The Mk1 Ford Escort is making a stunning return to our roads more than half a century after the last example came off the Essex assembly lines.

A limited run of 150 officially licensed Escort RS – standing for Rallye Sport – cars are being built by Coventry–based specialist Boreham Motorworks.

While the Mk1 Escort was an icon in its own right, the rally–inspired RS road cars are part of 1970s automotive folklore. So much so that a cherished example of an original RS1600 Escort will today set you back in the region of £80,000 – and that’s only if you can prise it out of the grip of collectors.

But the ‘continumod’ RS cars being built – all of them to an incredibly high specification – blow that value out of the water.

Each example of the reborn classic will cost an eye–watering £295,000. That’s some mark–up on the £1,600 price of a new one back in 1970.

The first of these has just been completed. And it is utterly glorious.

Finished in a retro paint scheme of British racing green with gold racing stripes, the revived sports car is guaranteed to set petrolheads’ pulses racing.

The wonderfully repurposed motors have been dubbed ‘the most focused lightweight performance cars of the modern era’.

The Mk1 Ford Escort is back! British company Boreham Motorworks has revealed the first of the 150 ‘continuation’ cars it is producing for collectors. Each one costs a whopping £300,000

In a world where most new car releases are soulless electric vehicles arriving from China, the UK–crafted Boreham Motorworks Ford Escort Mk1 RS is a welcome breath of fresh [or old] air. 

The cars are promised to be ‘blueprint–accurate and period–sympathetic’ to the original but will ‘combine the timeless spirit of classic cars with modern engineering, design and advanced manufacturing’. 

And unlike other ‘restomod’ businesses that reproduce iconic classics with modern manufacturing techniques, materials and parts but without being able to sell them with their original badges, the 150 Escorts will be genuine Ford products.

Each one can be adorned – legally – with Ford logos thanks to an official licence agreement with Ford Motor Company.

The cars are ‘engineered and manufactured as an entirely brand–new vehicle from the ground up’ rather than having to source original vehicles as donor cars. 

This makes them a ‘true continuation of the Escort RS lineage built to modern standards of quality, performance and durability’, the bespoke carmaker says.

Back in 1970, a new Mk1 Ford Escort RS1600 cost £1,600. With inflation, that works out at £22,533 today. But the Coventry–built ‘continumod’ cars are 13 times more than that

The wonderfully repurposed motors have been dubbed ‘the most focused lightweight performance cars of the modern era’

Customers can choose from one of two engine options.

The first is a reimagined twin–cam four–cylinder 1.8–litre unit with an 8,500rpm redline that produces a maximum of 182bhp. This is a direct homage to the original Alan Mann Racing–built motorsport engine of 1968.

The second is Boreham Motorworks’ own higher–capacity 2.1–litre four–pot motorsport engine that’s uprated with forged steel conrods, a billet crankshaft and advanced fuel injection.

It revs to a screaming 10,000rpm and generates an impressive 295bhp.

The former comes with a reproduced ‘Ford Bullet’ four–speed straight–cut manual gearbox, while the latter has a period–correct close–ratio five–speed ‘dogleg’ manual racing transmission.

Car number one of 150 uses the larger of the two powerplants.

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Customers can choose from one of two engine options. The first is a reimagined twin–cam four–cylinder 1.8–litre unit that’s a direct homage to the original

The powerplant in model 1 of 150 is Boreham Motorworks’ own higher–capacity 2.1–litre four–pot motorsport engine

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It also features a lightweight carbon–fibre bonnet and boot panels, bespoke headlights and tail lamps with modern LEDs, and a host of lightweight machined materials designed to reduce weight.

When ‘dry’ (meaning with no fuel or fluids), it tips the scale at just 895kg, which should result in staggering power–to–weight performance.

To retain the origins of the seventies classic, there is no power steering, anti–lock braking system or traction control.

Iain Muir, CEO of Boreham Motorworks, said: ‘What matters most to us is ensuring the car delivers exactly what enthusiasts expect the moment they get behind the wheel.

‘Lightweight engineering, immediate response, usable naturally aspirated performance and genuine driver connection have guided every decision throughout development.’

He adds that the character of the original Mk1 Escort RS has been ‘captured perfectly’.

‘It is focused, mechanical and engineered to reward the driver in every moment,’ he says.

Inside, owners are transported back in time with a compact binnacle within the deep–dish, three–spoke steering wheel and an analogue–inspired instrument panel

The retro clocks are a blend of analogue and digital with a carbon–fibra backing and a leather–stiched surround on for the instrument cluster

The control switches and toggles are all machined metal to give that authentic touch and feel

The car’s body is based on the same two–door Escort RS shell that passed through the Aveley Advanced Vehicle Operations factory before it was shuttered in 1975.

Design director Wayne Burgess – who owns a Mk2 Escort – says the brief was to ‘elevate both quality and durability’ while preserving the ‘simplicity and honesty of the original car’.

He said: ‘The challenge was never about redesigning the Escort RS – it was about understanding what made it so special in the first place. That philosophy guided the entire programme. 

‘The proportions, the stance, the simplicity and the mechanical honesty all come from engineering purpose.

‘We wanted the car to feel authentic not just visually, but emotionally and dynamically as well.’

Inside, owners are transported back in time with a compact binnacle within the deep–dish, three–spoke steering wheel, an analogue–inspired instrument panel, and machined control switches and toggles across the switchgear.

But it also has modern conveniences, including heated screens and air conditioning.

In keeping with the rally Escorts of old, there’s an optional four–point harness instead of the standard three–point inertia–reel seatbelts. It also benefits from a full roll cage with removable door bars for enhanced stiffness as well as crash protection.

In another unusual step, customers get the benefit of a new car warranty for the reborn classics. Cover is for two years or 20,000 miles, whichever comes first.

Customers can even spec a pair of matching crash helmets that can be kept on display in a bespoke stowage compartment behind the seats

Of the 150 cars made, some will be delivered in left–hand–drive to the US market, where prices start from $400,000

The first example – which is unveiled to the public on Tuesday at the flashy London Concours event – has a pair of crash helmets painted in the resplendent green and gold livery to match the car.

When not being worn during normal driving conditions on the road, they are stored in a rear stowage compartment behind the racing seats. 

The £295,000 asking price for each example easily eclipses the known record amount paid for a Mk1 Escort.

That was a £108,000 winning bid placed in 2023 at the Iconic Auctioneers NEC Classic Motor Show sale for a 1975 RS2000 described as the ‘best example’, having undergone a painstaking five–year restoration.

Of the 150 cars made, some will be left–hand–drive models produced for the US market at an asking price of $400,000.