Say hello to the Boreham Motorworks Ford Escort Mk1 RS, revealed 50 years since the last Mk1 Escort to wear the RS badge – and one with a potential of far more than 300bhp/tonne.
Boreham Motorworks is an official brand licence partner of the Ford Motor Company, which means this Escort Mk1 RS projects is officially sanctioned by the Blue Oval. Instead of calling the car a restomod, it’s perceived as a ‘continumod’, which Boreham Motorworks defines as a “blueprint-accurate, period-sympathetic vehicle”. That means there is no donor model – this is an authentic Continuation with an approved chassis number from Ford.
However, unlike strict Continuations, the new car has been treated to something very special under the bonnet – well, several special somethings. The first option is the original Twin Cam engine, bored out to 1845cc and treated to fuel injection by Boreham Motorworks. Its 185PS (182.4bhp, delivered at 9000rpm) is channelled to the road via a four-speed manual ‘Ford bullet’ synchromesh straight-cut transmission.
The somewhat tastier option for the 2025 Escort Mk1 RS is a brand-new, motorsport-derived four-cylinder engine. Measuring 2.1 litres and weighing 85kg, it delivers 300PS (295.9bhp) and revs to 10,000rpm. It features forged-steel conrods, a billet crankshaft, a motor sport-specification loom and connectors for the coil-over-plug ignition, fuel injection, ECU management and an electronic throttle body. There’s also a bespoke titanium exhaust system that’s been tuned for power and sound.
The 2.1-litre engine’s power is transmitted to the road via a five-speed dogleg gearbox with bespoke gear ratios, while the rear axle is a brand-new lightweight aluminium and titanium floating unit matched to a limited-slip ATB differential. Suspension wise there are MacPherson struts up front, with coil-over dampers all round.
Braking power comes from 260mm x 25mm vented discs with four-piston calipers at the front and 264mm x 11mm solid discs with two-piston calipers at the rear, with no servo. These stoppers sit behind 5in x 7in four-spoke wheels paired with 205/50×15 tyres at the front, and 15in x 8in wheels with 225/50×15 tyres at the rear.
Boreham Motorworks has designed new manufacturing jigs and fixtures for the 2025 Escort Mk1 RS’s body assembly, while the steel structure itself has been put through CAE analysis for efficiency, chassis-dynamics and torsional-rigidity studies. This has led to structural body enhancements, with additional bracing, wider inner arches and vertical rear dampers.
In order to keep the Escort Mk1 RS as light as possible, carbonfibre has been used for the bootlid, bonnet and interior substrates, with a target weight of 800kg planned. The interior has been designed to balance this with driver comfort – there are heated screens, air-conditioning and a screen-demist function, plus Alcantara and leather trim. The car also comes with a full roll cage with removable door bars, with three-point inertia-reel seatbelts fitted as standard. Four-point harnesses and visual-carbon helmet-stowage areas are optional.
From an aesthetic standpoint, design director Wayne Burgess has stripped away the quarter bumpers and main direction indicators for a “sleeker and more purposeful silhouette”. There’s a billet-machined aluminium grille surround, wile the headlights are inspired by the taped-over square headlamps used during the original Mk1’s racing exploits. A similar treatment has been used at the rear. The design has also seen the design of brand-new door handles and mirrors, plus other billet components.
“From the very beginning, our goal was to honour the simplicity and purity of the original design, while ensuring it met the expectations of a modern performance car,” said Burgess of the 2025 Escort Mk1. “Every detail, from the minimalism of the exterior to the thoughtful functionality inside, is about distilling the essence of what made the Mk1 so special.”
Just 150 examples of the 2025 Escort Mk1 RS will be built, with pricing starting at £295,000. It comes with a two-year, 20,000-mile warranty. The first public display will come in summer 2025, ahead of production starting in the autumn.
Fancy one? Applications can be lodged here.
Boreham Motorworks has released a video, which you can see below:
