British brand bringing RS200 and MK1 Escort back with Ford’s blessing – Autoblog

England-based Boreham Motorworks is giving two sought-after classic Ford models, the first-generation Escort and the RS200 built for Group B racing, the resto-modded treatment. Both builds stand out from other resto-mods because they’re licensed by the Blue Oval.

Neither car has been unveiled yet; the only photos available show them hidden under a sheet. However, we can already tell that both feature proportions that stay close to the original cars’ along with updated design details such as LED lighting. Like the RS200, which launched in 1984 to race in the World Rally Championship’s Group B category, the resto-mod will feature a composite body, a mid-mounted engine, and full-time four-wheel-drive. It’s reasonable to assume that nearly every part of the drivetrain and the chassis will be modified to some extent.

Peeking through the cover confirms that Boreham chose to reproduce the rally-going variant of the Escort; we spot massive wheel arch flares that the humble 1.1-liter-powered model never wore. It sounds like these cars will be built from scratch, meaning buyers won’t need to provide a donor vehicle, and they’ll be assigned a continuation VIN. Boreham claims its builds will be blueprint-accurate and period-correct.

The RS200 will make its debut later in 2024 to commemorate the original model’s 40th birthday, while the Escort will break cover a little later. Pricing hasn’t been announced, but Boreham stresses the Escort and the RS200 will be built in “very limited numbers,” which is synonymous for “they’re going to be very expensive.” Looking ahead, the brand plans to bring at least five more classic Fords into the 21st century.

In some ways, the RS200 is Europe’s GT40. It was built for rallying rather than endurance racing, and it wasn’t as successful, but it’s a rare, purpose-designed race car whose name is spoken in a reverential tone in the enthusiast community. Historians disagree on how many units were built. Ford needed to make at least 200 units to homologate the model in the Group B category, hence the name, but some claim the final figure was pegged between 140 and 150. It’s as expensive as you might assume: RM Sotheby’s sold an Evolution for $615,500 in 2023.