# Millington Diamond engine

- Source: https://racingcarnetwork.com/wiki/millington-diamond-engine/
- Publisher: Racing Car Network (racingcarnetwork.com), the race car marketplace
- Type: engine · Brand: Millington
- Discipline: parts
- Era: 1990s
- Last updated: 2026-07-06

The Millington Diamond is the historic rally Escort's ultimate heart: a purpose-built all-alloy 2.5-litre four making ~300 naturally aspirated horsepower — the engine that decides who wins forest events, priced and traded accordingly.

## Specifications

| Spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Type | 2.5 L all-alloy 16v inline-4, purpose-built |
| Power | ~300 hp naturally aspirated (spec tiers) |
| Range | Diamond Series 2 + evolutions |
| Application | Historic/open rally Escorts, specials, hillclimb |
| Provenance | Factory per-unit records (call to verify) |
| Servicing | Millington + authorised refresh only |
| Years | 1995–present |
| Class | Top-flight historic rally engine |

## History

Millington Engines built the Diamond to answer a question the fast-Ford world kept asking: what powers a top-flight rally Escort when period engines reach their ceiling? The answer was clean-sheet — an all-aluminium, 16-valve four (Series 2 and evolutions refining the line) designed as a rally engine from the sump up: ~2.5 litres, ~300 hp naturally aspirated, torque curves shaped for forest stages and service intervals a national campaign can live with.

Adoption at the sharp end was total: the winning end of UK and Irish historic and open rallying runs Diamonds as near-default equipment, with the engine's costs simply priced into what a front-running Mk2 build means. The marque's record-keeping became part of the value: Millington knows every unit built, its spec and its refresh history — a single-source provenance registry rare in engine markets.

That registry structures the used trade: Diamonds change hands inside cars and as standalone units, priced by build spec and hours since Millington (or authorised) refresh, with the factory's paper the differentiator between an asset and a gamble.

## Palmarès

The engine of modern historic rallying's winning tier — national and international historic rally titles, forest-event wins across the UK and Ireland for two decades in Diamond-powered Escorts and specials; the results sheet is effectively the customer list.

## What to check before you buy

Ring Millington first: the factory's per-unit records (spec, ownership, refresh history) verify any Diamond's claims in one call — treat a seller's reluctance to share the serial as the answer. Price on hours since refresh and build tier (spec evolutions and output levels vary), confirm ancillaries completeness (mapping, throttle bodies, exhaust manifold — replacement costs are real) and installation provenance in-car. Standalone units command strong money because demand structurally exceeds supply at the winning end. Budget the next scheduled refresh into any offer; a Diamond's costs are known quantities, which is precisely its value.

## Did you know

- Millington keeps records of every Diamond ever built — buyers verify engines with a phone call, a provenance luxury unique in the rally-engine trade.
- ~300 NA horsepower from a rally-serviceable alloy four made the Diamond the ceiling-breaker: period-engine development simply stopped making sense above it.
- The engine's ubiquity at the winning end means forest-event results sheets read as Millington customer lists — rivals' adverts say 'Diamond-beating' as a specification.

## Related entries

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- Quaife QBE69G (69G) gearbox — https://racingcarnetwork.com/wiki/quaife-qbe69g-gearbox/
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