The first-generation Ford Escort changed the face of UK motoring when it launched in 1964. Now, 62 years later, it’s back in a limited edition special.

Built by Boreham Motorworks, the Ford Escort RS for the modern age is an officially-sanctioned Ford Motor Company project, looking for all the world like a restomod, but engineered unlike anything else.

At the heart of the project is a choice of two engines. The 1.8-litre Twin-Cam option with 136kW and an 8500rpm redline, or the Ten-K, which – as the name suggests – is a 10,000rpm beast rated to 242kW from 2.1 litres.

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The Ten-K engine takes its cues from Formula One, with individual throttle bodies, a carbon-fibre air box, forged connecting rods, a low-inertia single-mass flywheel, and ultra-lightweight construction that sees the engine itself weigh just 85kg. The Twin-Cam, meanwhile, is built to the same specs as the Alan Mann Racing Group 5 car that won the 1968 British saloon car championship.

Rather than shoehorning the engine into an existing Escort chassis, the Boreham version is an all-new car. The chassis number assigned to it is a new one, issued by Ford.

Subframes and suspension are bespoke and tuned to suit the car, with 300mm disc brakes and four-piston calipers up front, and 260mm rear discs with two-piston calipers at the rear. Rolling stock features 7×15-inch front and 8×15-inch wheels wrapped in 205/50 and 225/50 Yokohama A052 tyres.

The wheelbase has been extended by 30mm compared to a regular Escort, the suspension is fitted with the same two-way adjustable R53 dampers as the Gordon Murray Automotive T.50, while the steel body is fabricated using original Ford blueprints, formed on precision jigs and topped with a carbon-fibre bonnet and boot. Changes made during assembly result in a body 50 stiffer than that of the 1960s original.

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For all the modernisation, kerb weight comes in at just 895kg, giving the car a power-to-weight ratio of 270.4kW/t, putting it ahead of a Porsche 911 GT3, which manages 262.6kW/t in its lightest manual form.

The changes to the Escort RS don’t end there, with modernisation applied through LED lighting and an interior trimmed in carbon-fibre and leather. The instrument cluster features aluminium-faced analogue dials, paired with Breitling timekeeping equipment mounted in the centre console.

The price, as you’d expect, isn’t small. Pricing kicks off from £354,000 (A$666,600), and that’s before customisations or the as-yet unpriced Ten-K engine upgrade.

Numbers for the Boreham Motorworks Ford Escort RS will be limited to just 150 units, each individually tailored to the colour, trim, materials, and finishes of its client. And, as the cherry on top, the new cars will even come with a two-year, 20,000-mile (approx. 32,000km) warranty.