Boreham Motorworks Ford Escort Mk1 68 Edition: Praise the Ford
If this was a pitch on Dragons’ Den, it’s hard to imagine anyone agreeing to invest. “We’re bringing back the Ford Escort after 25 years of absence.” (Deborah Meaden arches an eyebrow.) “It won’t be legal to drive on the road.” (Stephen Bartlett slowly shakes his head). “And it will cost upwards of £300,000.” (Peter Jones declares himself out).
Let’s be clear: this isn’t a restomod or a period-correct restoration. The Alan Mann Racing 68 Edition from Boreham Motorworks is a brand new car built from scratch – the first Mk1 Escort since production ended 50 years ago. Each one has the stamp of approval from Ford Motor Company, including continuation chassis numbers that start from where the original car stopped in 1975.
Nor is it anything like your grandparents’ Escort 1.3 L, but rather a detail-perfect recreation of ‘XOO 349F’ – winner of the British Saloon Car Championship in 1968. Only 24 examples will be made and you can choose from two specifications: Period Correct or Modern Race. The latter is ready for historic motorsport, with a full roll cage, FIA-approved seats, five-point harnesses and a plumbed-in fire extinguisher.
Ford Escort: Analogue action
Named after Ford’s former race and rally HQ in Essex, Boreham Motorworks is part of the DRVN Automotive Group – a cluster of companies united by the mantra of ‘peak analogue’. Other DRVN ventures include the Evoluto Ferrari F355 restomod and Koenigsegg’s London dealership.
The Alan Mann 68 Edition is the first fruit of the FoMoCo deal, signed off at the highest level by CEO Jim Farley and executive chairman Bill Ford. It will be followed by a road-going Escort Mk1 RS continuation (with a 300hp 2.1-litre engine that revs to 10,000rpm) and a reborn Ford RS200. The legendary GT40 will make an official comeback, too.
The other piece of the puzzle is Alan Mann Racing, the works team that won the BSCC title in 1968, with Aussie Frank Gardner at the wheel. Now also part of the DRVN collective, it provided the original car – possibly the most valuable Ford Escort in the world – which was carefully disassembled, laser-scanned and created in 3D digital format. The entire vehicle was then remanufactured to modern tolerances, with final assembly and dynamic setup taking place at Alan Mann Racing in Chobham, Surrey.
A racing car reborn
I meet the team from Boreham Motorworks at M-Sport in Cumbria, a private test facility owned by rallying legend Malcolm Wilson. Henry Mann, son of the late Alan Mann, is waiting in the workshop, greeting me with a warm handshake as a mechanic does some final fettling beneath the car’s bonnet.
Exactly as in 1968, the 1,840cc Lotus twin-cam engine is fuelled by twin Weber 45 carburetors and sends drive to the rear wheels via a Ford ‘Bullet’ manual gearbox with straight-cut cogs. Peak power of 205hp arrives right on the rev limiter at 8,000rpm. No performance figures are quoted, but at 795kg dry – half the weight of many 21st century sports cars – the Escort appears fighting-fit.
Being built to Group 5 racing regulations (“almost a silhouette formula,” says Mann), means the suspension is also a long way from showroom spec. Its combination of sliding joint MacPherson struts, torsion bars, adjustable coilover Koni dampers and rose-jointed lower arms is a far cry from the original leaf-sprung live axle. Chief engineer Simon Goodliff describes the front end as “basically a GT40 parts bin”.
Completing the package are Girling solid disc brakes and 13-inch flow-formed aluminium wheels – replicas of the period ‘Electron’ rims – which are wrapped in treaded Dunlop tyres. There are no aero devices and no active driver aids. As I’m about to find out, this is driving in its rawest, least filtered form.
