The Ford Escort Mk1 RS is back, with 296bhp and a £295k price tag

The Ford Escort has been resurrected, and clearly not in the same way as the Capri was. Some 50 years after production of the Mk1 Escort ended, British firm Boreham Motorworks has remastered the Sixties and Seventies icon with more power, motorsport know-how and modern technology. 

Almost every classic car is getting the restomod treatment these days, with highlights including Singer’s take on the Porsche 911 or the bonkers TWR Supercat. But that’s not what this is. Boreham Motorworks calls its Mk1 RS a “Continumod”, as each of the 150 “blueprint-accurate” examples it will produce is to be built completely from scratch, not based on a donor car, and have an approved continuation chassis number from Ford itself.

County Durham-based Boreham Motorworks says it’s “dedicated to preserving and enhancing the legacy of some of Ford’s most iconic vehicles”. It adds: “This is the ultimate evolution of the Mk1 and its RS lineage, a machine crafted for driving enthusiasts.”

There’s no power steering, ABS or traction control, and not an electric motor in sight, either. The Escort Mk1 RS is offered with two pure-petrol engines, the first being a reimagining of Ford’s Twin-Cam four-cylinder unit with fuel injection and expanded to 1.8 litres. It produces 182bhp, can rev to 9,000rpm and comes paired with a four-speed, straight-cut manual gearbox.

The other option is a bespoke motorsport-derived 2.1-litre four-pot that weighs less than 85kg and features uprated internals such as a billet crankshaft, more advanced fuel injection and a titanium exhaust system. All this helps the engine spit out 296bhp and rev all the way to 10,000rpm. Power is sent to the rear wheels via a five-speed, dogleg manual gearbox.

Front-rear weight distribution is 55:45, we’re told, and the car’s target weight is 800kg – close to a third of that of the new Ford Capri. The Mk1 RS’s suspension system consists of MacPherson front struts, and an all-new lightweight, aluminium and titanium fully floating rear axle with coil-over dampers. There’s also an ATB (Automatic Torque Biasing) limited-slip differential.

Stopping power is provided by four-piston brake calipers and 260mm vented discs up front, and two-piston calipers with 264mm solid discs at the rear. Those are wrapped in bespoke 15-inch wheels, which pay homage to those on the original Escort, and are eight inches wide at the rear. A set of forged magnesium rims is available too.

Boreham Motorworks laser-scanned original blueprints and used digital modelling to accurately reproduce the Escort’s bodywork. But it has taken things to the next level with enhanced structural bracing and improved torsional rigidity of the car’s all-steel body, while the bonnet, bootlid and other elements are made from carbon fibre.  

9

Some more modern elements have been weaved into the design, such as the LED headlights which are inspired by how lights used to be taped over for racing, as a nod to the Escort’s motorsport heritage. Meanwhile, the interior features a blend of Alcantara, leather and anodised components, a gorgeous deep-dish three-spoke steering wheel and lots of analogue dials, with just a small infotainment display in the centre console.

The firm is promising customers OEM-quality finish and quality, which you’d hope for considering the Ford Escort Mk1 RS comes with a price tag of £295,000, and a two-year/20,000-mile warranty. Potential customers will get to see the car properly next summer, and production is slated to begin shortly after. 

If you don’t manage to secure a Mk1 RS, Boreham Motorworks has already teased a similar reincarnation of the Ford RS200, a Group B rally car that was also produced in tiny numbers for road use.

Want the latest car news in your inbox? Sign up to the free Auto Express email newsletter...