200bhp 1993 Ford Sierra P100 pick-up gets the restomod treatment and BMW M47 2-litre engined

Most P100s were sent to the knacker’s yard years ago. Luckily, Gary York found this tidy example locally, but felt that it needed some Bavarian giddy up…

Words Graham Leigh

Photos Andrew Saunders

HOMEBUILT HERO: P100

Sierra pick-up gets the restomod treatment.

There’s something about a cool commercial,” states Gary York, the owner of this handsome P100. It’s fair to say that the 52-year-old carpenter has earned his stripes when it comes to putting light commercial classic Ford projects together. His Mk3 Escort van was featured in our February 2022 issue and came with fresh Diamond White paint, RS1600i styling and a 2-litre Zetec engine. A further MK3 Escort van is now waiting in the wings and is destined for a Pinto-powered, rear-wheel drive conversion.

The passion for Fords started early for Gary. His dad always had Cortinas and this rubbed o on him. His first car was a Mk1 Escort 1300 Deluxe that he bought when he was still 16. A host of Blue Oval metal followed including Cortinas, Anglias, Capris, Granadas, Sierras and, perhaps not surprisingly for a carpenter, several trusty Transits. Modified highlights have included a 100E with Subaru Impreza STI running gear, an ST170 Anglia, and a Cosworth YB-powered Mk1 Escort. Gary’s pride and joy though, is the Cortina that he inherited from his late father. Bought new in 1981, the Crystal Green 2-litre Ghia remains in timewarp condition. That car was featured in our April 2006 issue.

Good neighbours

Back in 2018, Gary was carrying out some work on his house. He admired his neighbour, Lee’s P100 for quite some time and felt that it would be a useful classic to haul materials around in and the perfect retro tip-run candidate. Lee had owned the car for five years at that juncture and it had been owned by his brother before that. Lee wasn’t using the car much and, with him and his sibling having cherished it, he was keen for it to go to a good home. Gary fitted the bill and a deal was done. “I ran it standard for about 18 months and the bed liner was still in it, so it came in very handy with the house project. The original 1800 turbo diesel engine was slow and noisy, so I started to think what would make for a good engine swap but useability was key with this one.”

After much deliberation, Gary decided to transplant a BMW M47 engine. Keeping the turbo diesel theme and being longitudinally mounted with a manual gearbox option, it seemed like a logical starting place. Gary found a suitable donor car in the form of a 2005 BMW E90 320d saloon. It was up together and MoT’d but had developed a battery drain fault and was thus keenly priced. Once back at Gary’s garage, he stripped it down for the parts that he needed and was able to utilise the BMW radiator and intercooler as well as the engine and six-speed manual transmission for the P100.

With the parts haul coming together, Gary turned his attention to future-proofing the P100. He stripped and inspected the pick-up and was delighted with the results. “I knew it was clean but when I took the liner out to inspect the bed, it was not only rust-free, but even the raised splines were undented. I couldn’t believe my luck.” Gary fitted two new sills — they were far from shot but he felt they were just on the turn. He removed the rear tub and repainted the chassis. The P100 still wears its original wings and doors. Gary removed the cumbersome factory side mouldings to give it a cleaner look. He painted the car in the original Radiant Red hue but purposely left the door shuts and engine bay as they were still looking good and hadn’t faded in the sun like the exterior panels. Gary applied replacement P100 decals to the fresh paint and with this transplant, the ‘Turbo Diesel’ sticker remains accurate.

Bay watch

Gary fabricated his own custom engine mounts and utilised Sierra engine rubbers to get the BMW engine sitting where he wanted it. The crossmember was notched and strengthened to allow for the larger M47 sump. For the transmission, he once again made his own mounts and was able to use the original gearstick aperture. Angry Parrot Fabrications were trusted with the custom propshaft and did a stellar job. Keeping it local once again, Gary’s neighbour, Sam is a BMW specialist and worked his magic in producing a bespoke loom. He also mapped the BMW ECU, deleting the unnecessary electronic systems and capitalising on the EGR and swirl flap deletes (see boxout) which take the engine to an estimated 200 bhp. Gary’s also carried out a hydraulic clutch conversion. The pedal box retains the Ford brake pedal but utilises adapted BMW accelerator and clutch pedals. Elsewhere in the cabin, Gary has opted to keep the clean interior standard and it works well with this project. He’s even fitted the original Ford five-speed gearknob to the BMW gearlever.

