Ford Escort MST Mk1 Sports is a more affordable less extreme recreation
Costing a tenth of most made-new classics, the Escort Mk1 Sports is comparatively accessible
MST, the creator of wonderful blister-arched, tricked-out Ford Escort Mk1 and Mk2 recreations has recognised and filled a gap in the market: one for a more affordable, less extreme model that goes back to basics. This is the MST Mk1 Sports and it could be yours for Cayman GTS money.
> MST Mk1 2024 review – £174,000 Ford Escort recreation driven
The car is inspired by the narrow arched Ford Advanced Vehicle Operations and Rally Sports road cars of the 1960s and 1970s but is a brand new chassis manufactured by MST, with AVO-style strengthening from the off. The Mk1 Sports features choice upgrades without going to the extremes that inform the £170k+ price of its other models. It also vastly undercuts anything you can get from the likes of the Ford-backed Boreham Motorworks – it's not far off a quarter of the price of Boreham's Escort Mk1 RS.
The 2-litre twin-cam engine produces 180bhp and features Jenvey throttle bodies with fuel injection. It puts its power to the Atlas axle via a five-speed manual transmission and ATB torque biasing differential. The suspension set-up consists of adjustable sport dampers with anti-roll bars, while the brakes are four-pistons at the front with vented discs. These are shrouded in 13-inch four-spoke alloy wheels.
On the inside it’s road-focused, with reclining sports seats, a rear bench and a suede-trimmed steering wheel. Should you want, an in-car entertainment pack and even an alarm and tracker pack are available. You can go further down the competition car route if you want, with an optional alloy sumo guard, a strut brace, twin- or quad-spot lamps and minilite wheels.
The Sports models will be available in both Mk1 and Mk2 guises, albeit with both using the 180bhp engine and five-speed transmission. Just 25 of each are to be built, with a base price of £74,500 before local taxes for each.
