MST reveals ‘new’ road-legal Mk2 Ford Escort Fast Road & Track

Historic rally car builder and parts supplier MST has announced its ‘new’ Mk2 Escort Fast Road & Track, a new-build road-legal historic racer based on the Group 4 rally car. Each car is hand-built at the company’s headquarters in Northern Wales, and due to the brilliance of limited-type approval in the UK, is able to be registered and run on the road.

MST starts by fabricating an all-new bodyshell which is given a DVLA-registered chassis number, from which it builds up a personally-specified Mk2 Escort. The model is able to be fitted with either a standard or ‘Tarmac’ body with extended wheel arches into which an FIA-approved roll cage is welded. 

As standard, MST will fit your Mk2 with a 2.5-litre Ford Duratec engine with ATR throttle bodies, stainless steel exhaust system, billet-machined sump and radiator. It produces around 200bhp, but can be upgraded to either the Ford BDG or Millington Diamond engines that produce 230bhp and 300bhp respectively. A dry sump oil system is also able to be optionally specified, connected to either a five- or six-speed manual transmission. 

Power is sent to the rear wheels via a limited slip differential mounted on a live rear axle. In place of the leaf springs MST fits all-round mechanically adjustable Bilstein coilover springs and dampers, keeping the suspension design relevant to this century.  

Brakes are sourced from AP Racing, with 267mm discs on the front axle gripped by four-pot calipers. The rears are smaller 247mm discs on single-pot units. A 13-inch wheel and tyre set is standard, but buyers can upgrade to 15-inch units if desired. 

This being a road-legal racer, the interior and equipment level is sparse, but as well as the optional competition seats, MST does offer a leather interior trim option.

Of course so much bespoke fabrication and its high-end component list makes this Mk2 Escort quite an expensive enterprise. It starts at £69,000 ex-VAT, or about the same price as a Porsche 911 Carrera.