I nearly replied to that one before.... Nothing to do with Spridgets, but
definitively LBC!
The BDA was manufactured by Ford, first in late 1969 to fit it into the Ford
Escort RS1600, where that engine replaced the Lotus Twin Cam (1558 cc) in
the Escort of that name.. The BDA had 120 hp at the flywheel, or just over
10 hp more than the Twin Cam it replaced. It was the first of a long and
very successful (in racing and rallying) Ford BD series.
The Lotus Twin Cam was based on the 1500 cc pre-crossflow Cortina engine,
but when that block became unobtainable, some enterprising engine builders
built the Twin cam on the crossflow block. As Mike said, the BDA was built
on the crossflow block right from the start.
Problem with the Twin Cam and BDA is cost. You can easily built a streetable
Twin Cam/BDA giving 150 to 170 hp, but it will cost at least twice as much
than to built a crossflow up to 135 to 150 hp... and the crossflow is easier
to maintain. A full race BDA or Twin Cam, and you are talking of $20,000 or
so.
OK, that's TMI!
JLC, ex-chairman Ford RS Owners Club
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