This Ford Escort Cosworth is Ken Block’s new toy

There’s a new toy in Ken Block’s ever-growing garage of awesome. Predictably, it has Ford’s blue oval badge at the front. At the back however, it features one of the most majestic wings to have ever graced a car. Yes, ladies and gents, Ken Block has bought a Cossie. An ice white, 1991 Ford Escort Cosworth rally car, to be precise.

Ken’s car is an honest example with a 400bhp, 2.0-litre turbocharged (big, laggy nineties turbos) four-pot up front connected to a seven-speed sequential gearbox sending power to all four wheels via a complicated active diff system.

The wheels (Fifteen52 Tarmacs) and tyres (Toyo R1Rs) are a modern touch, but one peep inside reveals a world of countless switches, showcasing that this is indeed a child of the nineties. That little switch to the left of the steering wheel activates the anti-lag, which, when fired up, emits sweet chants of goodness from the oblong side exhaust.

Although Ford never won a WRC title with the Escort Cosworth, its driver roster was the stuff of legend (Juha Kankkunen, Ari Vatanen, Carlos Sainz and François Delecour), and it remains a nineties technological showpiece. You’ll be able to see Ken’s Cossie – in both gravel and tarmac setup – at some stage rallies and starring in other projects in the near future. Or of course, just follow the tyre smoke...