Hi Ray,Originally Posted by ERC
Perhaps he knew they would be killed off in 2016?!!
I am interested in YOUR view on the YB Escorts and their eligibility within classic racing, as well as the following scenario I have proposed. Personally I like Escorts with YB engines, but in my opinion they are very much a "hotrod" (in the broader definition of the word) and as I don't have to compete against them it is not an issue for me. But if I was running say a BMW 2002 in the same class and trying to keep up I might feel a little bit antsy about it! All of which leads conveniently to my point of discussion, purely hypothetical at this stage of course;
-how would you feel if someone rocked up with a BMW 2002, fitted with a 2.5L S14 (16 valve) E30 M3 engine? A very good 2.5L M3 engine can produce 360hp, which would certainly wake up an old '02, and more than give the fastest of the YB Escorts a run for their money.
-like the RS2000, the '02 never left the factory fitted with a 16 valve cylinder head.
-Another nice little paralllel situation is that like Pinto/YB derivatives, the S14 M3 engine was based on the 2002 M10 block, and shares the same block architecture. (a certain BMW 2002 Turbo that shall remain nameless has been running an M3 block since it was first built!)
-the S14 M3 cylinder head was not around "in period" but was available from 1986 when the E30 was produced (coincidentally enough the same year the YB cylinder head was available)
-again like the Ford, 16 valve cylinder heads were available for the BMW 2002 M10 block in period, namely the M12 (which was the basis of the 2L Formula 2 and later 1.5L Formula 1 turbo engine) and Schnitzer even made their own 16 valve head as well which they ran in their Gp.5 2002 Turbo.
So my question to you is: would you consider an '02 with a hot S14 engine too much of a "hotrod" to run in your class, and if so why?
Incidentally, the faster Escort YB's here are running alloy blocks, and capacities around 2.5L. The alloy block does allow a larger bore than the iron block ever did, as well as the obvious weight saving of around 15-20kg IIRC. The Holbay head was a bit different to the YB, the ports were on opposite sides compared to the YB, as well as being a fair bit taller. Holbay did actually produce a Pinto alloy block to go with their cylinder head back in the day as well,and a long stroke crank making 2400cc, but as far as I know no form of homologation was ever granted for a Mk2 Escort, only the Mk1. It is believed that fewer than 20 of these cylinder heads were ever built, making them an extremely rare piece. I used to have all of the brochures and prices from Holbay for these parts, but damned if can find them now!
Conrad Timms
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