Gary has converted the truck to a fourstud fitment using the front legs, hubs, discs and callipers from a 2-litre Sierra. The legs have been converted to coil-overs and fitted with 180 lb springs. A Sierra RS Cosworth donated its steering rack to the cause. The rear of the car is fitted with an Atlas axle, RS2000 leaf springs and GAZ Gold rear shocks. The four-stud conversion has allowed Gary to fi t the 6.5x16 inch Peugeot Partner steel wheels to the pick-up. He had these powdercoated in silver to ape the colour of the original P100 wheels and fitted new centre caps and 195/45R16 tyres. Theseallow the P100 to retain its utilitarian charm while filling out the arches and looking a little more purposeful, adhering to the restomod brief perfectly.

Quick turnaround

Coming off the road in May 2021, Gary set to work and completed his P100 project in an impressive six months and he’s pleased with the results. “I don’t mind pottering around, but it was painfully slow before. The engine conversion makes it such a useable vehicle. With the liner in the bed, I can load it up with wheels or do a tip run but it’s nice and interesting enough to take to a meet or show when the weather is a bit iffy and I don’t want to take my prized Cortina. It’s such a handy bit of kit.” Gary has modernised the P100 without sacrifiing its sole. The term restomod covers a broad church of modified cars, but sometimes the best ones are just as much about restraint as they are innovation. This one werkes for us.

“I CAN LOAD IT UP FOR A TIP RUN, BUT IT’S INTERESTING ENOUGH TO TAKE TO A MEET OR SHOW, TOO”

BMW radiator and intercooler slot neatly behind the front panel. Four-stud hubs meant Peugeot steels could be fitted. Original decals (below) still apt. Pick-up bed is mint and testament to the care given to it by the P100’s former keepers.

Tech Spec

• Body 1993 Ford P100, side mouldings removed Paint: Radiant Red
• Engine BMW E90 320d M47 2-litre turbo diesel engine, EGR delete, swirl flap delete, standalone wiring loom, remapped ECU, custom-made engine mounts, BMW radiator and intercooler
• Transmission BMW 320d six-speed manual gearbox, custom-made gearbox mounts, bespoke propshaft by Angry Parrot Fabrications, hydraulic clutch conversion, Ford fivespeed gear knob
• Suspension Front: 2-litre Sierra front struts with coilover conversion using 180 lb springs, Sapphire Cosworth steering rack. Rear: Atlas axle, Mk2 Escort RS2000 leaf springs, GAZ Gold dampers
• Brakes Front: Sierra four-stud hubs, discs and callipers. Rear: drums
• Wheels and tyres Peugeot Partner 6.5x16 inch steel wheels, ET26, powdercoated in silver, 195/45R16 Windforce tyres
• Interior Standard P100 cloth seats and trim
• Thanks Sam for fitting the wiring loom and getting it running for me, Parrot at Angry Parrot Fabrications for the custom propshaft

LET’S TORQUE THE M47 ENGINE

Inspired by Gary’s leftfield engine choice? We can certainly see the appeal but there are a couple of things you should know. The straight-four M47 diesel engines were manufactured by BMW between 1998 and 2007. The later variant as fitted in the E90 donor car for this project has the engine code M47D20TU2. They were well received in period owing to their frugal combined 50 mpg figure and useful punch of torque. In standard tune, they produced a 161 bhp at 4000 rpm but the headline figure was the maximum 250 lb.ft torque that was accessed at just 2000 rpm. Gary has opted to remove the Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) valve on his. The passage of time has shown that the recirculated gas was causing carbon deposit build-up on the valve and often causing them to fail. This modification lowers engine temperatures, improves economy and throttle response and reduces oil contamination and the risk of engine damage due to carbon deposits. The intake manifold swirl flaps fitted to M47 engines are a known weak point and have been known to leak, collect carbon deposits and in the worst cases, fail and be sucked into the combustion chamber. Gary has carried out the popular M47 modification of removing the swirl flaps which on top of taking away the aforementioned risks, increases fuel efficiency and improves airflow and thus performance.

THE BUILD

With plenty of builds already behind him, Gary saw the P100 as a quick project with potential. Bought from a neighbour, the Sierra was clean, untouched and most-importantly, rot-free, The M47 appeared early on — wider than the original diesel (left) it still comfortably fits.

Gary went right through the truck, including the rear chassis, future-proofing it for years to come. Installing the engine and gearbox meant minimal work — though custom mounts were needed.

Meanwhile the P100 was stripped right down, new sills fitted as a precaution, and prepped for paint. The P100’s proving to be the perfect parts-hauler for Gary, and with 200 bhp, there are plenty of smiles.

Gary’s left the interior well alone, even the gearknob is the Ford original

“WHEN I TOOK THE LINER OUT TO INSPECT THE BED IT WAS RUST FREE I COULDN’T BELIEVE MY LUCK”