Listen To This M5-Powered Mk2 Ford Escort Scream To 10,500RPM

There’s little in this life better than a naturally aspirated straight-six, especially when they’re absolute screamers. Combine that with a hillclimb-spec Ford Escort Mk2, and you’ve got one of the most addictive sights and sounds going.

Nikos Papadopoulos owns this Greek-based Escort, and if you couldn’t guess just by looking at it, it’s pretty special. The silhouette hillclimb racer is packing an S38 taken from the E34 M5, albeit with quite some work.

The engine is said to be de-stroked from 3.8-litres down to 3.3, all in the name of maximum revs. Take one listen to it hit 10,500rpm, and you can certainly understand the appeal.

Other changes to the engine have only been described as ‘plenty’, though with 550bhp on-tap that sounds an apt description - considering the stock engine produces 335bhp. Sent to the rear wheels through a sequential box in an Escort with a total weight of 1,040kg, we can only imagine it's a riot to drive.

Not that Papadopolous looks to be struggling with it. A few minutes of on-board is worth watching - not just for the audible drama, but to sit in awe at some excellent driving. Those wings will help at speed, but even out of slow corners, the Greek driver looks to have the thing planted.

We’re not sure how long he’s been using the Escort, but it seems to have taken on a life of its own in the hillclimb scene. It doesn’t take much searching to find plenty of the Escort doing its thing filmed over the last few years, and mostly hinging on its insane redline. Long may it continue…