Boreham Motoworks’ New Ford Escort Mk1 Offers a Screaming 10,000-RPM Redline

It has been 21 years since the Blue Oval discontinued the Ford Escort in North America, but Boreham Motorworks, the motorsport and racing division of the DRVN Automotive Group, is bringing the Group B rally racing-famed car back as a limited-run continuation model or “continumod,” called the Escort Mk1.

The Escort Mk1 is officially licensed by Ford, and each will be assigned a chassis number. We mentioned earlier in 2024 that the Ford RS200 and Mk1 Escort Group B rally car legends were set to continue with upcoming production models, and this is one of the two in that lineup. 

Boreham will be building the vehicles from the ground up while maintaining “blueprint-accurate, period-sympathetic” standards. If the proposed Escort Mk1 continumods look anything like the photos provided, the models will wear the same smooth, clean body lines of the original cars, but with modern technology and hardware implemented within.

The old powertrain is no longer. Two fuel-injected modern setups will be available: a 1.8-liter twin-cam unit that sends 182 horsepower through a four-speed manual “Ford bullet” straight-cut gearbox, or a 296 horsepower 2.1-liter four-cylinder engine upgrade. Not only does the 2.1-liter option offer more power, but it also gives the owner a 10,000-rpm redline, electronic throttle control, and a five-speed dogleg manual gearbox.

While those numbers may not sound up to snuff when it comes to today’s modern performance cars, the Escort Mk1’s curb weight should set the record straight. The target weight is 1,764 pounds, 500 pounds lighter than a first-generation Mazda Miata, which offered 152 horsepower at the most from its rarer BBR Turbo version.

Carbon fiber is used to construct the hood, trunk lid, and some interior components to reduce weight. Inside the cabin appears fairly simple with bucket seats and a full roll cage. Creature comforts include Alcantara and leather upholstery, a small infotainment system, air conditioning, anodized dials, and new switchgear.

Production is limited to just 150 examples with pricing starting just under $375,000 at current exchange rates. The price includes a two-year/20,000-mile warranty.

The Escort Mk1 built by Boreham Motorworks is scheduled to officially debut this coming summer with production starting in the third quarter of 2025.

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