Ken Block’s new Escort Cosworth rally car is finally finished, so he headed to the UK to test it for the first time.
As you may recall, Block crashed his original Escort Cosworth at the New England Forest Rally in Maine in July 2018. While taking a left turn, he clipped a rock on the apex , jolting the Escort into the air and flipping it multiple times before it came to rest in the trees. The car then erupted in fire and was completely destroyed, thankfully without anyone being hurt.
Unable to re-use any of the parts of the original car, Block’s team was tasked with building a brand new one from the ground-up. The company behind the new Escort Cosworth is MDV, a little shop in the middle of nowhere in the UK. What they’ve managed to create is a vehicle that looks like a customized Escort Cosworth but is actually outfitted with a modern driveline.
One of the cool hidden elements of the new Cossie is its paint. According to Block, parts of the turbocharger, part of a wheel, and part of a fender from his original Escort were sent to Deathspray Customs. The parts were then ground down to fine flakes of metal which were added to the paint. Pretty cool if you ask us.
When testing of the car is complete, Ken Block will embark on a World Tour with it. The reborn Escort Cosworth will make its first competitive stop at the 100 Acre Wood Rally in Missouri before heading to Rally Whanagarei in New Zealand in May. The Cossie will then go to Ireland for the Donegal International Rally in June, UK for the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July, Poland for Gymkhana Grid in September, San Marino in October for Rally Legend, and potentially, Switzerland for Rallye International du Valais.