boys out in. That’s why I built this one, a Mk1 version that I imported from South Africa 20 years ago.”
As Jano reminisces, it turns out this project had a bit of a slow start. Bantams have always been rare in the UK (its believed there’s currently less than 15 registered on the road in Britain today), and this rarity, coupled with the undeniable coolness of a pick-up truck, means that the Bantam
“It was one of my boys’ Hotwheels cars that sparked it all off again, I decided to build a reallife example of that toy car they loved so much”
has long been something of a Holy Grail car for Mk3 and Mk4 Escort fans, Jano included. So, when the chance to buy one comes along, it’s not something you pass up lightly. “This was for sale on a South African version of Auto Trader. It was in good condition, for a truck, and had only covered something like 40k kilometres, so was straight and tidy,” Jano remembers.
When the truck landed in the UK after weeks at sea, you might think that Jano would be chomping at the bit to get the Bantam on the road..? “Nah, not really. I taxed it and registered it as a UK car, but to be honest it wasn’t even worth spending the time getting the original diesel engine running right – my plan was always to build something special, so I was only really interested in the body being straight.”
With that in mind, Jano started stripping things down to a bare shell so the project could begin. The inner wings were also cut in preparation for any future mods (“I wasn’t sure if I’d end up fitting an MTX75 ‘box, so prepped the shell to accept one anyway before it went to paint.”), the entire chassis was seam-welded for added strength and rigidity, and the truck soon found its way to the paintshop… where it stayed for over seven years! “It was my mate’s bodyshop, and I had loads of other projects on the go at the time, so I really didn’t mind. I popped round every now and then to check it was still there and to do the odd little bit like replacing the doors with rust-free ones from an Orion prior to paint, but by-and-large it stayed there for a few years.”
During that time the inside and engine bay had been painted gloss black, and the body had been primed and prepped, but the project really kicked into gear a couple of years ago. “Believe it or not, it was actually one of my boys’ Hotwheels toy cars that sparked it all off again,” laughs Jano, “it was a cool little black pick-up truck. And as they were now at an age where they could start to get involved with helping on the build, I decided the time was right to reignite the Bantam project, and build a real-life example of that toy car they loved so much. That’s why I’ve added the rear wing, to match the one on the Hotwheels car.”
With the Bantam back at Oddkidd HQ, work began in earnest. A full Series One RS Turbo bodykit was adapted to fit the Bantam’s longer wheelbase – no easy feat. “The rear bumper alone is a culmination of about four RS Turbo items plus the original Bantam bumper,” cries Jano, “the side skirts are also made up from multiple sets of RS Turbo skirts moulded together to fit the increased length of the truck.”
With the body meticulously modified to look like a factory-option, a fresh new coat of super-shiny Gloss Black applied, and the glass all installed the project was really starting to take shape. “That’s one of my
favourite parts of any build,” smiles Jano, “as you can start to see that vision in your head coming to life.”
Next up, the suspension and running gear was on the agenda. Having worked on countless Mk3 and Mk4 Escorts over the years, including owning many himself, Jano had a stash of performance parts ready to bolt on the Bantam. Under the front you’ll find the perfect blend for any fast-road Escort, comprising RS1600i antiroll bar, adjustable TCAs, Leda coilovers, and massive 350mm discs with Wilwood four-pot calipers. In fact, the brakes are so huge that Jano’s cunningly had the inside of the 16in alloys machined ever so slightly to allow clearance for the huge discs. “Alloyart did this when I had the wheels refurb’d. It’s a tight squeeze, but it all clears!”
The rears, however, required a different approach. “Lots of people think the Bantam is a chopped-down van and the rear axle must be the same as any Escort van, but it’s not. The Bantam uses a much heavier-duty axle,” explains Jano, “and as such you can’t just bolt on a rear disc conversion. On this I’ve had to heavily modify bits and have some custom brackets laser-cut to get the rear discs mounted, while the leaf springs have been sent away to be re-heat treated to set them at a lower ride height.”
As you’d expect from a man who’s made a name for himself tuning big-power fast Fords, the original diesel motor is long gone. Instead, under the bonnet now lives a fully-fledged, WRC-spec 2.1-litre Zetec Turbo. “It’s got all the right bits in it; Mahle forged pistons, longer steel con-rods, steel crank, big-valve head, custom-spec T38 from Turbo Performance, and so on,”
Jano points out. It’s a serious spec list that’s easily good enough for a conservative estimate of 400bhp, and thanks to a full P8 management boasting goodies such as anti-lag, launch control, wasted spark, and a 12-point adjustable boost settings, it certainly makes full use of all of the power on offer.
That just left the interior to finish off. Bucket seats or RST Recaros would have been the easiest option, but remember the whole point of this project was to create something that he could enjoy with his two sons. “Luckily the Bantam actually comes with a bench seat, and the handbrake is mounted under the steering column so you can get three people in the front.” The bench seat in this truck is a combination of a Bantam base coupled to the back from the rear bench of a Sapphire Cosworth. “To be honest, it’s probably the only part of the truck I’m not 100% happy with, Jano shrugs, “the bottom half was quickly covered in black vinyl so we could make it to a show earlier this year, and I haven’t got round to re-doing it yet. Over the winter I’ll look to get the interior sorted.”
Other future plans include a custom smoked Perspex bed cover mounted on a removable alloy frame and, possibly, a full roll cage extending into the bed, mimicking the race trucks found in the USA and Australia. But for now, it’s all about enjoying the truck and making memories with his two sons. So, he’s off to load the BMXs in the back and head off out in search of some quality family fun…