Your Favorite Group B Rally Car Is Going Back Into Production

The Ford Mk1 Escort was known for tearing up rally stages throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s, with a production version built between 1967 and 1975. The Ford RS200 then became one of the most iconic rally cars of Group B in the 1980s, but production of the road-going model only lasted two years, between 1984 and 1986.

Now both of them are back... sort of. Boreham Motorworks out of the UK signed a brand license agreement with Ford to produce a limited number of RS200 and Mk1 Escort models over the next few years.

The RS200 returns just in time for its 40th anniversary and will be “an entirely new, ground-up build"—not a continuation model. Based on the teaser images of the RS200, it will have modern touches like LED headlights, while the interior will most likely be updated for modern use, similar to what Kimera did with its Lancia 037 recreation.

The Escort, on the other hand, will be "blueprint-accurate" and "period-sympathetic." It will even have a continuation VIN number. And both of these cars will be street-legal (at least in the UK).

We still don't know details like price, power, or performance for either of these models, but Boreham does reference the RS200's original mid-engine, four-wheel-drive layout—so that's likely to stick around. And given that the original RS200 had a lightweight fiberglass body, Boreham's modern iteration should keep it just as light with extensive carbon fiber.

Boreham says these aren't the only two models the company has planned under its Ford partnership. At least five additional cars will be produced with the Ford license—some continuation models and other recreations.