The Tokyo Motor Show is where you’ll find some fascinating and unique project cars, and at this year’s event this Ford Escort Mk2 was brought in from Malaysia and is currently on display at the Makuhari Messe convention center where the event.
Owned by Rosli Mohamad Said, who is also Alie Kuoppa, the project has been in development for a long time, having been announced in early 2020 when Alie began discussions with Japanese car culture brand Hardcore Tokyo and the founder of Tra Kyoto. , Kei Miura. on creating something exciting for 2021.
This led Alie to choose the Escort Mk2 as the basis for the project, as she had owned one while studying at university. His fondness for the model stemmed from his interest in rally cars, but sadly he was unable to use his own four-door sedan for the project as it was stolen in 2014. He bought a second Escort Mk2, this time a two-door coupe. doors. that needed restoration.
Miura had previously worked on the Escort Mk2, having been involved in the development of the Gymkhana Companion driven by the the late ken block. It was then easy for him to agree with Alie’s idea, which would make the latter’s Escort Mk2 the first to be fitted with a genuine Rocket Bunny Pandem widebody kit.
The kit made for Alie’s Escort Mk2 is different from the one fitted to Block’s car, making it truly unique. After Miura produced the kit in Japan, he was sent to Baling, Kedah, to install it.
However, for certain reasons, the project was in limbo for some time. Nonetheless, Alie was determined to make it happen and she created a new game plan where she started from scratch. The Escort Mk2 was stripped down to the bare chassis and a second unit was purchased to serve as the donor car.
Alie also appointed Shah Bandi as project lead, with Bandi Sprayworks tasked with restoring the entire car body and installing the Pandem kit. The paint finish you see here is a pink specially mixed by Aikka Paint, which is accompanied by stickers designed by Zokusha Stickers.
Wider wheels were also fitted to match the wider bodywork, with the Escort Mk2 receiving Watanabe R Type 9.5j units at the front, while a pair of Watanabe Gotti 11.5j alloys were fitted at the rear. The wheels measure 15 inches in size and are paired with 205/50 front and 245/45 tires.
The next step up was the powertrain, and one of the big changes involved the Escort Mk2’s suspension, with the default rear live axle swapped for a five-link setup. This is accompanied by SFS Garage made Airdrop inner tubes to provide proper stance.
As for the engine, Alie initially wanted to include a 4.0-liter Toyota 1UZ-FE V8, which would have required many other supporting components made by Nissan. Instead he opted to use a more appropriate engine that was better suited to the Escort Mk2, a 1.6-litre 4A-GE four-cylinder from the AE86 Corolla.
The Twin Cam 16-valve mill was updated to incorporate HKS camshafts, SK Sanyo individual throttle bodies and a Tonkka exhaust header, with engine management handled by a Fueltech FT450; all engine work was done by AMN Motorsport. The engine produces 140hp and 161Nm of torque, with rear-wheel drive via a T50 five-speed manual transmission and TRD limited-slip differential lifted from an AE86.
Inside, Alie kept things as basic as possible, with just a digital display for the Fueltech engine management system, a Sparco steering wheel, Trapo floor mats, and a custom gear shifter with the logo of Retro Havoc, the event he founded. .
Given the amount of time, effort and resources invested in the project, plus the heartaches, trials and tribulations experienced along the way, Alie chose ‘Emotion’ as the name of her project car, which seems fitting. While she may be making her TAS debut, the car still proudly sports its number plates and road tax disc as it is located far from her Malaysian home.
