Boreham Motorworks Alan Mann 68 Edition Ford Escorts appear at Goodwood
Tucked away at a pub near the 2025 Goodwood Festival of Speed were a pair of Mk1 Ford Escorts, one wearing the classic red-and-gold livery of Alan Mann Racing. They're meticulous recreations from Boreham Motorworks, which is building a series of Escort continuation cars with Ford's blessing, the first of which is due to be delivered in August.
The Red-and-gold car and its black-and-yellow companion (nicknamed 'Bumblebee' by its builders) are pre-production versions of the Alan Mann 68 Edition, built to the same FIA Group 5 specifications as the original Alan Mann Racing cars, and limited to just 24 customer cars.
A Legendary Name Returns
Founded in 1964, Alan Mann Racing has long been closely associated with Ford. Founder Alan Mann raced a number of the Blue Oval's products—including the Lotus Cortina, Mustang, and Falcon—but the Escort is likely the most famous car to wear the team's distinctive livery, thanks to its 1968 British Saloon Car Championship win.
During the team's heyday, which coincided with Ford's 'Total Performance' campaign to use motorsports success as a marketing tool, Alan Mann's lineup as a virtual racing hall of fame. Jackie Stewart, Jacky Ickx, Graham Hill, Jack Brabham, Bruce McLaren, and Mario Andretti all drove for the team at one time or another.
However, Ford's downsizing of its motorsports efforts also marked the end of Alan Mann Racing's time at the front of the grid. The name returned in 2004 as a preparer of historic race cars, and in late 2024 Boreham Motorworks announced that it was taking over stewardship of the venerable name.
A Faithful Reproduction
The most visible product of that arrangement so far is the Alan Mann 68 Edition Escort. While Boreham Motorworks also plans to build modernized Escort road cars, this version is intended to be identical to the cars raced by Alan Mann in 1968.
Boreham replicated Alan Mann's unique sliding-joint MacPherson strut front suspension, and the devotion to period correctness means the 68 Edition has a solid rear axle with Watts linkage. It also rolls on 8.5-inch front and 10-inch rear wheels that seem absurdly tiny by modern standards.
A 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine provides 201 horsepower, which is sent to the rear wheels through a four-speed manual transmission. That should be plenty for the Escort's 1,752-pound dry curb weight, which Boreham Motorworks claims is in line with that of the original cars.
The Alan Mann 68 Edition is the most exclusive of the Escort continuation cars Boreham Motorworks plans to offer. The company also plans to sell road and track versions that don't hew as closely to period specification, with somewhat larger production runs. And the company plans to revive another Ford classic—the RS200 rally car.
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