Inside the Escort AMR 68 Edition
Emerging from a pit garage into the bright afternoon sunshine, its Webers spluttering and exhaust snarling, the AMR 68 Edition looks sensational. Its squat stance is exaggerated by the Mk1’s much-loved bubble arches and kicked-up hips, while taped-up headlamps (an effect replicated with LEDs on the forthcoming Boreham Motorworks Escort RS) sit within the characteristic ‘dog bone’ grille. The scarlet and gold livery of Alan Mann Racing is a glorious finishing touch.
Inside, it’s less flamboyant, with no carpets, simple vinyl door trims and wind-up windows. There’s a quartet of Smiths gauges ahead of the driver and a central panel full of toggle switches and warning lights. The steering wheel is deeply dished and a skinny gear lever sprouts from the floor. The pedals, I’m told, are adjusted to Frank Gardner’s preferred positions.
This car being a Modern Race version, the seats are thinly padded Tillett buckets, with Schroth harnesses to lock you tightly in position. Thus equipped, the Escort is eligible for events such the Peter Auto series in Europe and SCCA meetings in the US. Sadly though, it’s considered slightly too young for the Goodwood Revival.
Shotgun with a star driver
My first foray on-track is as a passenger alongside Karl Jones, a veteran pro who raced a Ford Sierra RS500 in the 1980s. His role is to show me the braking points and racing lines around the tight and narrow M-Sport circuit before we swap seats.
No question, Karl has still got it. He builds speed steadily, leaning harder on the tyres until the car is scarcely going in a straight line. I’m trying to follow his pace notes over the helmet intercom, but the gravelly roar of the four-cylinder engine, overlaid with the high-pitched whine of the mechanical diff, soon drowns out any attempts at conversation.
Then it’s my turn. Feeling a little intimidated, I pogo out of the pit lane, the engine bogging down as I clumsily feed in the clutch. Once we’re rolling, though, the Escort is far friendlier to drive than I expected. Turns out you don’t really need electronics to monitor and finesse every aspect of your driving – finely honed handling and an abundance of feedback are quite enough. If this is ‘peak analogue’, I’m all for it.
AMR 68: Don’t lift, just drift
Not that the Escort makes it too easy. The tuned engine does its best work above 4,000rpm, so you need frequent shifts to avoid dropping out of the power band. The straight-cut ’box has a long throw and prefers not to be rushed, although Frank Gardner’s pedal spacing is perfect for heel-and-toe downshifts. And the unservoed brakes require a lot more anticipation – plus a firmer shove – than any Touring Car of today.
Those are the aspects you need to think about; the rest all comes down to feel. Whether it’s drifting around Brands Hatch in the BSCC or sliding through Welsh forests in the Lombard RAC Rally, the Mk1 Escort is celebrated for its ability to go sideways – and finding that balance at the limit of grip is key to driving it quickly. You sense the car pivot around you in corners, making small adjustments to the throttle and steering angle to maintain your angle of attack. It’s immensely satisfying.
Boreham Motorworks will organise special track days for AMR 68 Editions, but the hope is that most owners will take part in historic motorsport. Those with deep enough pockets can even enlist Alan Mann Racing as a support crew to organise all the logistics and maintenance. That way, they can simply concentrate on driving.
Verdict: Boreham Motorworks AMR 68 Edition
As a business pitch, it seems like madness. Who is going to splurge V12 Ferrari money on a Ford Escort? But clamber behind the wheel of an AMR 68 Edition and somehow it makes sense. This brand new, 57-year-old racer is more accessible and rewarding to drive than most track-only hypercars. And being able to go racing only adds to its appeal.
Most of the 24 cars are already accounted for and more special editions are surely in the pipeline. When I asked Simon Goodliff about the possibility of a rally-themed Mk1 Escort continuation, his smile certainly told a story.
At a time when Ford’s new car output is increasingly insipid, this is the most exciting car to wear a Blue Oval badge in a long time. For the lucky few, it will deliver a driving experience like few others. If only I had a Dragon’s bank balance…
Tim Pitt writes for Motoring Research