FORD’s discontinued Escort MK1 will be revived in a matter of weeks with “all-new specs” – taking inspiration from an iconic racing machine.
Set to be revealed on December 12, the revamped classic will come complete with a brand-new design for its daytime running lights.
These are an innovative take on a version of the car developed by racing team Alan Mann Racing in 1968 – which went on to win the British Saloon Car Championship winner of that year.
Plus-shaped tape was placed across the headlights of the car – a detail that can be seen reflected in teased images of the new vehicle.
It will also have features from the original saloon – even down to its vehicle identification numbers which will be accurate to the period when the original car was produced – between 1967 and 1975.
The car is being produced by Boreham Motorworks, with permission from Ford.
Ian Muir, CEO of Boreham parent company the DRVN Automotive Group, told Autocar: “The Ford Escort Mk1 embodies this ethos, blending timeless design with performance that inspires confidence and joy.
“We design for the road, not the runway. We embrace everything drivers love about cars.”
As well as the Escort MK1, Boreham is also releasing several other historically significant, “blueprint-accurate” cars.
These include a “remaster” of the Ford RS200 Group B rally car.
The Ford Escort was an enormously popular family car produced between the 1960s until 2000 – frequently the best-selling car in the whole of Britain.
Last month, a first-edition 1973 Ford Escort Mk1 RS2000, restored to its original glory through a meticulous years-long process, went under the hammer.
The iconic classic, a symbol of 70s motoring, had undergone a £130,000 transformation, making it one of the finest examples of its kind to hit the auction block.
And last year, an ultra-rare MK1 Ford Escort left to rot for 16-years was fully restored.
Stuart Jones was heading to an off licence in Stanford-le-Hope, Essex, when he spotted the 1973 RS2000 rusting away in a back garden.
He didn’t think much of it but returned a week later and learned it was an engine-less project that was never completed.
The mechanic told the Down at the barns YouTube channel: “It was just left for dead.
“He [the owner] said you’re never going to restore that.”
Stuart, who worked at a Ford factory in nearby Aveley, asked his manager if he could use company equipment to bring the RS2000 back to life.
Over the course of two years and a “hell of a lot of work”, he re-manufactured the entire vehicle, a first for the AVO factory.