The Ford Escort Mk1 RS has returned as a completely new, Ford-licensed performance car—not a conventional restomod. Boreham Motorworks is targeting 895 kg, 330 PS and a 10,000-rpm-capable naturally aspirated engine, with production limited to 150 examples.
The Ford Escort Mk1 RS is back—but it is not a conventional restoration or donor-based restomod. Boreham Motorworks is building a limited run of entirely new, Ford-licensed cars that reinterpret the first-generation Escort RS formula with a bespoke chassis, a naturally aspirated 2.152-liter engine, rear-wheel drive and a stated 10,000-rpm capability.
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The latest production-representative specification targets 895 kg and 330 PS. Only 150 examples are planned, with pricing starting at £295,000 in the UK and rest of the world or $400,000 in the United States. Those figures supersede the project’s original December 2024 targets of 800 kg and 300 PS.
The headline figures
| Item | Latest stated specification |
|---|---|
| Vehicle | Boreham Motorworks Ford Escort Mk1 RS |
| Engine | 2.152-liter naturally aspirated inline-four |
| Power | 330 PS |
| Engine capability | 10,000 rpm |
| Target weight | 895 kg |
| Drive layout | Rear-wheel drive |
| Production | 150 cars worldwide |
| Availability | Left- and right-hand drive |
| Price | From £295,000 UK/rest of world; $400,000 US |
Boreham has described the car as being in development and validation, so these should be read as the latest official target and program figures—not as independently verified performance results. No confirmed acceleration time, top speed or lap record has been published in the available material.
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A new car wearing the shape of an old one
The most important fact about the Boreham Escort is its provenance. An ordinary restomod begins with an original classic shell or chassis and upgrades it with modern brakes, suspension, powertrain and equipment. Boreham says this Escort is different: it is manufactured from the ground up with a new body, a new chassis and bespoke suspension architecture. There is no donor car underneath it.
Boreham uses the term Continumod for this approach. That is the company’s branding rather than a universally recognized automotive classification, so the clearest description is a new, Ford-licensed continuation-style vehicle with period-sympathetic engineering. It is intended to preserve the visual and mechanical character of an Escort Mk1 RS without relying on increasingly scarce original shells.
That distinction also changes what buyers are purchasing. This is not an old Ford with a new engine, nor is it a sympathetic restoration whose history can be traced through a donor chassis. It is a newly manufactured interpretation of the Escort RS lineage, carrying Ford-approved provenance while Boreham handles the engineering, production and customer program.
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Power comes from Boreham’s TEN-K, a 2.152-liter naturally aspirated inline-four developed specifically for the Escort Mk1 RS. The engine is claimed to produce 330 PS and to have a 10,000-rpm capability—an unusually high ceiling for a road-oriented four-cylinder, particularly in a car whose identity is built around mechanical response rather than electronic assistance.
Boreham says the 85-kg engine uses lightweight internals and billet components, along with individual throttle bodies and a 16-valve cylinder head. Its port geometry is described as F1-inspired, a reference to the intended approach to gas flow and response—not evidence that the engine was developed by Formula 1 or derived from an F1 power unit.
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Individual throttle bodies should give each cylinder more direct control over its intake charge than a conventional shared throttle arrangement. Combined with a naturally aspirated layout and a high-revving design, the objective is crisp throttle response and an engine that rewards using the upper reaches of its rev range. The available specifications do not establish a final torque figure, redline behavior under road conditions or a dyno-independent power result, however.
895 kg and 330 PS: why the weight matters
At a targeted 895 kg, the Escort is still extremely light by modern performance-car standards. The headline power-to-weight ratio is approximately 369 PS per tonne, before accounting for the final production configuration and any market-specific equipment. That figure explains why Boreham can pursue explosive responses without needing a large turbocharged engine or a complicated all-wheel-drive system.
The current figure is also a useful example of how the project has evolved. The first announcement quoted an 800-kg target and 300 PS. The later production-representative specification is heavier but more powerful, at 895 kg and 330 PS. The newer figures should be used when describing the car today; the earlier numbers are development targets, not the final confirmed specification.
An analogue chassis with modern engineering
The Escort remains rear-wheel drive and deliberately avoids turning the Mk1 into a digitally filtered supercar. Boreham’s chassis is entirely bespoke, but its geometry is described as a modern interpretation of the original layout:
- MacPherson struts at the front, retaining the basic architecture associated with the original Escort.
- A live rear axle, preserving the classic rear-drive character rather than replacing it with an independent rear suspension system.
- Modernized suspension geometry, developed as a clean-sheet system rather than a simple reproduction of period components.
- A fully floating rear axle using aluminum and titanium.
Boreham claims that the new rear axle reduces rear unsprung mass by 50 percent compared with period racing Escorts. Lower unsprung mass can help a wheel follow uneven surfaces and reduce the suspension’s workload, but the claim is a manufacturer comparison rather than an independently measured road-test result.
