- Reborn RS requires no Mk1 donor car.
- Officially licensed by Ford, limited to 150 examples.
- Bespoke 'Ten-K' engine revs to 10,000rpm.
British company Boreham Motorworks has created a brand-new version of the classic Ford Escort Mk1 that it says is "Not a replica. Not a restomod. Not a tribute".
It is in fact new from the ground up, licensed by Ford but 100% box-fresh (no, it doesn't even use an original Escort Mk1 as a starting point).
Boreham specialises in reinterpretations of Ford classic models and what it calls a "peak analogue" experience. It's already created a limited run (of 24) "continuation" examples of the Alan Mann Escort RS that won the 1968 British Saloon Car Championship.
But the RS takes that concept to the next level: the master digital body shell was created with help from Ford blueprints, combining steel with carbon fibre. The wheelbase is extended by 30mm to match the 1968 racer, while the suspension construction (including a new-design front subframe) and geometry is bespoke to the Boreham car.
It features R53 lightweight dampers and springs (that's supercar stuff) with "motorsport derived" components. There are struts up front and a 6-link live floating axle at the rear.
The car can be delivered with a period-appropriate 136kW twin-cam racing engine that revs to 8500rpm (same as the Alan Mann continuation car). But the headline option is the "Ten-K" engine developed by Boreham that delivers 243kW and can hit 10,000rpm (hence the name). The company claims it uses technology from Formula 1 and weighs just 85kg.
The manual transmission and driveline is designed to distribute torque "mechanically, to maimise traction without electronic intervention".
The whole car weighs less than 900kg and Boreham claims it carries 50% less rear unspring mass than period compeition Escorts.
Oh, and the Boreham Escort Mk1 RS starts at NZ$680,000, before you start adding options like that fancy engine. Production is limited to 150 units.
No doubt you'll want to secure yours straight away, then. Boreham says each car will be an "experience-led journey", with a dedicated client liaison from "first conversation through to final handover".
The company calls the car a "Continumod" and backs it with a 2 year/32,000km (20,000 mile) warranty.
