History has started to repeat itself more frequently when it comes to cars, with an increasing number of high-end restomod versions of classics hitting the streets — but also, in those parts of the world that allow such things, freshly-built versions of long-retired models. In the United Kingdom, it seems the once-humble Ford Escort serves as inspiration for many of these new-old designs, largely due to the success the rear-wheel-drive sedan enjoyed in rallying.
The new EVO-X Body In Black you see here is the work of MST, based in beautiful north Wales. It's a company whose work Road & Track has already experienced with the MST Mk2 — that being a brand-new recreation of the second-gen European Escort that was on sale from 1975 to 1980. More recently, we also drove the spectacular Escort Alan Mann 68 Edition, a recreation of the first-generation Escort in sedan racing guise, that was produced by Boreham Motorworks with official sanction from Ford.
But the EVO-X takes MST in an all-new direction, with the option of a full carbon fiber exterior bringing it to a technical high point that no Seventies Escort ever reached. It's combined a wide-arch body using the quad-headlamp front end that was used by both the road-going RS2000 and some of its Group 2 sedan racing siblings.
MST is already one of the largest suppliers of Ford Escort parts for the motorsport community. The EVO-X uses a newly-built steel monocoque shell, but all external bodywork is made from carbon fiber; the company says this required the creation of all-new molds, but shedding 75% of the weight of metal panel work. MST boss Carwyn Ellis says the target for the finished version is a weight of just 1765 pounds in road-going form, or 1650 lbs in motorsport spec.
That will be motivated by a newly built 2.8-liter inline-four engine built by motorsport specialists Millington, this producing more than 360 horsepower, and with buyers able to choose between a manual gearbox or a sequential transmission. Other features include an all-new fully independent rear suspension system — Ellis says this is the system Colin McRae used on his own personal Mk2 Escort — as well as AP brakes with six-pot front calipers and 17-inch wheels.
“It’s been a massive development project,” Ellis tells R&T. “It’s more like a WRC car than a Ford Escort.”
But there is a catch, one beyond a price tag for a fully-featured build of $300,000 at current exchange rates. While the MST EVO-X can be sold in the U.K. under low-volume registration, allowing it to be licensed for road use as a brand-new car, that isn’t going to be possible on our side of the Atlantic. Anyone who does buy one in the U.S. is going to be limited to one of the motorsport versions.
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