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The result is intended to be analogue in feel without being technically antiquated. The car keeps the defining ingredients—front struts, a live axle, rear-wheel drive and a compact lightweight body—while applying contemporary manufacturing and engineering analysis to the parts that determine stiffness, suspension control and response.
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Why the Ford connection matters
Boreham Motorworks operates within the DRVN Automotive Group. In June 2024, Boreham announced a worldwide brand-licence agreement with Ford Motor Company covering a series of Ford road, race and rally icons. The Escort Mk1 RS is presented as an officially Ford-licensed model within that program.
The licence gives the car more than styling permission. It supplies the Ford provenance that collectors and enthusiasts will expect from a modern continuation-style Escort. It does not mean Ford manufactures the vehicle: the available information identifies Boreham as the company responsible for developing and building the new car.
Which Escort lineage is being revived?
The Mk1 Escort became a performance icon through a family of road and competition models rather than one single version. The lineage Boreham is invoking includes the Twin Cam, RS1600, Mexico and RS2000, as well as the broader Ford competition work associated with Boreham.
The original cars were successful because they combined a compact rear-wheel-drive platform with relatively straightforward mechanicals and strong competition potential. That is the formula the new car is trying to recover: not merely the look of a seventies Ford, but the sense that the engine, gearbox, axle and driver are working together without layers of software between them.
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For broader historical context, Sporting MK1 Escorts covers the sporting European Mk1 variants, including the GT, Sport, 1300E, Twin Cam, RS1600, Mexico and RS2000. That makes it a better fit for understanding the cars behind Boreham’s inspiration than for maintaining the new vehicle.
Price, production and timing
Boreham says production is limited to 150 examples worldwide, available in both left- and right-hand drive. The stated starting prices are £295,000 in the UK and the rest of the world, and $400,000 in the United States.
The first production-representative prototype made its public debut at the London Concours in June 2026. The project’s earlier December 2024 announcement had referred to production beginning in the third quarter of 2025 and had mentioned a two-year/20,000-mile warranty. Because the later material describes an active development and validation phase, those earlier delivery and warranty details should not be treated as current customer-program confirmation without a newer statement from Boreham.
There is also no verified evidence in the available sources that all 150 cars have been sold. The confirmed facts are the limited production run, the application-based customer process and the published starting prices.
What the Boreham Escort is—and is not
| It is | It is not |
|---|---|
| A new vehicle manufactured from the ground up | A restoration of an original Escort shell |
| Ford-licensed through Boreham’s brand agreement | A car manufactured by Ford, based on the available information |
| A rear-wheel-drive, high-revving analogue-style performance car | A modern turbocharged or electronically filtered supercar |
| A continuation-style interpretation of the Mk1 RS lineage | A conventional donor-based restomod |
| A 150-car limited production program | A mass-market revival or a verified sellout |
Bottom line
The reborn Ford Escort Mk1 RS is compelling because Boreham has not simply installed modern hardware into an old shell. It is attempting to recreate the original car’s compact, rear-drive, high-involvement character with a new chassis and a purpose-built engine capable of reaching 10,000 rpm.
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The defining combination is now clear: 895 kg, 330 PS, a naturally aspirated 2.152-liter four-cylinder, rear-wheel drive and a 150-car production limit. At the same time, buyers should understand the qualification behind the word “reborn.” This is a Ford-licensed, ground-up continuation-style vehicle—not a period Escort rescued and upgraded—and its final performance, delivery timing and customer-program details should be confirmed directly with Boreham as validation progresses.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Boreham Ford Escort Mk1 RS a restomod?
No. Boreham says the Escort Mk1 RS is built entirely from new, with a new body, bespoke chassis and suspension architecture. It does not use an original donor car, so it is more accurately described as a new continuation-style vehicle than a donor-based restomod.
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The latest official specification targets 895 kg and 330 PS. Earlier December 2024 targets quoted 800 kg and 300 PS, but those figures have been superseded by the newer production-representative specification.
What engine is in the Boreham Escort Mk1 RS?
It uses the naturally aspirated 2.152-liter TEN-K inline-four. Boreham states that the 85-kg engine has lightweight internals, billet components, individual throttle bodies and a 10,000-rpm capability.
Is the new Escort Mk1 RS built by Ford?
Boreham has announced a worldwide Ford brand licence and presents the Escort as officially Ford-licensed. The available information does not say that Ford manufactures the vehicle; Boreham is responsible for its development and production program.
How many Boreham Escort Mk1 RS cars will be built?
Boreham says production will be limited to 150 examples worldwide, in left- and right-hand drive. Pricing starts at £295,000 in the UK/rest of world and $400,000 in the United States. The available sources do not verify that all examples have been sold.
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The Bottom Line
The Boreham Ford Escort Mk1 RS is a new, Ford-licensed continuation-style car—not a donor-based restomod—with an 895-kg target weight, 330 PS, a naturally aspirated 2.152-liter TEN-K engine and a stated 10,000-rpm capability. Production is limited to 150 cars, priced from £295,000 or $400,000, but final performance and delivery details remain subject to the development and validation program.
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