The Escort, then. Not a restomod. Not a continuation car in the conventional sense. Boreham Motorworks, based in County Durham, has coined the term "continumod" for what they have created: an entirely new car, built from scratch, manufactured to modern production standards and tolerances, officially licensed by Ford, complete with a continuation chassis number issued by Ford headquarters. The first entirely new Ford Escort Mk1 built for the road in more than fifty years.
The dimensions follow the original Mk1 RS closely. The structure does not. The chassis is considerably more rigid than the original and the car is homologated for production in small series. At 895 kilograms it is genuinely light by any current measure. There is no power steering, no ABS, no traction control, no electric motor anywhere. The brief was simple and the execution followed it.
Two engines are offered. The first is a development of the original Twin Cam unit that powered the Escort in competition, enlarged from 1,558cc to 1,845cc, fitted with fuel injection in place of the original twin Weber carburettors, producing 182bhp at up to 9,000rpm. It drives through the original gearbox with four straight cut gears.
The second engine is the reason most people are paying attention.
Boreham calls it the TEN-K. A naturally aspirated engine of 2.1 litres with four cylinders developed from scratch, drawing on F1 cylinder head port geometry, individual throttle bodies, a billet crankshaft, dry sump lubrication and castings produced by 3D printing for the block that allow thinner walls than conventional manufacturing permits. The result weighs 85 kilograms, produces 325bhp, and spins to 10,000rpm. It drives through a gearbox with five speeds and a dogleg first. Power to weight in TEN-K configuration is 363bhp per tonne, which puts it ahead of a Porsche 911 GT3.
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The TEN-K is available as an option at extra cost on top of the base price. Boreham has not published final performance figures, which is either an unusual restraint or a deliberate exercise in letting buyers find out for themselves on the road. The car comes with a warranty for two years or 20,000 miles. Both right and versions in right and left hand drive are both available.
The Escort RS project was announced 18 months ago. What Boreham showed at the London Concours is the finished article, differing significantly from the original reveal in its detail and specification. The company holds a broader licensing contract with Ford, not just for this car. The next project has been confirmed: a Group B inspired RS200 with a engine mounted centrally and drive to all four wheels. Whether that one sells out before it is shown in final form remains to be seen. The reasonable assumption, given what happened to the Escort allocation, is yes.
A new Ford Escort RS that screams to ten thousand revs, weighs under a tonne and was sold out before most people knew it existed. The original Escort RS1600 was built to win rallies. This one was built to remind people why that mattered.
Sources
- Evo — The Ford Escort RS returns with 10,000rpm, but it'll cost you (all 150 examples accounted for; primary detail source)
- Top Gear — The Ford Escort is back: this Mk1 RS is a £354k lightweight that revs to 10,000rpm (RS200 next project confirmed)
- Car and Driver — Boreham Launches Mk1 Ford Escort RS with 10,000-RPM Redline
- Yahoo Autos / Motoring Research — Boreham reveals new Ford Escort RS for £300k — with 10,000rpm redline
- Boreham Motorworks official — boreham-motorworks.com
