Two of the most revered Fords ever built are to be brought back to life, via limited run of Continuation and ‘remastered’ cars, with the backing of the Blue Oval itself.
Boreham Motorworks is a division of DRVN Automotive Group, which among its portfolio of companies includes Evolution E-Types, Koenigsegg London, JW Motorworks and Alan Mann Racing. Boreham Motorworks has licensed the rights to Ford Group B homologation special, the RS200, and the Group 5 Ford Escort Mk1 – with a further five cars to be revealed at a later date.
There are very few details other than the renderings you can see here, but Boreham Motorworks describes the RS200 as an “entirely new, ground-up build of a Group B-inspired drivers’ car”. We’ve no further details on whether the new model will retain the single-turbo Ford-Cosworth BDT engine, which produced 250bhp in road trim and more than twice that in competition guise, or use a more modern turbocharged EcoBoost engine, which can produce 330bhp in Ford Mustang EcoBoost Performance Package form, and even more in the Dallara Stradale (395bhp).
We’re projecting a little, but it’s unlikely the troublesome honeycomb composite body of the original RS200 will be retained, with more modern carbonfibre used instead – so it has the potential to be both faster and lighter than its forebear. And that, when fully tuned, was for a long time the fastest-accelerating production car in the world, according to the Guinness Book of World Records – until the McLaren F1 pitched up, hitting 0-60mph in 2.1 seconds.
We’ve no further information on build numbers or prices, but the original mid-engined machine was produced in only 200 units to homologate the rally cars.
The second car is described as a Continuation off a Group 5 Ford Escort Mk1, part of a series of what Boreham Motorworks calls Ford’s most historically significant road, race and rally icons. It claims they will be blueprint-accurate and period-sympathetic, with Continuation vehicle identification numbers.
The Mk1 Escort was a highly successful rally car thanks to its light weight and novel suspension set-up, which meant it was highly agile on rally stages. Again, we’ve no further news on drivetrain options, numbers or prices.
However, buying either one of the cars brings an invitation to the Boreham High Performance Club, with a series of events planned.
This move echoes other manufacturers building up dedicated bespoke car ‘mini-companies’ that can exist outside the straight lines of mainstream automotive production, such Jaguar’s SVO department, and Alfa Romeo’s Bottega programme. It is likely that we will see more companies following suit.
“From the first time we met with Boreham Motorworks and the DRVN team, it was clear that they had an exciting vision for how to bring some of our most iconic historical nameplates to life for the modern era,” commented Will Ford, general manager at Ford Performance Motorsports. “It will be exciting to see this relationship flourish, and to see how Boreham Motorworks brings the vision to life at a time when there is so much passion from enthusiasts for great experiences.”
The Mk1 Escort will be shown to the public later this year, while the RS200 will be developed for release to celebrate the model’s 40th anniversary.
“We are thrilled to embark on this journey with Ford Motor Company, and kickstart a series that will redefine and remaster these icons of the past,” said Darren McDermott, executive chairman of DRVN Automotive Group. “We aim to redefine automotive innovation and push the boundaries in terms of driver engagement and design. Our shared commitment to this incredible project will create an outstanding analogue driving experience and leave a lasting legacy for the true petrolhead.”
Expressions of interest are being garnered via the Boreham Motorworks website here.
