The Ford Escort is back. With one or two changes. Including a better power to weight ratio than a Porsche 911 GT3, a more power dense engine than an Aston Martin Valkyrie and dampers from the same firm that supplies them for the GMA T.50. Safe to say this isn’t a blue collar hero anymore.
But nor is it a restomod. Or a continuation car. Named the Ford Escort Mk1 RS by Boreham Motorworks, this is an official Ford-sanctioned, new from the ground up, modified, retro-futuristic take on an original race-inspired Escort.
You could tie yourself in knots trying to define it, so instead let’s enjoy it for what it is: a cool-looking, sub-900kg, rear-drive, manual-boxed, nat-asp, little tiny Ford with a great big heart. That revs to 10,000rpm.
It could potentially be one the greatest driving devices known to mankind. It is definitely the most exotically engineered Escort there’s ever been.
And that, unsurprisingly, means it comes with a chunky price tag. £354,000 before options, but after VAT. Options that include the 10k engine – actually called the TEN-K.
Announced 18 months ago, this is the finished article and differs significantly from an original Escort. The inspiration for it was the Group 5 Alan Mann Racing Escort that won the saloon car championship in 1968.
Last year I drove Boreham’s nut and bolt identical recreation of that car, a track only racer with period correct Twin Cam engine and four-speed ‘box. This car uses that as a starting point, but sprinkles modern thinking and technology into the mix.
The front sub-frame is entirely new, shunting the front wheels forward to lengthen the wheelbase by 30mm, the chassis has been reinforced so rigidity is up 50 per cent and the rear axle is now half the weight of the near-100kg original. That’s been achieved by swapping iron construction for an aluminium centre casting with titanium axle tubes. The body panels are still mostly steel, but boot-lid and bonnet are carbon. As yet no-one has requested a full carbon body. Doubtless someone will.
As standard you get the same powertrain as the Alan Mann car – a 1,845cc Twin Cam with 182bhp and 133lb ft that revs to 8,500rpm. But given how modified the rest of the car looks and feels, you need – and so far every customer has specced – the TEN-K engine. Boreham isn’t currently saying who has helped them with development (or how much it will cost on top of the 1.8), but it is a super-trick bit of engineering.
It’s an all new engine, using a 3D printed mould to help minimise material, so the whole thing only weighs 85kg. An in-line, belt driven four with a 16 valve head, it has ‘Formula One inspired port and valve geometry’, individual throttle bodies and billet components (including the crankshaft, dry sump and cam cover).
The figures are startling. When Boreham originally announced it, they were targeting 300bhp. They’ve actually hit 325bhp. Given it’s only 2,152cc, that makes it one of the most power dense naturally aspirated production engines in the world. It develops 155bhp per litre, when a Ferrari 458 Speciale only manages 133bhp/litre and an Aston Martin Valkyrie 153bhp/litre.
Because only 150 are being made, Boreham’s engine doesn’t have to undergo such strenuous emissions testing, but let’s not detract from this engine. It promises to be wild, with a flat torque curve after a peak at 6,500rpm and, taking inspiration from Ford’s original BD (belt drive) engines, mega induction noise through a carbon airbox. It also looks fantastic under the bonnet.
From a distance the only giveaway that you’re looking at something non-original are the headlights. You decide if you like the look of them, but I guarantee the LEDs will light up the road in a way rheumy old halogens can only dream of.
The Escort has always had wonderful proportions and the bubble arches give it great stance. You’re aware the shape is somehow cleaner, the shut lines tighter, but it’s only when you get up close you start to pick out the quality. Nearly all the exterior metalwork is machined aluminium. There’s a richness and texture to the doorhandles and mirror casings that’s a massive step up from original Ford quality.
And it’s the same inside. The cabin has been entirely rethought and retrimmed, the leather is soft, the door cards are now carbon, the gorgeous instrument panel is bespoke, so is all the switchgear. There’s everything from phone connectivity to a carbon fibre roll cage, but the pièce de résistance are the – optional – Breitling clocks. A removable stopwatch and pocket watch that latch into the dash. Buy them and you can also opt to purchase a matching wristwatch.
It is a tiny car, something you’re reminded of every time you look at it and see how enormous the modern seats look inside it. There will be options for different chairs – these are the comfort seats with tilting backrests to aid access to the helmet holders in the back. If you prefer fixed, slimline carbon buckets, Boreham has got you covered.
Yeah, this is a Ford Escort unlike any other. It looks and feels expensive, but the question it begs is did the Ford Escort need this much of a glow up? This level of engineering and design applied to a humble everyday car is somehow above and beyond.
Boreham is making a name for itself with this level of attention to detail (it’s also responsible for the Evoluto 355 we drove recently) and I expect it won’t have difficulty finding 150 wealthy customers. But by taking it so far upmarket it distances the Escort from its origins, making it exclusive and too precious. It doesn’t help that there’s another firm out there, MST, doing awesome rally-inspired Escorts that are less than half the price of this one.
By taking it so far upmarket it distances the Escort from its origins, making it exclusive and too precious
The proof of it will be in the driving, and that’s where this could prove to be a complete winner. The two-way adjustable R53 dampers (as used by Gordon Murray for the T.50) should be absolutely awesome, and the gearshift, the long lever just a short span from the steering wheel, feels ultra tight and precise. A five speed Holinger manual, it features a dogleg first and short, punchy bespoke ratios.
The attention to detail includes the power steering, which is active at low speeds, but dials back the assistance as speeds rise to help maximise feel. ‘Peak analogue’, that’s the strapline, the promise here.
But it will also have very modern levels of performance. This much power, pushing just 895kg yields a power to weight ratio of 363bhp per tonne, where a 911 GT3 has 355bhp per tonne. So it’ll be plenty fast enough for road use, plus it has a 2yr/20,000 mile warranty.
Get this right, and it’ll go into the giant killers hall of fame alongside the Alfaholics GTA-R, and hopefully kickstart an historic Ford revival – after all Boreham Motorworks has the contract from Ford to do other projects. We do know the next will be a mid-engined, 4WD, Group B inspired RS200.
But for now let’s just celebrate this Mk1 Escort. Yes £350,000 is daft money for an Escort, especially one that, to hazard a guess, is probably going to be way over £400,000 once it’s all specced up. That’s nuts. If it helps, don’t think of it as an over-priced Escort. Think of it as the ultimate B-road car. Soon we will find out if it lives up to that billing.