Red16

I've just been reading a kit car magazine and noticed an article on a replica mk1 Escort with spaceframed chassis, produced by SHP Engineering, sold in various stages from a self build kit project to turn key, though you lot might be interested in it.



The following text and photos are lifted straight from the companies website, www.shpengineering.co.uk

The SHP designed vehicle code name RSR Escort follows original Ford styling but has been extensively modified to refine the body in line with present trends.

The wheel arches expose the radius of the tyres. It has 9" x 15" retro wheels, de-seamed roof rails and no big rear mounted wing or front spoilers but an extensive hidden area package mounted below the sill lines of the chassis makes this variant of a MKI Escort very special.

The difference in the SHP Engineering RSR Escort is not just about the body shell. The GRP body clothes a tubular steel chassis made up of 45 metres of specially selected tube. The suspension and auxiliary mounting points are all an integral part of the chassis. The question always asked when presenting a car to a customer is what engine can be fitted under the bonnet? SHP has the same answer every time: what do you want to fit? The current SHP Engineering car is fitted with a Ford Cosworth 24 valve V6 producing 300 BHP with 300 foot per pound of torque. Although it may not be everybody's choice it is a lot of muscle for a reasonable cost and importantly SHP wished to take the opportunity to showcase the car proving it could accept a large sized engine.

To enable fitment of various engine configurations with ease SHP Engineering have used a double fully adjustable wishbone front suspension system containing a pair of heavy duty front uprights accepting SHP aluminium front hubs suitably designed to accept large bearings and screw fitting dust caps.

The rear axle is bespoke to the design of the car although it uses a ZF Salisbury G4 centre section. It includes large diameter axle tubes, four link and watts linkage axle location. In principle it follows similar configuration to the works car of forty years ago.

It has coil over shock absorbers on each corner and the facility for being fully adjustable. The top eyes have the ability to adjust the car ride height and it has adjustable front and rear anti roll bars. The SHP RSR Escort will be a joy to play with whether you are an amateur racer or professional race team.

The RSR Escort can be supplied as a turn key product but this is only part of the marketing strategy behind SHP Engineering's concept for the car. The car has been designed to allow anybody the opportunity to self assemble the car whether you have limited experience and want to build it at home or you are a race team with full workshop facilities.

This is a product that has been professionally designed. A production saloon kit car for customers to decide what level of specification they want or what competition they wish to compete in. It can fulfil everybody's dream from a track day car to be driven just for fun, a customer show piece to express your individuality or for the more serious championship contender to win races with.

Can it be built to be used on the highway being road legal? Yes it can.
Can it compete in stage rallies or rally cross? Of course
Can it be used for circuit racing? Most definitely

SHP Engineering are not defining what you can or cannot do with your car. All we request is that once you have purchased it, you have some serious fun.

SHP Engineering's heritage allows us to design a retro model. The skills and abilities of the company and our staff allow us to produce it. The professionalism of the SHP Engineering sales and administration team will enhance the potential of another product produced by SHP, the leaders in automotive engineering.

The past will revolutionise our future.

Now some photos after all that reading!









more photos here http://www.shpengineering.co.uk/retro-gallery.phtml

scoooby slayer

iTrader: (4)

i like that alot

gus

iTrader: (1)

was in classic ford few months back

i have often thought i should just sell my s1 and get myself one of those


just awesome

Red16

It'd be a nice car with a twin turbo LS7 V8 although maybe not a budget build

Alan77

Would love 1, how much for a kit???

Psycho Warren

iTrader: (5)

should do a carbon body lol.

AndyR1

iTrader: (1)

i would love one of them,ive got a very nice spec spare motor and box for it as well , how much is the question

Less.

Thats a stunning piece of kit I want one

Red16

Warren, how bloody cool would a carbon body one be!

As for the price, I'm not sure, someone ring them and ask.

Dennis_Wiseman

iTrader: (1)

Starting from 10 to 20k + iirc

mcst

Thats fooking awesome, i wonder what sort of weight they are. Would be impressive with something like an evo lump in it imo.

Check out their galleries some crazy widearched capri and a mental transit conversion for transporting a race car!

Red16

Says in the last photo of my first post (the newspaper article) that the kerb weight is 850kg, so quite light really.

mcst

Cheers, missed that!

With some really trick goodies in there like a sequential box it would make for a tidy track car. Beats other kit cars imho.

Lee1

That's awesome, I like the evo powered black cab lol

Red16

The tranny van car transporter is another great one too.

nugnah

not a big fan of MK1's but that is awesome

jas

oriurbo

like it alot !!

foreigneRS

saw the yb one at brands last year. looked good. but i'm not sure i could buy a car with a solid axle in this day and age, although it might retain some of the feeling of the original which would be good.

Mark_

that looks mental, really liking that

Liams

Like that alot... Would be interesting to see some prices of the kits!!

Psycho Warren

iTrader: (5)

i imagine with it being built to order and a custom spaceframe it probably wouldnt be that hard to have the rear end designed to be something decent such as double wishbone.

Although it cant be that bad or they wouldnt have bothered keeping the live axle.

Marvin_hagler_

Sonny Howard used to build World Championship winning National Hotrods for Barry Lee and loads of other people,No one knows more about short oval racing a rwd escort than Sonny and i suppose it was only a matter of time before his customers wanted to go retro.
I remember all them National Hotrod Starlets,205 peugeots etc he built and all of them were serious race cars

AustenW

subscribed

alistairolsen

I love the concept but for me the live axle is a killer, its not suitable for historic anything so why keep antquated suspension? I also dont like the short front wishbones, although it does allow room for a bigger engine I suppose. Biggest issue for me would be ascertaining quality, most mainstream car based composites are utter rubbish so it would be a nice surprise if the shell was decent!

BON_300

I want one

JonnyBravo

Seen this in the flesh as I was going to rent a unit they stored one of those cars in.

The spaceframe is a work of art and the body from what I recall was excellent.

As it happens I own the 309 Thundersaloon built by SHP, slightly different in design to that as its 20 years old but still one hell of a lot of work gone into the chassis.

stu21t

Show us some pics then johnny!

RSNUT!

i knew id seen that evo suzuki somewhere before...


i thought it was odd how it was just spinning on the spot !!!
http://www.shpengineering.co.uk/gallery-1.phtml

and also stigs buggy...

http://www.shpengineering.co.uk/gallery-1.phtml