Oh boy. Ohhh … boy. Oh. Boy. I got some potentially great and/or potentially ruinous news last week, and it’s officially out there now, so I might as well address it before you read it somewhere else. It is well known that I am kind of obsessed with the Ford Escort. My weakness for Escorts is so well documented that the only careers I’m really qualified for at this point are auto journalist or US Congressman.
It’s hard for me to pick a most desirable Escort as I’m into all of them, including such oddities as the English Mk. IV convertible and the Changan Ford-built version for the Chinese and Taiwanese markets. Taking my own strange proclivities out of the equation, there are three rally-inspired Fords that are most notable: the Mk1 Escort RS, the Ford Escort RS Cosworth, and the Ford RS200.
Boreham Motorworks made a deal with Ford a few years ago to make the most perfect versions of two of those vehicles for sale to enthusiasts and collectors. Here’s where it gets tricky for me. Boreham brought its Alan Mann 68 Edition (and its 355 by Evoluto) to the Galpin Car Show. Why? Galpin Motors is going to be the West Coast Distributor for both vehicles, as well as the upcoming RS200 and whatever else Ford is allowing them to build.
This means that acquiring any of these cars is just a matter of me asking any one of my good friends at Galpin to put together an order. They’d probably even throw in a cool jacket. Are there any tax professionals here? What would happen if I drained my entire 401k?
As Good As An Escort Can Get
The Boreham Motorworks Escort is not a restomod, as Thomas explained in his writeup on the car:
Each example of this British machine starts with an entirely new body and front subframe not modelled after the production car, but rather the Alan Mann competition cars of the period. This means the wheelbase has been altered, resulting in a longer dash-to-axle ratio that’s beautifully purposeful. How did Boreham do this without raising some IP red flags? By licensing production from Ford, of course. It’s a ground-up new car with the original maker’s blessing, a rather rare thing in a world full of donor cars.
Standard fitment is a reworked twin-cam engine, now producing 185 horsepower and revving to 8,500 RPM. I’m sure it’s good, but when you’re playing in this echelon, you might as well splash the cash on Boreham’s Ten-K option. No, that’s not the price, that’s the redline of this 2.1-liter, ITB-equipped, 325-horsepower screamer. Ten thousand RPM. In a Mk1 Escort! Tick this box and you also get a dog-leg five-speed manual transmission, and if you think 325 horsepower sounds a bit low, wait until you see the curb weight of this thing.
Unsurprisingly, it’s a small number: 1,973 pounds. If I’ve done my math right, that’s 363 horsepower-per-metric ton. More than a Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat.
It’s excellent, and it was all I could do not to spend the entire Galpin Car Show gawking at it.
“Ford has been at the heart of Galpin for generations, so there is a natural connection between our history and what Boreham Motorworks is creating,” said Beau, who, in addition to being co-founder of The Autopian, is also the CEO of Galpin Motors. “We are excited to introduce the Ford Escort Mk1 RS to our clients and enthusiasts in California, and equally excited about what comes next. The opportunity to bring the RS200 to the United States is particularly special, and we believe Galpin is the perfect place to continue that story with Boreham.”
The RS200 Is Next
Also in the display was an original Ford RS200, which is another historical vehicle that’s going to get the full Boreham treatment. The full details haven’t been released, but imagine a version of the historic and extremely rare car developed for rally that you can drive regularly without being a member of the Block family.
I suppose I should mention that the 355 by Evoluto – part of related company DRVN–is also being sold by Galpin Motors. I was at the debut of the 355 in England a few years ago and was impressed by the concept:
More important than what they added is what they didn’t: modern driver aids. This is a car designed to be an F355 that starts every time you want to hit the road, but once you get there it’s on your ass to stay off the grass. The company refers to this as “peak analog” or, well, “peak anologue” because they’re Brits.
Apparently, my Pets.com stock isn’t doing as well as I thought. Maybe I can get a test drive.
Top photo: Boreham Motorworks
Please lottery, make me a winner so I can buy one.
Matt, what are the chances you could get the Canadian government to fund a rocket powered Lincoln to jump a river? You could just embezzle those funds!
These things, and most ground up “restomod” things, have an uncanny valley both inside and out, where just enough features are caricatured to make them look off. At any rate, starting at $400k is an instant don’t care.
“My weakness for Escorts is so well documented that the only careers I’m really qualified for at this point are auto journalist or US Congressman.”
LOL
if you empty your 401k, you’d get hit with early distribution penalties and the amount distribution would be taxed. You’d get taxed regardless of any situation, but there are disaster type situations which would exempt you from penalties for certain amounts of distribution. so unless you like to give away money to the govt for no reason, the best way to probably do this is to take a “loan” from your 401k. If you can somehow claim the purchase of the car as a business expense, then the interest on the loan payments would likely be business expense as well.
Plus any interest is paid to you as you are technically the lender
Isn’t the “loan” capped at $50K?