Few people look at a front-wheel-drive (FWD) van and think, “I’m going to turn that into the fastest Ford out there.” That’s exactly the mentality of a driver featured on Twin Engine Corsa, who took a Ford Escort van and tuned it to be a quick, quirky little machine on the drag strip.
Of course, it’s not an ordinary Escort van. The engine packs a massive turbocharger and makes a whopping 1,100 horsepower. They completely stripped the interior, too, for maximum weight reduction. Terry, who owns the oddball race car, started chipping away at making it faster and faster several years ago, and no matter how fast they were able to get it to go, they wanted more.
Terry and the Ford Escort van built it to prove a point, breaking a record in the process and solidifying its status as the fastest FWD ford on the books. While it’s capable of producing four figures of power, it’s not anywhere close to becoming dangerous yet, so Terry is open to the idea of squeezing even more power out of it.
After chatting about the van and waiting for the drag strip at Santa Pod to dry after recent rains, it’s time to make some runs. After doing a burnout – which is a somewhat amusing sight out of a FWD van – the Ford Escort van gets to work. It breaks the finish like in just 8.82 seconds, although the clutch acts up soon afterward, so they have to pull the gearbox out to assess the damage.
Thankfully, less than 24 hours later and after a few phone calls, it’s fixed. The first run after its repair is in the nines – and unfortunately, Terry and the gang walk away with the loss after they face the competition on the strip. While it’s the fastest FWD Ford in the world, sometimes, second place is the best it’s gonna get.
Ford vehicles are a favorite of drag racers worldwide. Steeda turned a 2024 Ford Mustang into a drag racing powerhouse, while another Ford Escort (coupe, not van) was tuned to produce 600 horsepower.
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