Ken Block has been teasing everyone about his new project and finally unveiled it today. Ken purchased this 1978 Ford Escort Mk2 RS in 2008 for competing in tarmac events. Since there are very few tarmac events in the US Ken and his team turned it into his next Gymkhana car. This also happens to be the first rear-wheel drive Gymkhana vehicle for Ken.
To build the car Ken turned to Graham Quick Motorsport in the UK. There they upgraded everything under the body to WRC-spec tarmac components. The suspension however has been modified and setup for Gymkhana events. Under the hood sits a 2.5 L Millington Diamond Series II inline-four that produces 333 horsepower to the rear wheels and has a 9,000 rpm redline. A complete engine from Millington costs £24,000 or around $37,000.
Hoonigan says they will be releasing more videos of Ken and guest drivers taking the Escort to the limit.
Update 11/3/2015 – Speedhunters published a detailed article on the Escort with more photos and stats
Update 10/22/2015 – Added new video of Ryan Tuerck driving the Escort
Source: Hoonigan Blog, Hoonigan FB page and Jalopnik