The late Ken Block brought legions of new fans to motorsports through his legendary series of Gymkhana videos. Few people have managed to generate so much joy from what was clearly a deep and personal vendetta against tires. Block constructed all manner of bespoke machinery for annihilating rubber on purpose, and the car listed here is one of his most elemental and effective creations.
Now appearing on Bring a Trailer (which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos): a 1978 Ford Escort, built over two years specifically to perform tire-shredding stunts around obstacle courses. The recipe is simple: a ferocious race-prepared Ford four-cylinder in front, a six-speed sequential gearbox in the middle, and power going to the rear wheels only. Stuff all of that into an uprated, widebody version of a basic European economy car, and proceed to destroy tires.
Block's early Gymkhana films starred Subarus sliding sideways with all four wheels spinning — as if ripped off a WRC tarmac stage and dropped into abandoned industrial environments. The Escort marked Block's initial exploration of rear-wheel-drive drift machines, and it represents the conceptual ancestor of later extremities like the all-conquering, maniacal Hoonicorn Mustang.
Before we get completely lost in the YouTube era, it's worth noting that first- and second-generation Escorts earned their place in rallying long before anyone had heard of Gymkhana. They were a go-to for privateer competitors — inexpensive to acquire and backed by an enormous pool of performance knowledge. They remain hugely popular today, particularly in Ireland's tight country lane rallying scene, where Mk 1 and Mk 2 Escorts dart between stone walls with the energy of caffeinated terriers.
This particular car is a no-compromise build that takes that rally heritage and focuses it on tarmac stunting. The unibody was reinforced by a U.K. specialist and further stiffened with a full welded roll cage. The widebody bodywork is a carbon-fiber Rocket Bunny kit from Japan, and weight has been trimmed throughout with lightweight glazing and carbon-fiber seats.
The engine is a 2.5-liter Millington Diamond inline-four with individual throttle bodies on each cylinder. A Cosworth ECU manages fuel delivery — every properly serious Fast Ford has a bit of Cossie in its soul — and the result is 333 horsepower with a redline at 9000 rpm.
That kind of power in something this small and light is inherently spectacular, and would attract serious bidding even without the Ken Block backstory. The provenance connection will push values considerably higher still. The car's significance has already been recognized: it was displayed as part of the Petersen Automotive Museum's Ken Block retrospective exhibition last year.
So here is a verified museum piece that also happens to spin around a traffic cone like a precision instrument, then catapult away sideways. Wherever it ends up, it will be a prized centerpiece. But the ideal outcome would be a new owner who still occasionally pulls it out for a burnout — which is precisely what Block had it built for. Because that man really did have a remarkable dedication to destroying tires.
The auction closes on April 3 (fittingly, 4/3).
