Ford killed the Escort in the early 2000s to make room for the Ford Focus. The legendary nameplate made a surprising comeback last decade for a sedan built and sold in China. It was a short-lived return since the nameplate was retired last year. Now, it's back again for a far more exciting car. However, this time around, Ford is only partially involved. You've heard of restomods, but this ain't it. Instead, the Escort RS is a "continumod."
With the Blue Oval's blessing, British company Boreham Motorworks is bringing back the high-performance Ford Escort with its continumod. The marketing jargon refers to a "blueprint-accurate, period-sympathetic vehicle built new." In other words, cars are built from the ground up instead of refreshing existing vehicles like the typical restomod project.
Since the niche company is a brand license partner of Ford, the Escort RS is technically a continuation model, complete with chassis numbers supplied by Ford. It continues a story that started over half a century ago with the 1970 Escort RS1600.
The new Escort RS honors the original by maintaining the clean lines of its ancestor while modernizing the hardware within the retro body. Gone is the standard engine since it made way for a larger 2.1-liter unit with a healthy 296 horsepower on tap. It revs to a screaming 10,000 rpm and sends power to the road via a five-speed, dogleg manual gearbox.
Alternatively, the base model uses a 1.8-liter unit rated at 182 hp, routed to the wheels through a four-speed manual, a Ford Bullet syncromesh with straight-cut gears. While that might not seem like a lot of power by today's standards, Boreham Motorworks targets a curb weight of just 1,763 pounds (800 kilograms). For reference, even the lightest ND Miata, the Japan special 990S, was 420 lbs (191 kg) heavier than this.
Both engines are fuel-injected, with the more potent mill also featuring electronic throttle control. Like in the old days, there aren't any nannies, as anti-lock brakes, power steering, traction control, and brake servo are all missing. You do get disc brakes at all four corners. The four-spoke 15-inch wheels nicely fill the bulging arches made from steel, like the rest of the body. Forged magnesium wheels are optional.
Ford Escort RS by Boreham Motorworks
The interior features a pair of bucket seats and a full roll cage for extra stiffness. Boreham Motorworks spruces up the cabin with Alcantara and leather. It also offers an optional four-point harness and a dedicated carbon-made section in the back for storing racing helmets. The car has AC, a small infotainment system, anodized dials, and new switchgear.
Prepare to pony up some serious money since the car starts at £295,000, or about $375,000 at current exchange rates. Arriving 50 years after Ford built the final Mk1 Escort RS special edition, the 1974 RS2000, Boreham Motorworks' continumod is capped at 150 units and comes with a two-year, 20,000-mile warranty. The public debut is next summer, with production starting in Q3 2025.
